The tatting designs of Anne Orr and needlework articles published in many magazines such as Southern Woman's Magazine, Good Housekeeping and Better Homes and Gardens made tatting patterns available to all. Anne Champe Orr (1875-1946) was endlessly fascinated with needle work and designed and sold hundreds of thousands of patterns for cross stitch, quilting, crochet, filet crochet and tatting. She also provided employment for women in the Appalachians making appliqued quilts and delicate tablecloths for sale. Anne is thought to have developed the split ring and daisy picot techniques. The tatting community is grateful for her many tatting patterns.

Tatting Books published at the Anne Orr Studios.

Tatting Book No. 13 - self-published at Anne Orr's Nashville TN studio It has 12 unnumbered pages of patterns and an unknown publishing date. Included are linen luncheon set edging; 29 edgings, insertions & beadings; 12 medallions including a butterfly; - missing 2 pages - baby socks & booties; includes luncheon cloth corner; 2 linen doilies with edgings; collar; yoke; 3 handkerchief edgings & medallions.

Miscellaneous Needlework Book No. 24, includes 2 pages of tatting. Page 6 is directions and detail photos of the edgings on page 7. On page 7 is a yoke made of wheels; reverse stitch patterns include a Library Scarf with edging and insertion, a towel edging and a Scarf End in Two Colors .

Tatting Book No. 35 - has 31 numbered pages of patterns and is copyrighted 1935. Includes 26 medallions; rectangular bonbon set; oval 2 doily set; round 2 doily set; 3 baby caps; yoke; large round doily; 3 doily set; 55 edgings & insertions. Good Housekeeping Insert included Star #2 centerpiece & 3 doilies.

Tatting Book No. 35 Revised - 1940 - is a completely different book than No. 35 and includes only a few of the same patterns. Dover's "Anne Orr's Classic Tatting Patterns" is a reprint of this edition. Includes 2 reverse stitch patterns—the Large Round Doily incorporates one row and Edging No. 34.

Tatting Book No. 43 - 1942— 14 pages. Cover design is Luncheon Set from Star No. 2; 11 (new?) medallions ;20 (new?) edgings; Medallion Centerpiece from No. 13; Table Cloth in Tatting (new?); a Chair Set (new?) ; a Group of Unusual Doilies (4 oval, 1 round—new?) and Rectangular Doily (new?). Photos are poor.

Tatting Book No. 48 - 1950. 13 pages. 12 medallions; 10 edgings, Tatted Doily with Linen Center; 2 baby caps, Rose Tatted Doily; Chair Set; 2 round 'sunflower' type doilies and a rectangular doily.

Dover reprints of the tatting books of Anne Orr

Anne Orr's Classic Tatting Patterns - published by Dover in 1985 contains an unabridged republication of Tatting Book No. 35 Revised published by Anne Orr in 1940.

Tatting With Anne Orr - published by Dover in 1989, this edition contains an altered and abridged replication of Tatting Book No. 13 and the Star Book of Tatting Designs, Book No. 2.

House of White Birches, Tatting Book No. 1, 1980, is a partial reprint of Anne Orr Book Tatting Book No. 13, Anne Orr Book Tatting Book No. 35, and Star Book No. 2.

J.P. Coats Crochet, Cross Stitch and Tatting Book No. 14, copyright 1923 has Anne Orr designs. It contains 12 edgings (11 are reverse stitch), a reverse stitch Square Medallion in a Leaf Design, and a reverse stitch edging for a cross stitch linen centerpiece.

The Star Book of Tatting Designs No. 2, published by American Thread Company in 1935 indicates on the cover and by the copyright that the designs are Anne Orr's. It has 23 pages and includes 29 medallions; 2 baby caps; large centerpiece; 3 doily set; yoke; 5 collar edgings; edging & medallion luncheon set; rectangular doily, 21 edgings

Ed.'s Note: I acquired all these books for my own personal reference library over the last 3 decades. Some of the historical information was gleaned from conversations with Mary Lou Tiffany and Mary McCarthy, also.-G. Seitz