love for lace, music, and nature, driven by a healthy curiosity

Tatting in this post is by Reiko Akamatsu, one of the most prolific volunteers we have had in the Endrucks’ Project, a very enthusiastic and supportive contributor. She tatted and diagrammed the cover doily, plus 3 patterns and many derivatives models, not to mentioning many more patterns tatted from Endrucks’ for her own study which are not included in this project. She started working on the book even before we made the project public last year.

Reiko’s prototype version of the cover doily, near her first pencil sketch for the pattern

Muskaan and I are highly grateful for what she has shared with us. She is very talented and a great resource and inspiration for us all.
In Muskaan’s own words:

For this Project, Ninetta and I have mostly been communicating with tatters individually and though I did not get the chance to collaborate with Reiko directly, I have been in awe of her inspiring work as she systematically works through the book and experiments alongside. She might not have followed my n.22 pattern from 2015, but it was a pleasant surprise to see her models from a couple years back on fb. Her personal printout copy of the book along with her own diagrams is aesthetically spiral bound that you cannot fail to admire every time!  

When I posted about the cupping dilemma (https://tipsaroundthehome.blogspot.com/2020/11/d-to-c-cup.html) encountered in pattern n.37, she actually tatted a model immediately and shared her tweaked count with me, which I may end up using! She is a true asset to our community project and I certainly wish language wasn’t such a barrier. I cannot thank Ninetta enough for being a worthy linguistic connection.

We hope that she collects all her tatted models from Endrucks’ book and permits us to share it in the Project doc. A committed lady doing single-handedly what a global community is trying to accomplish – amazing!

Thank you, Muskaan! Wonderfully written!

Direct links to (modern version) pdf files, for patterns and derivations, shared by Reiko:

• PATTERN #2: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m6VJ4oGevpIdvRXHTd8-2vwmucSezZLS/view

• PATTERN #23: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16yzCjrngQxjVy141hijgiZjNuf-IPm_-/view

• PATTERN #26: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sc3eHA-ADmYzODTv6FiyjuOQSlFg8vVh/view
  

• PATTERN for COVER Doily: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10KQwPg8fa4cy5l6P6bt3PIYg7H6GWfVc/view

• Derivatives (only pictures): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wY-Q09RioFnxdyXb60hkHmdUoYPDUS67/view  

• Mug cozy or broad lace from pattern #2 & #26: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SlGAG2Yx5qwz4vulezqhcqVtSnr40axy/view

For many more motif applications/derivations, scroll through her facebook page since mid-2020:
タティングムジカ Tatting Musica : https://www.facebook.com/tattingmusica/ 

I am a “latecomer” follower! I started following her page last year, in August. It happened that, in a group, she shared the picture of her, near her finished "Lagniappe" doily, a design by Mike Lyon. Here it is a recent link to that pic, hoping that it works for you: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4575343845863895&id=100001649732912

I was immediately captured by the thin thread and the colours of that big doily. I understand that she usually uses Lizbeth size 40 threads. Then, that is how I’ve found all her beautiful tatting, that is a riot of colour! All stitches are neat and joyful!

In the next picture, there is Reiko’s arrangement of the Original Book Cover, tatted in 2020, before our project started:

Reiko’s arrangement of the Original Book Cover

She tatted 3 models of the cover doily: the above arrangement (2020), a prototype version (2021, shown above, in lead pic) and the final version in white and mustard, showed next here. You can visit her facebook profile at this link, it takes you to a post with many pictures, the 3rd pic shows how she tatted three models: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4386442354754046&id=100001649732912&sfnsn=wiwspmo

Reiko’s reworked Cover doily

In her personal Facebook profile page, she loves sharing flowers and enchanting nature. She plays violin (that is the reason of the word “music” in her page name, I think) and teaches tatting. In many pictures she puts together amazing flowers and the lace, letting herself be inspired by nature, to choose colours for her tatting.

Here is the link to a fb post, in which there is a video of her big “Lagniappe” doily, with a window overlooking a grove, and her music in background. I found it enchanting: https://www.facebook.com/reiko.akamatsu.37/posts/4289855454412737

Reiko’s reworked pattern n.2

She told me that she finds the automatic translation very difficult, so we can understand each other only by exchanging short English sentences. In fact, it's the same for me from her language to Italian. Often, I struggle to get what she means in her original Japanese posts. Japanese is one of the most difficult languages in the automatic translation to English, it's a pity that we have the language barrier between us.

Reiko’s reworked pattern n.26

Lately she posted that she is planning to hold an exhibition in November. I understand that she will display the work showed in the video, that is a large hand sewed quilt (or is it a tapestry? or a bedspread?) with tatting sewed on it. The big doily symbolizes the earth, that is my guess from the translation, and the quilted carpet is the universe, with flowers and stars. Some of her Endrucks’ versions can also be seen there!
For the video of her exhibition held in 2019, follow this link (posted in her fb page “Tatting Musica”): https://fb.watch/7vK-DLVTQM/

Reiko’s adaptation from patterns n.2 and n.26

She also runs a very original niche business. 

From her other fb page, https://www.facebook.com/harurunleaf/ (that is mate of the internet site https://nijikoubou.square.site/) you can buy her very pretty bookmarks, with little rounded glass beads and Swarovski beads, called "Harurun Leaf", that is the same pattern tatted in many different colours. She often calls it Ruru leaf.

Here is what Google translated about the source of the pattern: “The design is based on P.28 No.28 of the book "the TATTED ARTISTRY of TEIKO FUJITO" by Professor Sadako Fujito, and I have added the string part of the bookmark. We have obtained permission to sell on September 25, 2012 from Mr. Sadako Fujito and President Nobuaki Seto of Vogue Co., Ltd.”- “The copyright of "Harurun Leaf" including the string part belongs to "Niji Kobo".”-

I love that she called the bookmark after her daugther, as I understand from the automatic translation:

★ "One leaf grows one tree, one tree creates a forest. People love the forest and are healed by the forest. Such a forest is born from a small little leaf." Youngest daughter We named it "Harurun Leaf" and "Harurun Leaf" from these words.
★ With that in mind, "What kind of people do you meet and what kind of books do you meet?" Each "Harurun Leaf" is created with an image entrusted to it.

Nice sweet words. I love reading books and often my tatting samples become bookmarks, and it is happening with some of my Endrucks’ samples, too.

Reiko’s reworked pattern n.23

 I love ending with her own words, the voice of a modest and pretty soul:

"I have no special talent. I just have a very strong curiosity." (Reiko Akamatsu)

Thank you, Reiko!

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That is a community project, we welcome every one of you to join in! Please let us know where we can find your renditions and derivative tatting!

We created the hashtag #Endrucks1920Project, so please use it!

We all enjoy sharing and the project is awaiting every one of you!

All info and links are in the Endrucks 1920 Project Document, here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17LEVftXweztBIOWh4sL4BB7bX65ssoOsOn4oXIgCepY/view

Ciao,
Ninetta & Muskaan