Here’s a thought for the too-busy beginner: read! A large part of
learning lace is learning about lace. You don’t have to steep yourself in the
fashionable laces of the 19th century—there’s a tremendous amount of
contemporary work being done today, easily found on YouTube, not to
We are all very grateful to Susanne Thompson for giving us permission to
include her two books on Honiton lacemaking on the âArizonaâ web site. As
you know, the majority of the material on the site started so long ago by
Ralph Griswold, contains mostly out of copyright material, published
he amazing collection already there. I will be glad to forward any
questions or comments to John Cropper. He is very helpful and prompt to
answer.
Tess Parrish (in Maine, USA, where a lovely Maine summer is in full swing)
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Felkin, William. A History of the Machine-Wrought Hosiery and Lace
Manufacturers, Burt Franklin, New York, 1967, 608 pages. Posted April 18,
2007. SAMPLE PAGE. REVIEW. Part 1: File size 10.1 MB PDF. Part 2: File size
12.5 MB PDF. Part 3: File size 11.9 MB PDF.
This can be found on the
This from my lacemaking friend who tats and does tambour work:
âActually it was done on a Cornely machine ( like a sewing machine that only
does chain stitch). Then the pieces were cut out and embroidered on the veil
with additional embroidery stitches. â
I guess no professionals do handwork
lacemaking, but there are pages and pages of excellent
photographs of the finest laces of the period. The book is written in several
languages. This is a classic, and worthy of being in any good lace library.
Tess Parrish (tess1...@aol.com <mailto:tess1...@aol.com>) in Maine USA, where
today
to our group. It is an
excellent review of all the various laces, about 23 pages long. At that time,
the school was doing very well, and for me it began what has been my ongoing
passion for the past almost forty years. It was lovely to go back in time and
remember...
Tess Parrish (tess1
Thank to Joepieâs kind efforts, I was finallyâafter a lot of
searchingâable to find the âWhite Coated Metal Ring For
Craftsâ20cm/Metal Wire & Craft Hoopsâ. They can be found through
Amazonâbut in Britain only! If you want them in the US, you can find them,
but instead of costing
Does anyone know where I can find white enameled metal rings 5-8” in diameter
in which to mount laces to make hanging window decorations? Metal, white, but
not silver or gold. I have looked through the internet without success.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Tess (tess1...@aol.com in sunny but
DMC is pretty tricky about finding dates. The one for the Dentelles aux
Fuseaux I found on the first page, âPart 1: File size 16.6 MB PDFâ at the
bottom of the page over on the right. It shows the numbers 1124. This means
November 1924.
My little Encyclopedia has its numbers on the page
kind words:
In a message dated 6/11/2017 2:24:35 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
je...@brandis.com.au writes:
It was only when I was comparing the 2 sites work that I really
appreciated just how much work Tess Parrish had done removing all the
background colour from the scans, thus making it
I thought I had sent this a couple of days ago, but apparently without
success:
The two volumes of Elisa Ricci's Old Itallian Laces have been sent off to the
Museum of Folk Art in Santa Fe.
(http://www.internationalfolkart.org/exhibitions/exhibition-details?eventID=2
833). It is very gratifying
of the question.
Tess Parrish (tess1...@aol.com) in Maine USA
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arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
I suppose that because the Congress in Turku, Finland 1996, was the first OIDFA
Congress I attended, it has always remained fresh in my mind, a happy
experience to say the least. Added to that is the fact that one of the
teachers at the Rauma workshop has been my Christmas correspondent over
For any interested in what a contemporary bobbin lace artist can do, Google
"Pierre Fouchet bobbin lace." Amazing!
Tess (in Maine USA, where winter is still trying to arrive. No snow or ice
yet, very unusual, but makes for good walking weather,)
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This book was scanned on "Arizona" in 2002. Can't believe it was that long
ago! Anyway, just go to http://www.cs.arizona.edu, click on "lace" then
"books" then scroll down to Goldenberg. Might be easier than through Project
Gutenburg. Good luck!
