In response to Susan: There are many ways of making lace, employing different tools or only the fingers (in some cases). I think it difficult to start to re-define. We've tried this before and fallen into confusion over "exceptions". You asked about Battenburg, Russian & Idrijan, and Roumanian. The name Roumanian Lace faced this naming issue within our lifetime, which I explain below. Russian and Idrija (and many European tape laces) are made with bobbins on a lace pillow - all of one piece - resulting in very smooth curves of the tape element. This is what the laces described next copied, for speed in making during periods of economic distress. Battenburg, Princess, etc. laces are made using machine-made tapes (that often look like bobbin lace) which you can still purchase by the yard. For lacemaking, they are basted to a base fabric on which the design has been applied in some way - to establish the design outlines. Then, needle lace stitches are added to fill all the spaces and hold the piece together. As for the part of your question about Roumanian lace - the element used to represent "tape" is crocheted, and then used in the same way as in Battenburg. That is, it is basted onto a fabric in the shape wanted (ornament, doily, collar, etc.). Then, needle lace filling stitches are added, which will hold the intended shape together when the crocheted tape is released from the fabric backing on which it was worked. If you are a member of The Embroiderers' Guild of America, their December 2011 issue of "Needle Arts" has a 5-page article about Silvia Murariu, showing Roumanian lace - in color! It says she has collected over 400 filling stitches in the past 40 years. She claims this 270-year-old technique was always called "macrame" in the Roumanian language. Anticipating language confusion, Sylvia consulted with lace experts when she began sharing it with the world. The method of making was re-named "Roumanian Lace" to avoid confusion with the name "macrame". Embroiderers' Guilds are not-for-profit organizations that have always offered classes in most of the laces made by needle. This conforms with their definition of embroidery - "made with a threaded needle". You might check within your local lace guild for someone who belongs to EGA, and arrange to see the December issue of their magazine. Sylvia designed an angel ornament for EGA's Designer Across America Project - available for $7 from EGA until March 1, 2012 . Here are addresses: _www.sylviaslace.com_ (http://www.sylviaslace.com) _www.egausa.org_ (http://www.egausa.org) Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center -------------------------------------------------------- Hello All! Thanks also for the tape & braid discussion. After making Battenburg as "tape lace", I was surprised when friends labeled Russian & Idrija as the same. Describing them as braid seems much more sensible. In that vein, would Roumanian then be considered tape lace? It shares many elements with Battenburg, except that the "tape" is made rather than purchased. Sincerely, Susan Hottle, Palm Beach Gardens, FL USA
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