Elizabeth first learned to tat from her Grandma Gerhardt. Grandma was a lefty, so the knitting and crocheting were difficult for her to learn, but tatting came easily to her.

Elizabeth was given her grandmothers tatting shuttles after Grandma had to go to a nursing home. Unfortunately, the wool wheels Grandma had tatted to make an afghan for the county fair became a new mouse nest in the abandoned old farmhouse.

The John C. Campbell Folk School catalog showed a rare east coast visit from the Shuttle Brothers (Gary and Randy Houtz) in 2005. The over six foot tall guys demonstrated how tatting works with a one-inch diameter rope. They also carried their pouches with shuttles and thread with them around campus and, when asked about tatting, would show them how the shuttle and thread interlocked, and in a matter of seconds produce a butterfly. Before long, a number of nametags sported the colorful creations. A search of the internet will link to the story of a tatted wedding veil Gary made for his future daughter in law.

A persusal of the John C. Campbell Folk School 2007 catalog showed a class showing a new technique by the brothers.