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A recent posting on Pinterest has come to my attention, and I would like to be
able to give the lacemaker her proper due. See:
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/1200x/7a/18/02/7a1802d66f98faedffb4aa5d21e8d5a3.jpg
It is a little sailboat with one of the most inspiring and original treatment
of
Thanks to Clay and Sue, the mysteries of putting something into Flickr seem to
have been overcome. They have just posted the picture I took of the pair of
curtains I have finally finished after months of intense effort. The pattern I
used is a variation of Ulrike's design on pages 54-4 to 6 in
Thank you so much, Alice, for the detailed report on the workshop. I know how
tired you must have been after it was all over, but I'm sure it was certainly
worth the effort for both students and teacher.
I have one little suggestion, which might save a sore back from the long
bending over
I use continental bobbins. When I first started making lace (can it really be
thirty years ago?) my bobbins rolled, too. I found that if I put a terry cloth
wash cloth or small towel underneath them it helped. But the real trick is to
keep the pillow flat. It is the slope, so commonly used
Thanks to all who wrote with suggestions as to where to find Fresia 30/3. I
have been able to place my order and can continue making my curtain knowing
that i will not run out of thread. Arachne is the lacemaker's best friend!
Tess (tess1...@aol.com) in Maine USA where I saw a forsythia in
I have looked everywhere but can't seem to find the thread I need to continue
my present project. I hope someone can help me find it: Freesia linen, 30/3,
off white, on the 500 meter cone. I will probably need two cones, maybe three.
Thanks so much.
Tess (tess1...@aol.com)
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There has been some minor confusion corresponding with John Cropper, who is
the good friend who volunteers to keep the Arizona archives going. But it
is all straightened out now. Brian had sent him some bobbin-related work and
wasn't sure that it had arrived. So I wrote John at his new address
Thanks to a note received this morning asking about a web site which sells the
full line of CDs of Ralph Griswold's lace reference collection and which
contains all the original downloadable files, I have contacted Kris Bruland,
and here is his most encouraging reply:
--
On
Bev and anyone else,
I got my A4 binder from Staples, on line but no problem. It has four rings
which match the holes in Ulrike's folders quite perfectly. I ordered the
three-inch size, which holds all three of the folders plus a bit extra for all
the stuff I added to it, like prickings and
I have a pricking of a pattern by Riet de Vries dated 1991. It is an imaginary
face done in what looks to me like Russian techniques, though I could be wrong
about that. I seem to have scribbled a few notes in French on the back of the
pricking, but otherwise I have no idea where I got it. It
Arachne is remarkable! Not only did I get several emails from helpful friends,
but one of them had actually made the lace and had won a prize with it! She
told me that it was published in La Dentelle, hence my notes in French, and
also in Lace Express.
Thanks to all who wrote me and all the
My daughter has just sent me this:
http://www.thierrydemaigret.com/html/index.jsp?id=17477lng=frnpp=1
It is the complete listing with photos which can be enlarged if you click on a
picture and give your permission to connect to the site. There are too many
items to look at in just a
My French son in law sent me the following this morning. I had no idea that
there was so many interesting lace connections available. I hope this will
not force you to spend so much on your computers that you stop making
lace--which for me is the most interesting part of this passion we all
I am particularly interested in the technique used in one of the bookmarks.
It's the blue one, fourth one in, from Sharon Morrison/Kathy Hensel. It says a
pattern is available, but I don't know how to get it. There are others of
interest as well, so it might be helpful to know how this is
Thanks to Clay and Sue Babbs, I have posted a few pictures onto Flickr. The
name of the set is Tess Parrish. The first two pictures, which I will delete
in a few days, are of what I think is an ivory needle case which my sister
found in my mother's work basket. Clay put it there in order
My granddaughter in law in Ottawa just sent me information about this. It is
too late to do anything about it this year, but it certainly gives us ideas for
the next. It also shows that lace gatherings don't have to be held in luxury
hotels, so far beyond the reach of most of us. Enjoy and
Liz--
Thanks so much for your input on Arachne. You have explained a lot about my
tricky memory. When I sight read music I know exactly where the muscles of my
voice should be and silently make the sounds (hope that makes sense). When I
have to memorize words, or remember names, I don't
It was my brother the mathematician who pointed out that math is one thing,
calculation another. So those who consider themselves mathematically
challenged may only suffer from problems with numbers, and in my case I am
convinced that this started for me in first or second grade with poor
Thanks to Jeri's posting, I have been in touch with Elizabeth Kurella. (Check
out her website: she is just getting it set up and it looks quite promising.
