The Lacis Museum Newsletter
April 10, 2009
Dear Friends of LMLT,

Our spring sunshine has been interrupted by a spate of very welcome April showers, but we are looking forward to a sunny weekend for the Passover and Easter festivities, and we hope that your weekend, too, will be a beautiful one.

Exhibits
Last Friday our new exhibit, As the Century Turns, opened with a gala reception in the museum gallery. It soon became obvious that this is not simply an exhibit to be observed, but an exhibit to be engulfed in. As guests entered the gallery, they were suddenly transported to an earlier time, where they encountered ladies shopping for finery, ladies dressing for work, ladies enjoying an outing in the country, hanging out the laundry, or sitting down for tea. The figures, ranging from stuffed stylized canvas shells to amazingly lifelike mannequins, blended with the guests in a most astonishing gathering. Erin’s scrumptious berry pie topped off the event and kept the crowd lingering into the evening. Special guests included Ellen Thomsen, the collector and conservator of the wax figures, Candace Kling, one of our honored advisory board members, and Diane Mott, textile conservator from the De Young Museum in San Francisco.

The exhibit will be available during regular museum hours, from noon to 6 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, until August 1, 2009. We are always happy to welcome groups, so let us know if you'd like to bring your class or group for a special tour. Please call Erin at the museum shop, (510) 843-7290 to make arrangements.
 
New Acquisitions

The newest addition to the museum’s collection comes from the museum itself. As we were combing through boxes of textiles destined for sale in the museum shop in an attempt to clear shelf space for our ever-expanding collection, we discovered this exquisite piece of drawn thread embroidery. Worked on finely woven cotton, this little scarf features some of the finest drawn thread work we have seen, with a design of interlaced circles reminiscent of the traditional Wedding Ring quilt pattern, enhanced by counted thread embroidery in the style of Lefkara work and bands of fine pulled thread work. As if this display of skill were not sufficient, the anonymous needle artist added an edging of exquisite Armenian needle lace, also worked in the finest of cotton thread. This little jewel had languished, crumpled and overlooked, in the bottom of a box, but a careful soak and pressing brought it back to a happy new life in our permanent collection.
 
Classes
LACIS LACE KNITTING GROUP
Lace knitters of all skill levels are invited to join the Lacis Lace Knitters, a flourishing and friendly knitting family that meets once a month to share, show-and-tell, occasionally commiserate, congratulate, and always encourage each other through knitting thicks and thins. Bring along a current project and join us the first Saturday of every month from 1 to 3. In view of the large attendance the group now draws, the group will be meeting in the second floor exhibit space, so there will be ample room for everyone, along with all the show-and-tell projects.
 
BOBBIN LACE GROUP
Our bobbin lace classes with the charming and talented Maria Jose Munoz have produced lots of new bobbin lacers who are clamoring for lace-making camaraderie, and so Maria and the bobbin lacers now gather at the museum on the third Saturday of every month from 1 to 3 to share tips and work on lovely pillow lace of every description. Bring along your bobbins and join in the fun, or just come by and watch the magic happen. (And be sure to check out the new Ravelry group for Bobbin Lace Lovers. If you’re not yet a Raveller, you’re missing out on one of the best things to happen to the fiber arts since the spindle! Check it out at www.ravelry.com and join in the fun today.)

Details on all groups are available on our website at http://lacismuseum.org/classes.html.
 
Lace Groups at LMLT
LACIS LACE KNITTING GROUP
Lace knitters of all skill levels are invited to join the Lacis Lace Knitters, a flourishing and friendly knitting family that meets once a month to share, show-and-tell, occasionally commiserate, congratulate, and always encourage each other through knitting thicks and thins. Bring along a current project and join us the first Saturday of every month from 1 to 3. In view of the large attendance the group now draws, the group will be meeting in the second floor exhibit space, so there will be ample room for everyone, along with all the show-and-tell projects.

BOBBIN LACE GROUP
Our bobbin lace classes with the charming and talented Maria Jose Munoz have produced lots of new bobbin lacers who are clamoring for lace-making camaraderie, and so Maria and the bobbin lacers now gather at the museum on the third Saturday of every month from 1 to 3 to share tips and work on lovely pillow lace of every description. Bring along your bobbins and join in the fun! (And be sure to check out the new Ravelry group for Bobbin Lace Lovers. If you’re not yet a Raveller, you’re missing out on one of the best things to happen to the fiber arts since the spindle! Check it out at www.ravelry.com and join in the fun today.)

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

New in the Shop
Fantasy Fashions has introduced a new series of patterns that use felt squares, embroidery floss, and scraps and snippets, to fashion charming small figures. These little projects, suitable for all ages, could be used as toys, gifts, holiday decorations, or just plain fun.
Patterns include Forest Friends (Mouse, Beaver, Skunk & Racoon, Owl & Penguin, Rabbit & Squirrel, Birds, Deer, Horse, Unicorn & Pegasus), Fairy Tales (Witch & Frog Prince, Wizard, Elf & Father Christmas, Pumpkin Coach, King, Queen, Prince, Princess & Knight, Dragon & Baby) and Farm Friends (Rooster, Hen, Duck, Goose, Swan, Turkey & Peacock).

For knitters who are looking for new ideas, Iris Schreier’s REVERSIBLE KNITS might be just the thing. This book provides clear, complete instructions for small projects that introduce six different techniques for making reversible patterns, and then gives a number of more ambitious patterns that showcase these techniques, often combining multiple techniques with stunning results.

We have two new Japanese books on basic knitting techniques. The first, EASY KNITTING, provides an introduction to knitting, including basic techniques and a brief dictionary of stitches, with clear drawings keyed to standard Japanese graphic chart symbols. The second, BASIC KNITTING, focuses on knitting garments from Japanese charted patterns and schematics, and includes patterns for a number of patterned vests.

Embroiderer’s will welcome Barbara Hammet’s new book of cross stitch designs, CROSS STITCH ART NOUVEAU, which features over 70 designs adapted from the work of such artists as Louis Comfort Tiffany, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Frances Mac Donald, and Aubrey Beardsley. Accompanying the full color charted designs are helpful discussions of materials and techniques, making this a great addition to the library of any stitcher who loves the designs from the turn of the century.

From Japan we have received a magnificent folio of PATTERNS FROM SWEDISH TRADITIONAL KNITTING, by Britt-Marie Christoffersson. This elegant presentation includes 61 large format charts filled with wonderful designs gathered from traditional Swedish knitting.

The new ANNA magazine is now available at Lacis. True to their promise, this edition features a lovely doily designed by Herbert Niebling, along with page after page of delightful embroidery patterns featuring spring flowers. Whatever your choice of needlecraft, ANNA will provide you with new projects to keep your fingers flying.

A final bit of happy news: KNITTED LACE DESIGN OF HERBERT NIEBLING is here! This is an English translation of the collection originally published as GESTRICKTE SPITZENDECKEN, by Eva Maria Leszner. In addition to the translation, all the charts have been corrected and test knitted, so you can now tackle these lovely pieces with confidence.
Closing Thoughts
Best wishes for a happy Passover, a blessed Easter, and a lovely spring weekend to all our readers!

Mary Frances and your friends at LMLT



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