I have not read all the posts here, but Tatting almost became a lost art. I learned how to tat in 1997 when a small group of ladies in the next town to me started a class at their library. A year later in (1997) a write-up was in our local paper. At their next meeting, the number of attendees doubled the number of members. There are several sites on the web that sell tatting supplies, books of patterns, etc. Tatting has even invaded the jewelry making field. One lady in our group made a quilt and decorated it with her tatting. It turned out beautifully. My first project was an edging that I sewed to a plain denim dress to change it from humdrum.