http://www.lacecurator.info) She plans to sign up for Arachne, but in the
meantime I told her that I would post her request about her
I was lucky to get Sof's posting about that remarkable exhibition and was even
more pleased to get the two links posted later here on Arachne. I am so often
distressed at contemporary work (in many media) where the design and the
technique don't suit each other. In the work of these two
with bright blue plastic tape really did make a statement! Probably an
art-school student, says my daughter. Aha! Have you thought of your local art
school?
Much to consider...
Tess Parrish (tess1...@aol.com) in Maine USA, where we are about to have an
early January thaw.
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collected for so long by
so many people, and it is very gratifying to know that it will stay active as
long as it is needed.
Tess Parrish (tess1...@aol.com) in Maine, USA
Here is John Cropper's reassuring answer to the question:
Hi Tess
The Archive was never really officially part of the CS department
Slight correction. First, the book on Greek finger lace by Despina
Koutsikas is on the Arizona site
(http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/lace.html). Marji has taught a
macrame class based on this, as many people know. What she is working on now
is Margaretenspitzen, a fascinating
Sorry, it's spelled Cavandoli. I always get it wrong!
Tess (tess1929)
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arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site:
Once again, Arachne has proved its worth! Thanks to all those who took the
time and trouble to help me with the Swedish directions. It was a simple
design, but not being able to read the instructions I missed the key phrase
which was the clue. All is well, and I'm on my way to finishing the
Is there anyone out there who would be willing to translate a paragraph or two
from Swedish to English? The are the directions for a small square, and I'm
sure it is all very simple, but I can't figure out the hanging-in directions
from the picture or the diagram, which is how I usually sort
When we first did all this scanning and posting, I was told that the pre-1923
date applied internationally, no matter what the US wants. There are ways and
ways of finding out whether copyrights have been renewed or not in the US, but
we go by the original truly safe date. It gets very
Just a note: the Cottier book is on the Arizona website. It was
posted in August of this year. Just put Cottier in the search block
and it will come right up. Enjoy!
Tess (tess1...@aol.com) in Philadelphia for a bit, enjoying old
friends, my mother lace group, and all that a large city
If you go to this month on the Arizona web site, you will see that
John has been busy! There are six or more new books, all from
archive.org, and more will be coming as I send them to him and he does
the hard work of putting them up on the site for all of us to see.
Thanks, John!
Tess
I have been downloading lace books from Archive.org, all of which will
eventually find their way onto the Arizona archives, and I came upon
one today which I think will interest all those who are looking for
the very oldest books. This one, apparently a collection by more than
one scribe,
Yes, torchon can be boring--but not to a beginner! There are so many
things to learn when one is first starting and torchon does make it
simple. On the other hand, I found myself quite mixed up when I
started, because everything was white, passives and workers alike.
When I found
I sent this a couple of days ago, but Jeri tells me that she hasn't
seen it, nor have I. So I am sending it again because I think that
some people might be interested:
Alfred Von Henneberg's book The Art and Craft of Old Lace likens the
analysis of lace construction to that of musical
will contact us and say
hello. Summertime in Maine is the best for lacemaking, especially
outdoors!
