On Apr 24, 2006, at 21:50, Diane Z wrote:
Alice Howell suggested I send a message to Arachne to liven things up
after my "Arachne Check"[...]
Anyone else?
OK, since it _has_ been fairly quiet and since I'm -- almost <g> --
caught up with private correspondence...
The "Ruskin Lace" thread of about a week ago coincided with an
un-expected package landing on my doorstep. A note from my oldest
stepson was enclosed:
"Dear T,
Kathy & I visited this tiny island last fall, and when we discovered it
had been a nest of lacemakers, naturally we thought of you. Consider,
please, this little book a belated Christmas present. Love, J+K"
The "little book" in question (paperback, 131 half-sized pages) is
called "The Fruit of Her Hands; Saba Lace History and Patterns", by
Eric E. Eliason. It had been published, in 1997, by Saba Foundation for
Arts; Saba, the Netherland Antilles (ISBN: 99904-0-193-4), though Mr
Eliason is an American.
The author knows something about lacemaking, obviously, since the books
starts (after the thanks and the introduction) with:
'Saba lace is a folk art that makes functional cloth items more
beautiful. Saba lace is made in the opposite way from "proper" lace.
With normal lace, such as the famous variety done in Belgium, one
starts with nothing'
Etc. He then goes on to explain how drawn-thread lace is made, and
gives a short-ish history of the Saba variety. Which is, indeed, _very_
lacy, with interesting elements and combinations, many of which I'd
never seen before (not that it says much, since needle-made lace is not
in my "bailwick"). About half of the book is devoted to photos (very
good and clear) of the lace. And -- a very nice touch -- the names of
the makers are always included (the lacemaking is still an ongoing
concern, aparently)
No instructions are given for specific patterns, but I suspect that
experienced embroiderers would have little trouble reproducing the ones
pictured. A very nice book all in all, though I don't know where one
would find it, short of making a trip to Netherland Antilles
--
Tamara P Duvall http://t-n-lace.net/
Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
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