Tatting Lace Sumi Fushige 90 color and black and white pages, Japanese text, 2008

Sumi Fushige is a talented tatting designer and her books are always lavishly photographed in color. Every project is presented clearly and most with variations. There are step by step instruction photos in full color and black and white diagrams and assembly direction where needed.

This is a charming mixture of traditional tatting used to accent clothing, purses, and bags. An array of doilies large and small, wholly-tatted or edged with tatting for coasters and cake plates. Two full pages of edgings are shown with suggestions for use. There are even a few bookmarks. But the real treat is the use of tatting for earrings, necklaces and pins. A few purse hangers are included with bright designs just right for coin purse or cell phone.

There is a set of numerals with a very simple pattern. These would have many uses. One suggestion in the book was on a clock face! Now that would make the perfect gift for a person who has everything!

My personal favorites among the patterns are the sachets, flower arrangement and the door wreath. They are all... hmm. well I'll save that for you to discover. Sumi's book is charming from cover to cover.

Tatting Lace Sumi Fushige 90 color and black and white pages, Japanese text, 2010

Sumi Fushige's book published in 2010 is very similar to the 2008 book in that it, as always, is lavishly photographed in color. Every project is presented clearly and many with variations. There are step by step instruction photos in full color and black and white diagrams and assembly directions where needed.

However, the array of patterns harkens back to Victorian times. Many of these are very large patterns for table display and stretch from 30 - 70 cm. Multi-row and multi-motif doilies are presented also in the old traditional colors of that era, white and ecru. Touches are color are found in the items used for clothing, stoles, cravats, decorations. Necklaces and pins provide color contrast and beads add bling to them and the purse depicted, too.

The instruction photos give a very good explanation of climbing out from a round center ring without cutting the thread. The tied mock picot followed by a split ring is shown taking the tatter into the second round. However, when round two is completed, there was no corresponding climb out into round three. But a very good example of bead placements is included.