----Original message---- >From : [email protected] Subject : RE: RE: [lace] Nordfors Clark, Contemporary Needlelace
<I am writing a catalog entry for a work in the show by Jill Nordfors Clark, so I thought it would be a good idea to read her books as part of the research. I am surprised to see in her 1974 book that she has a lot of stitches such as chain stitch, coral stitch, stem stitch, Cretan stitch, Ceylon stitch and various knotted stitches in her work. In fact she has a stitch called Venetian-point stitch which is a knotted stitch and does not resemble what I perceive to be the stitches in Venetian lace. She also relies heavily on needle weaving, both on straight âwarpâ threads as she calls them and on radial ones. > Devon I have no desire or inclination to spend anymore valuable time reading through lace/embroidery books to clarify/establish facts as to the current description/identification of various forms of needlelace, so this will be my last and final posting on the subject. I am truly thankful that the responsibility of submitting an accurate description of some of the exhibits to be staged in Devon's forthcoming exhibition, does not rest on my shoulders, but if it did, I think I would be inclined to invite the workers of these exhibits to provide their own thought process on the production of their works. The press/media did an excellent job of unwittingly hoodwinking the naïve public into believing that the lace for Katherine Middleton's wedding dress was handmade lace! However, as lacemakers ourselves, we all know this fact to be inaccurate, as we are able to identify handmade lace from machine made lace, and know that it was most definitely machine made lace and not handmade lace! One would be hard pushed to find any of the stiches Devon refers to from Jill's book ie chain stitch, coral stitch, stem stitch, Cretan stitch, Ceylon stitch in a 'how to' book on needlelace techniques (other than hers of course), but have no problem whatsoever finding them in many Embroidery books, as that's what they are - Embroidery stitches! I did quickly thumb through Jill's book only to discover that all her stitch samples are worked on needlepoint canvas, enabling the worker to maintain an even tension - I decline to comment on this practice. I am proud to have a piece of my own Contempory 3-D strawberries portrayed in this very same book but do not claim it to be 'Needle LACE' in the strict sense of the word 'Lace' but rather a Contemporay work utilising needlace techniques! On page 83 she describes the method of working the buttonholed Argentan ground, where she states 'This is the complex Argentan ground which is not for the faint hearted' and gives detailed instructions/diagrams as to how to work this, including the preparation required to couch down the supporting cordonnet and explains how the work is finally removed from the background fabric. This will of course result in it being free from any supporting fabric and would qualify as a true sample of 'stiches in the air'. What she doesn't say however, is that this would traditionally be surrounded by other more closely worked buttonhole areas to support it, but presumably her use of it is to work it over the top of maybe a closely worked corded Brussels foundation/fabric? Devon also mentions that Jill uses weaving techniques in her works but this technique is the main distinguishing feature to be found in Halas lace also. Perhaps a more accurate description of these Contemporay works would be that of a' Needle worked background fabric, embroidered/enhanced with buttonhole/embroidery stitches'? Do you honestly believe that a beautiful piece of Point de Gaze, Yougal, Amelia Ars, Halas, Burano, Alemcon etc fall into the category of Embroidery? Possibly Limerick, Carrickmacross or Tambour work but surely not any of the above! Catherine Barley Catherine Barley Needlelace www.catherinebarley.com with the intention of bringing awareness of the term 'lace' to the attention of the general public - - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