Tess Parrish (tess1...@aol.com) in Falmouth, Maine, just north of
Portland. Jeri Ames (jeria...@aol.com), in Winthrop, Maine, very near
Augusta. Johanna Hildebrand (hildb...@nbnet.nb.ca
A long time ago I made a little oval mat, and I would like to make it
again. However, this was so long ago that I have forgotten some of the
suggestions and directions, having neglected to write them down on the
back of the old pricking I intend to use. The pattern was printed in
Die
My Canadian granddaughter in law has just sent me an article which
appeared in CAmagazine about Louise Senecal, who as many of you know
is now the president of OIDFA after years with the Association des
Dentellieres du Quebec. Here is the link, which I think you will find
interesting:
I have just received a telephone call from Jeri, who it seems is doing
some research for various Arachnids. Her computer has betrayed her
and it is off to the repair man. She doesn't know when it will be
back, considering that over the Memorial Day weekend things may not be
ready as soon
Thanks for your kind words, Leonard, and for Susan's pointing us to
the Arizona Archives.
I feel I need to remind people that the scans on Arizona were only
made from books out of copyright, i.e. published before 1923 (or in a
few very generous cases from contemporary authors who were
Can someone please take a look at the thread equivalent chart and tell
me how I can replace Filata per Tombola du Cantu #30 with a comparable
linen size? I have suddenly acquired three new lacemakers in the area
(Maine, USA) and I think that one of them must have my chart. It is
quicker
The very best postings to the Arizona Archives have come from generous
people who have posted their own material, like Brian, or from all
those who lent me their precious books to scan. This is still an
ongoing project and thanks to John Cropper it will continue to grow as
people send us
Yes, there has been some confusion here. I sent a photo of the lace
stocking fronts I have to Alex, but she couldn't open what I sent
her. I have sent it to her again, but haven't heard whether she was
successful this second time. But to explain:
I have a pair of lace stocking fronts
I have had good luck! Antje has offered to put my pictures of the
stocking fronts onto her blog site, and the pictures have come out
very clearly with good detail. Go to
http://mi-pequeno-taller-eng.blogspot.com/2010/11/lace-stocking-fronts.html
Now I hope to hear from everyone who
This with many thanks from Marianne.
Tess
Begin forwarded message:
From: Marianne Stang marianne.st...@t-online.de
Date: November 24, 2010 10:49:00 AM EST
To: tess1...@aol.com
Subject: stocking fronts
Dear Tess,
your stocking inserts are in white Chantilly and they were really in
use in the
Even if you don't understand French, please go through this whole
film:
http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-13h/les-travaux-d-aiguille-les-dentellieres-de-l-artois-6143696.html
It will look very familiar to all of us! The beginning lacemakers
talk about their trials and errors, and the more
Thanks to John Cropper and the helpful people at the University of
Arizona, this email has just arrived to me, concerning Irish lace. I
am hoping that there will be people on the list who will write Sorcha
with encouragement and information. Two subsequent emails from her
have let me
Sorry, I forgot to include Sorcha's email address when I wrote
suggesting that some people might like to write her about Irish lace.
It is hyland.sor...@gmail.com and she is in Kansas, USA.
Tess (tess1...@aol.com)
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Can Goldschild thread be found in the US? I have started a torchon
mat and am afraid that the one spool of 50/3 1/2 white is not going to
be quite enough. I know it can be bought in Germany--that's probably
where I got it--but couldn't seem to find any listed here. I would
appreciate
The hackle pliers that I have seen in fishing supply stores don't fill the bill
for me as neatly and inexpensively as the Mini Test Clip Adapters that can be
bought at Radio Shack (in the U S and perhaps elsewhere at electronic supply
houses). They come two to a package for about $3.50. The
I am about to begin a length of simple torchon, using 35/2 linen. The
design includes using gimp. Do you have any suggestions as to what to
use for the gimp? #5 DMC perle? stranded DMC cotton? or, what size
linen? Any and all suggestions will be gratefully received.
Many thanks.
Tess
Two little books have just been posted on the professor's Archives.
