The Lacis Museum Newsletter

January 28th, 2010
Dear Friends of LMLT,

An extraordinary week as the human spirit, long, and constantly tested, prevailed in a world gone awry. Tested by a natural disaster in Haiti, tested by a potential disaster from those we put our trust in, in our own world, and tested by extremes of weather that go beyond any range of normal. Complacency can only be a memory as this spirit has been  aroused from a long sleep. As the lace maker understood survival as something of their own making we learned that our own survival is part of a joining of souls to become a force that can not be ignored.


This Week

Last Saturday, the rain temporarily stopped, as if a window opened to invite  guests to the Museum. Tours became continuous as visitors came for the final days of he Exhibit. Lace as the essence of the human spirit seemed to be the prevailing message as a pride of our ancestors became a tactile experience.
And Monday, a wonderful visit from the Lace Guild of Northern California. From as far away as Fresno, a wonderful group that brought their passions with them...not to find it but to share their own pride in being a lace maker. Other visitors tagged on to the tour..the Gallery was full..and the commonality was a joy.

An Invitation

In participating in the many tours at LMLT, there is great pleasure in listening to the visitors..the memories conjured up by the LMLT experience...the  stories of their own collections...and knowledge in many of the specific areas of the Museum collections. Knowledge not being finite, it is always welcome and the sharing appreciated. If any of our Friends is interested in sharing with our readers, I would welcome any submittals that could be included in our Newsletter. Until experience suggests otherwise, I offer no rules for any submission.

We would also like to resurrect our Forum, which has been dormant for lack of time and commitment. If any of our friends would like to accept a position in monitoring a LMLT Web Forum, do let me know.
 
Events

Bobbin Lace, the exhibit closes in a few days, after welcoming many visitors from near and far who witnessed a magic passed down from the angels. All are now invited back to see a magical cloth that appeared January 14, as a stranger to LMLT paid a visit to share a family treasure. Understanding that only a few days were left, I asked if we could borrow it to join the other extraordinary pieces displayed.

From the Golden Age of style, this glorious lace cloth graced many tables, was gently cared for and survives much like when originally created in the late 19th c.

On loan to LMLT for the closing days of the BOBBIN LACE exhibit, this cloth represents some of the finest Italian lace work of this period embracing both Needle Lace and Bobbin Lace as perfected by generations of lace making traditions. The center panel, consisting of a field of mythical dragons and raptors,  is Bobbin Lace in the Italian style known as Cantu Lace, where few bobbins paint the scrolling lines, a challenge to the wandering eye, while the outer border is Needle Lace in the Venetian style, the corner figures again of mythical origin.

The cloth is on loan from Jean Chickering of San Francisco who learned of LMLT and our Exhibit through a small notation in the San Francisco Examiner, January 14, 2010.






For a personal perspective of bobbin lace and the hands that create the magic, come with me on the daily tour I give each day between 2:30 and 3:00. Offering a long 5 minute minimum tour, it has gripped most visitors who take this trip through the looking glass and find that, for this moment, time stops.

The gallery will soon be dark, as the laces return to the safety of conservation focused storage and the birth of the next exhibit takes form, “NIGHT AND DAY - THE WORLD OF THE TWENTIES,” which will open April 3rd. Erin, working with two precious interns in filling the veins of these remnants of the past, bringing forth the memories of not just a time but the souls of a lost age. A visit on any Saturday will let you witness progress in this transformation.
 
Classes

January 30 and February 6
BOBBIN LACE with Maria Jose Munoz.
Open to all levels, beginners will learn and be inspired while advanced lacers will be challenged. This is a 2 session class on the consecutive Saturdays January 23 and 30th, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. Class fee is $80.00 for both sessions

February 5
Carol Wood’s amazing corset making techniques will again be shared in VICTORIAN CORSETRY in new 3 session format, each session a week apart. It will be designed so that, at the end of the last session (if you do your homework), you will have a finished corset. Classes will be held on Friday evenings from 5:30 to 9:00 on February 5th, 12th and 19th. Class fee is $100.00

February 6
Carol Wood will be hosting on Saturday February 6, a one day class FINISH THAT CORSET from 10:00 AM to 5:00, focusing on the projects we fear to complete, Carol writes of her class “ Oh, those corset projects… Get in and get it done with an expert at your side!  Intended for those who have already begun construction on a corset of any era, during this one-day workshop you will make headway on a corset project you’ve already begun, plus pick up construction and embellishment tips through instructor demos.” Class fee is $40.00

March 27
COUTURE ROSES with Todd Roehrman. Learn the techniques of creating silk flowers, one petal at a time using hot iron tools in the traditions of the master fleuristes in France and New York.  Saturday March 27, 2010, 10:00 to 5:00 PM.  $90.00 class fee. To take any of Todd’s Couture Rose Classes the Flower Iron Starter Set [JH11] is the minimum tool set required. The set sells for $80.00 at LMLT. 

July 14
CLONES IRISH CROCHET with Maire Treanor, direct from Ireland. This will be a 4 day workshop plus an evening lecture where the spirit and techniques of this magical lace, which saved a Nation, will be brought to life. The workshop will cover the popular floral motifs and the unique ground of Clones lace as well as the development of patterns. An evening lecture by Maire covering her own collection and studies will compliment the occasion. Workshop fee is $250.00



Details on all classes are available on our web site at http://lacismuseum.org/classes.html.
 
