'Re the composition. We were always told (at college) that the
"dressing" used in architects' linen was clay, and hence to be careful
when washing it out as it could clog drains.
I feel there are, and will always be, two types of lacemaker - those who
are purists, who will only use what has been used in the past and when
it becomes unavailable (due to the primary commercial user no longer
needing it) will seek the closest match, regardless of cost; and those
who are happy to use whatever works for them, and is within their
budget.
Those who re-enact will also want to be as close as possible to using
what was used in their period of history - though there is possibly
little certainty in some cases as to what was available (and
affordable!) when. I suspect that architects' linen gained popularity
after an architect gave some old, no longer required, plans to his clerk
for a lacemaker relative to recycle, and the idea caught on amongst her
friends... do we know what was used before? Maybe parcel paper - or
whatever was found to work for them - I doubt very much they worried
about "authenticity" then, more that the lace was worked and they earned
their few shillings or tokens to pay for their food!
--
Jane Partridge
-
To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line:
unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to
[email protected]