See http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/this-month.html They
are very small and may only be of interest to those who are
researching lacemakers in the US. One of them lists all the names
that the author could find
I was very happy to have a note from Jo correcting the Dutch that was
in the listing for one of the little books newly posted on the
Archives site. If anyone else has any corrections to make, we would
would very much appreciate hearing from you. John says that at this
point corrections
Good news! The four little Dutch books that came from the collection
of the mother of the lovely old man I met in New Brunswick the last
time I was there have finally found their way onto the Arizona
Archives site. They are beginner books, and have nice prickings and
diagrams. It is not
For those who are interested in the revival of lace as fashion for
today (Devon!) take a look at this:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100528/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_venus_fashion_statement
Tess (tess1...@aol.com) in cool, sunny Maine USA
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Leonard has just sent me an email telling me that my address book has
been compromised, so if you get spam email under my name it is
because Arachne is one of the addresses on the list of names that
Leonard sent me. I will try to erase everything, change my password,
and so on. I hope
To all who wrote with good advice and comforting messages: many, many
thanks! I hope that the problem is now over for any of you who might
have been struck by this odd message from me. It wasn't, and you have
helped me understand a lot more about how the world of computers,
email, and
I have just received an email from Alex Stillwell about her concerns
re Google's attempt to scan and perhaps restrict access to the books
of the world, and specifically hers on Teneriffe, which she so
generously gave to the Archives website. (see
Some time ago, perhaps years, the Dutch group LOKK presented a bakery
table, a table full of lacemade cakes and cupcakes and other
goodies. It may have been as far back as the OIDFA Congress in
Ghent. I think I may have seen pictures of it on line.
Does anyone remember this? Do I have
A little while ago people were asking about posting things on Kris
Bruland's web site, namely in the lace gallery. I wasn't too sure how
to do this myself, so I wrote Kris and this is his reply:
For the gallery I don't have a direct upload...I've been asking
visitors to mail one or more
Sorry some people have had trouble finding things easily and quickly
in the Archives. I must admit that I too have to scratch my head
occasionally when I am looking for something. However, by now I think
that Avital and Alex, plus others, have covered the problem quite
well, certainly
It happened to me too, and I wondered why. After some experimenting,
I found that you can go to the right hand side of the Youtube page
where the black/blank video is and click on the name of the person who
made the video (in blue) and the video will come up. I clicked on
lacesinger for
Has anyone ever done the design by--I'm pretty sure--Jana Novak of the
Tree and the Snake (presumably in Garden of Eden)? I worked it a few
years ago but all in one color, and now I am making it again and I
hope this time to put in the colors. I have the tree and the snake
all finished,
Arachne comes through again! I am happy to find out what and where
the colors go in Jana Novak's Tree and Snake. Thanks so much for your
help.
Tess (tess1...@aol.com)
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Success! Thanks to the help from lace friends and neighbors, the
elusive box folders have been found in the US. If anyone is
interested, I will be glad to send the information on where to find
them and how much they cost.
Tess (tess1...@aol.com), very relieved
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Thanks to Margot for looking up the directions for saving a video to a
Mac if you have Safari. Open the video (in this case it was Jean's
video, but it worked with the YouTube one as well), go to File and
click on Save As, tell it where you want it to go, and there it is!
Now for
Last weekend a good lace friend came to visit, bringing her husband
with her. Not content to sit around and mope, he busied himself
repairing all sorts of little glitches around the house, and then he
brought out his fancy movie camera and took pictures of me making a
leaf tally the way I
For all those who are sick of the subject, I promise that the thread
is over! Thanks to all who wrote. I will answer each one privately,
but I do want especially to thank our friends from England: Of course
they knew exactly what I was talking about, and now I have the names
of at least
Does anyone know of a source in the US for box folders? They are so
easily found in Europe, but I can't seem to find them anywhere over
here. For those who don't know quite what I am talking about, a box
folder is a flat box (about 9.5 by 13 by 1.5 thick) the full top
flap of which is
A great big thanks to Ann-Marie Anderson for translating the Swedish
pattern for me. It amazes me how we can all communicate with each
other all over the world thanks to Arachne.