Lace Groups at LMLT

Participation is free and if attending, do bring some of your accomplishments, complete or incomplete, and find a find a community of friends.

BOBBIN LACE GROUP
This steadily growing group meets on the third Saturday of each month from 1 - 3. Hosted by Maria Jose Munoz and Beth Lysten, all are welcome to learn, share and encourage.  If curiosity persists, we would encourage participation in the more formal bobbin lace classes by Maria.  The group will meet  Saturday, February 20th  from 1 - 3.

KNITTING GROUP
Welcoming knitters of all persuasions to gather, learn, share and explore all the facets of this 1-thread-2-needle textile technique, this group will meet at the Museum on the second Saturday of each month from 1:00-3:00 PM. All are invited, to knit or just meet Amy.   Amy, a creative knitter and natural instructor, can make any garment fit and find a way to restore the intended glory of discards. She helped put an all men’s knitting club in the spotlight in lower Manhattan while instructing children, adults, seniors and celebrities how to tame yarn with a pair of pointed sticks. The group will next meet on February 13.



Details on all groups are available on our website at http://lacismuseum.org/classes.html.

New in the Shop

January is the month when The National Needlework Association and the Craft and Hobby Association, hold their trade shows, offering the newest ideas and products to the related industries. Little is applicable to our unique interests but from the totality offered some products of interest are, or will soon be at the LMLT shop.

BIAS TAPE MAKER, “SIMPLICITY” ELECTRIC [BN39]. For making single fold tape, bias or straight. With integral hot plate, tape come out ready fir use. Comes with feed tip for 1” bias strip. Other tips available for 3/8”, 1/2”, 3/4” and 1-1/4” single fold and 1-1/8” and 1-1/4” quilt binding tips for half fold.

YARN BALL WINDER, “BOYE” ELECTRIC [BN37]. At last, a fully electric ball winder with adjustable speed control for winding up to 4 oz of and thread yarn.

FABRIC STRIP CUTTER “SIMPLICITY” ELECTRIC [BN38].  An electric cutter for cutting single strips of any fabric in widths from 3/8” to 2-3/4” for bias tape making or rug making. Cutting is made by the pressure of a rotating blade against an anvil, requiring no blade sharpening. Comes with a pinking blade and a straight blade.

Other items, unique to Lacis:

EESTE...ESTONIAN MITTENS ALL AROUND THE WORLD [Eesti Labakindad], Aino Praakli. [OU07]. Estonia remains in the spotlight for indigenous knitting. This book focuses on the traditional mittens with full color pictures, charts and instructions in both Estonian and English.
Nancy Bush, who has this special connection with all that is Estonian writes: “This wonderful book gathers Aino Praakli’s  research on Estonian mittens under one cover. There are 175 color images of patterned Estonian mittens, a short description of each mitten from the museum archive notes with author’s comments, where the mitten came from, who made it (if known) and details about the construction. There is also a colored graph for each design, showing the pattern repeat.  Included are instructions for special techniques, an interview with the author and some of her personal thoughts on her work and the mittens she has studied.’This book is a labor of love. Aino has spend countless hours in the Estonian National Museum collections, she has given her heart to these knitted treasures of her culture. Her dream is to see these patterns scattered around the world.“
Expected mid February, advance copy now available at the Museum Shop..

CLASSIC FASHION PATTERNS OF THE 20th CENTURY, Anne Tyrrell [DR61]. A decade by decade presentation of costume by text covering contemporary social trends, fashion photos, and advertising plates together with historically accurate scale patterns from 1900 to 1970 with working notes.   

BOBBIN LACE FOR THE DINING TABLE, Peter Sorensen. [NE73] A collection of Torchon/Tonder lace borders suitable for any linens in three themes: Mussel borders, Heart borders and Fan borders. 

SEW-ON MAGNETIC CLOSURE [FF63/FF64]. Solves the problem of attaching these powerful magnets without relying on the typical folding tabs which are a challenge to conceal. These have a neat button look, require no special tools or slits and automatically align. Ideal for purses, shoes, garments, shawls, etc. Available in 14mm and 18mm sizes.

FELT BONNET [LK94]. 100% wool felt bonnets with a rolled edge so they can be used as is, embellished with ribbon, flowers and even needle felting, or used as a basic shape for cutting and modifying to any variety of bonnet forms. Come see embellished samples at the Museum shop. Available in Black and Russet.

In Memorium

On Tatting. If you are a tatter, the name Mary Konior should be familiar to you as a teacher and author of such books as TATTING WITH VISUAL PATTERNS, TATTING PATTERNS and TATTING IN LACE, in which she made many inroads into the understanding and recording of patterns by graphic techniques, unlocking the mystery of this curious lace  As reported by Sue Hanson in the Palmetto Tatters Newsletter (UK), She passed away on January 16th after a long illness.



Closing Thoughts

As our Bobbin Lace Exhibit closes in a few days, we can reflect on the message that emerged. The message that is read not in the lace, but in the hands of the lace makers...that we are here to create,..to create beauty with these hands and the connected spirit. It is when we accept this role that we find not only pride but the joy of being human..


Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles
2982 Adeline Street
Berkeley, CA  94703

http://lacismuseum.org/

at Ashby & Adeline St., adjacent to the "Ashby" BART Station
Hours: Monday thru Saturday 12:00 - 6:00 pm
tel: 510-843-7290