tatting her way to the scaffold

[majolika.livejournal.com]

Did you know this drawing? That's Marie-Antoinette, aged 7. Such a *huge* shuttle! I read somewhere that she tatted all the time later in life, especially while she was waiting to be beheaded on the Guillotine.



EDIT: no, this is NOT a tatting shuttle. Please see comments.

Comments

[emmacrew.livejournal.com]

For the tassel stuff, I'm thinking passementerie.

In addition to netting, there are knotting shuttles, also not really tatting so much as making a length of knotted thread that could then be sewn onto a surface, basically a way to make the thread chunkier.

[moniqueleigh]

Passementerie! I think you're right... *does quick search on Google* Yup

[majolika.livejournal.com]

yes, passementerie is tassel-making - but I meant something different: it's called "Parfilage", and was less of a craft, more of an anti-craft in the 18th century. It's the plucking/unraveling of silver- or gold thead thread from embroidery/brocade/furniture fabric etc.; the ladies then knotted the "stolen" threads into something tassel-like and then often sold it for the pure value of the metal. It was the big rave in Rokoko France, in the salons the young ladies literally jumped at every man wearing epaulets to pluck out the threads.
I thought this might have been called "frivolité" too - it's frivolous enough - but I couldn't verify it, I guess I was wrong.

[moniqueleigh]

Hmmm.... I can't find anything on that except the definition you give. That may be the only name ever used for it. :)