The pattern is for a vest, done in thin wool, and is made of squares
all joined together afterwards by
I hope that there is someone out there who might be willing to
translate some Swedish directions for me. It is for a vest, and the
basic motif is easy enough to follow from the pricking. But I can't
understand the directions for the border. Would anyone be willing?
Thanks.
Tess
I have just recently had the good fortune to meet a lovely Romanian
woman who lives in Portland, Maine, and in the course of our
conversation I found that she had a small collection of Romanian point
laces made by her mother and mother in law in the 1970s. She was kind
enough to
Thanks so much for your recent posting on Arachne. My copy of
Encyclopédie des Ouvrages de Dames shows 129 (Jan 1929) and parait
en langues francaise, anglaise, italienne, espagnole et allemand; il
en été tiré jusqu'à présent 1.190,000 exemplaires.
Very helpful information, indeed.
Tess Parrish
It always makes me so happy when someone, Sister Claire in this case,
introduces the Archives to someone who hasn't heard about them.
Although we are no longer adding to number of CDs, eight in all, we
are always ready to scan and post any books or other out of copyright
(before 1923 or
Try looking up hairpin lace. I imagine the word broomstick was
invented in the seventies when knitting, crochet, macrame, and other
such handwork became so terribly coarse. The references I have in the
older books--and the way it was referred to in my youth--were to
hairpin. I have a
I stand corrected. Thanks so much for clearing that up for me. I
guess I never did real broomstick lace, jumping impulsively (as usual)
to something I remembered. Going back to my old books, I don't find
broomstick mentioned anywhere. It will be interesting to see what
others may find.
This is for Jeri, after her long and very interesting post on the
subject:
Do you have an opinion on the soap called Orvus? It is used for
washing wool and for that it can't be beat. I'm not sure whether this
can be found outside the US, but it is carried here by feed stores
because it
Delores asked me for the dimensions of the pillow I made:
The pillow I made was as close to the ones I saw in Venice as I could
get after coming home and scrounging what I could find.
The diameter of the pillow needs to raise the work to convenient hand
level when it is placed on the lap.
I can't resist: go to
http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/illustrations/pt_nlp.pdf
and you will see the needle lace pillow I made after visiting the
lacemaking group in Venice a few years ago. This should give you an
idea of what it looks like and from that how to put it all
I am trying to find a DMC book called Le Macrame. It is not the
encyclopedia that often pops up when one is looking for something DMC,
but comes in two forms: a green cover which I think might be the
original, or a whiteish cover with macrame on it which I think is a
reprint.
If anyone
I am not sure what the rules are about mentioning a commercial
venture on Arachne, but i have just received an email from the museum
at Retournac asking me to post their latest information to those on
Arachne who might be interested to know that they are now publishing
in english.
The
For those many people who know Sheila Brown, she has just emailed me
with the sad news that her husband Alan has just died after quite a
siege with cancer. Some of you may already know this, but I thought
others might not.
Tess ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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Dear Alice,
Your description of the Kantcentrum reminds me of the happy week I
spent there some years ago. I was taking a three-day class with
Martine Bruggeman, but since that didn't take all my time while in
Bruges I signed up for the Open Classes. This put me into the large
I have just received a questionnaire from Marion Chastaing at the
museum at Retournac. They are apparently trying to reach previous
visitors to the museum (I was there in 2001) to compile information
that would be useful for area tourism. I wonder if anyone else has
heard from them?
A refinement on the leaves as described by Tamara: The most important
thing about getting them regular and smooth is tension. And this
means constant tension on the two outside threads. When Tamara says
that she had difficulty with this (needed the services of a
chiropractor...), I know
I will be in Quebec City for a family gathering over the weekend of
June 21st. Can anyone tell me if there is anything lace/costume/
textile/etc going on then? I will have my own car and a willing
driver, my sister, who is interested in everything I like, so we are
game for whatever we
Having just returned from checking out the family lace collection in
France, I was trying to figure out what a couple of the pieces that
had been marked with their purchase prices in 1895 might be worth in
the euros of today. Here are two currency conversion URLs which might
be of
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