In a message dated 7/27/05 12:58:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Those of you headed for Denver and for Greet's Liers lace workshop have > a great treat in store (those of you who are not headed for that > workshop, check out her exhibition piece made especially for the > occasion - Mountains of Lace. It's lovely). Greet is a wonderful > teacher: full of fun and enthusiasm and also full of knowledge and > helpful tips. > Dear Lacemakers, While "we" are on the receiving end of some nice comments today, I am thinking of the 4-page review (that's what it printed out to) Tamara wrote yesterday about the class sponsored by the Keystone Lace Guild last week in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This was a time-consuming article to write for Arachne. I hope that students who will be taking Greet Rome-Verbeylen's Lier class in Denver have written thank yous to Tamara for the comprehensive overview of what the class with Greet was like. Incidentally, Greet speaks perfect English and never misunderstands what her students are puzzled about. She paces herself well and gives her students equal individual time. All potential problems were anticipated. Rescue supplies for those who might have had problems with the list of requirements were tucked away in the hosting chapter's tote bags, wooden frames had been created by a local Pennsylvania craftsman, there was a coffee/tea/ice water setup each morning and sweets/snacks to keep energy levels up in the afternoons, the class was housed in a spacious cool board room with excellent lighting, black tablecloths provided visual contrast to the white tulle, lunches-to-order were picked up by Deb from local food establishments, and there was enough room to eat without being near our work areas where spills would have been a concern! Hotel managers stopped to see us each morning and afternoon to ask if we needed staff services and to see for themselves if we were happy. Deb Bender did the organizing, and deserves many kudos for creating such a wonderful lacing atmosphere. It was good to hear that Tamara's 250-mile drive home was uneventful. I departed to Maine the same Monday morning at 4 a.m. and completed my 550-mile drive in 10 hours, plus another hour for a 15-minute nap at a rest stop and a quick restaurant meal enroute. (Hey, I'm 10 years older than Tamara, and am getting to the age where a nap helps break up a tiring solo drive!) Robin Panza (the "other" active Arachne), had flown across America from California, and her trip had us both beat in terms of time, personal energy, and cost. I printed Tamara's review memo, and have put it in Greet's 2000 book: "Lierse kant oud en nieuw", or "Lace from Lier: Old and New" ISBN 90-73214-87-4, which I had purchased directly from Greet at the 2000 Lund Sweden OIDFA congress. Though Greet is Belgian, others should not hesitate to purchase her book, which has English, French and German translations within the text. This is a lace I'd like to learn more about, and I hope more books will eventually be published on the subject of Lier tamboured laces. (Yes! Yes! I know the Fukuyama book, but that is not what "we" are reviewing today.) Greet explains the history of Lier lace in her book: "During the Middle Ages Lier was the center of gold embroidery. This probably explains why after the invention of the mechanized tulle, people embroidered on it with a needle. A beautiful example of this are the old Dutch bonnets. They usually consisted of lace from Beveren combined with embroidery from Lier. After a while people started using the fine crochet hook to conjure up chain stitched patterns on the tulle." (Which evolved to use of a tambour hook, which differs slightly from the design of a crochet hook.) You have to remember that in the Middle Ages there was no Belgium - the area was (and I am simplifying history and geography here) The Netherlands, and the people were Dutch. The word tambour comes from the French word for "drum". It was the name given to round frames (about the size of basketballs) on which white fabric was tightly stretched (the result looked a drum) to be embellished on the surface with what looked like chain stitch embroidery - made with a hooked implement. Similar "embroidery" was done in other nations, including India. In time, many variations of the technique developed. Consult a needlework tools book for more information about the equipment. At the Gent OIDFA congress, 1998, I had stood transfixed in the registration area - watching a woman demonstrate making tamboured Lier lace - at great speed. Later, we had toured and seen a group of experienced Lier lacemakers, crowded together like sardines in a small room, all making this lace. One was a child about 6(?) guided by her grandmother (I have pictures), and another was a middle-aged(?) man. All the others were women. To Arachne participants taking Greet's class in Denver - enjoy, and be of good humor! Thanks for the review, Tamara. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
