The supportive, detailed guide that crafters want for frustration-free learning of all the basics, including core techniques and 40 different patterns.
What is that lace? How old is it? Has it been made by hand or machine? What would it have been used for? These are the types of questions that this practical guide sets out to answer. Lavishly illustrated, it shows you how to identify the sort of lace that you might find hiding away in drawers and cupboards, or buy at a vintage textile fair. It deals predominantly with the hand-made and machine laces of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Topics covered include an introductory survey of the different types of lace, their history and construction; guidelines for a systematic approach to lace identification and advice on cleaning and storage; chapters on the different types of lace: bobbin lace, needle lace, craft laces such as crochet and tatting, machine lace and lace based on tapes and nets. There are exercises on distinguishing similar pieces of lace made using different techniques and there are illustrations of how lace has been used and of some of the tools used in the making. Written by experienced lacemakers Gilian Dye and Jean Leader, it presents items from their own collections to illuminate and inspire others who wish to know more about this fascinating textile. Lace Identification is a complete guide to the beauty of this stitch craft, and will richly reward all those who study the treasures they may own.
Of the various bobbin lace types, "torchon" lace is probably the best for a beginner to tackle. Based on a combination of attractive motifs with a geometrical ground, it uses a simple range of stitches to produce relatively speedy and gratifying results. Exercises cover: -the half stitch -the whole stitch -diamonds -spiders -rosegrounds -Scandinavian holes -gimps -tallies -leaves -plaits and picots The book includes 27 projects for lace, including nursery lace, fans, hearts, borders, and edgings, collars, frills, coasters, squares, handkerchiefs, and more. Clear, full-color photographs and color-coded diagrams are of great pratical help. Beginners will welcome this book with its concise, progressive approach: experts will find a wealth of original designs to add to their repertoire.
Every crocheter stares admiringly at vintage lace, wishing to replicate its delicacy and elegance. The originals were stitched with finer thread than we use today, making that gorgeous heirloom-quality crochet lace an elusive dream. This unique guide showcases a collection of antique tablecloths and bedspreads--each a magnificent example of the crocheter’s art--and revises the old techniques to suit today’s threads. Complete patterns are included for each project, along with instructions and full-page photos that make intricate designs easy to follow. Special attention is paid to working with traditional steel hooks and choosing the perfect crochet threads, and plenty of advice is offered for working in filet. These projects take time, but the results will become tomorrow’s heirlooms.
"Which one of you bitches is my mother?" Four elegant, successful, and sophisticated women in their forties are called to New York's Pierre Hotel to meet Lili -- a beautiful, young, and notoriously temperamental Hollywood movie star. None of the women knows exactly why she is there; each has a reason to hate Lili and each of them is astonished to see the others. They are old friends who share a guilty secret and who have for years been doing their best to keep that secret quiet. Their lives are changed forever, however, when Lili suddenly confronts them. When the women refuse to answer her, Lili proceeds to travel around the world through the playgrounds of the rich and famous, seeking to answer the question that has obsessed and almost destroyed her. From Paris to London, from the boardroom to the bedroom, Lace takes the reader into the rarified world of five unforgettable women who are as beautiful, as complex and as strong as...lace.
Easily learned, low-cost fundamental methods for over 25 distinctive projects, including Rose Leaf, English Crystal, Mosaic, Coronet, Valentine, Celandine, more. Includes diagrams, charts, and photographs of completed articles.
Part project book and part history lesson, this unmatched collection of lace patterns offers techniques for embellishment and edging to shawls and scarves. The 40 projects are deciphered, rewritten, charted, and adapted for modern tools and fibers, and are presented with full-color photos and illustrations of both the works-in-progress and the finished items. Comprehensive information on the tools and techniques of lace knitting helps beginning knitters, and challenging patterns keep experienced and ambitious knitters engaged. Delicate and decorative, the historical lace patterns in this book are adventurous and dynamic.