22 Comments

Thank you )) I curtsey in your specific direction. What fun we've had so far, eh? There is always more. You are my best apprentice and I delight in every new lace pic you send me. Each one is occasion for fabulous dive into the history and structures. Hundreds of years of makers smile and raise their needles and bobbins, nod their heads and smile that beauty lives beyond them.

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I thank you, Kate, for this comment and for everything you have ever taught me. You are a woman of great patience and even greater generosity.

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Fascinating! I never gave lace much thought except for how long it would appear to take to complete a piece. Definitely works of art.

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Absolutely takes great dedication both to MAKE lace and just UNDERSTAND lace. There are many collectors of antique lace -- not to be used as doilies under a vase, but as pieces of art, as you say, just as one might collect paintings.

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Hi Sharron, that is awesome. I saw a lady (passing time?) working on a small intricate piece. The detail and small thread--blown away. My wife is a quilter which is a whole other set of skills. But I am in awe when sewers put hand to thread.

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It takes so much patience and skill to make lace AND to quilt. I personally, do not have what it takes, but I have been studying the world of lace for 19 years. Thanks for taking time to read this article, Ron!

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Thanks for sharing this gem.

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Wow Sharron, I guess I never gave lace much thought. My mother had various pieces on table tops etc. which I assume have been lost to time. The work is so intricate and detailed. I's good that people like you and Kate are keeping the appreciation for such fine crafting alive.

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It was so kind of you to read this post, Jim. I know it is a very esoteric subject -- lace doesn't sound very pertinent to most, but the article was really about the serendipity of meeting an unexpected mentor and continuing one's education. It can happen when we least expect it.

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I enjoyed it and yes, it's important to seize the opportunities to keep learning throughout life.

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The Swiss also have a history in lacing!

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Oh, yes indeed, Daniela! One of my favorite laces is Appenzell. I don't have any in my collection and rarely find it to buy and sell. Exquisite stuff, but too expensive for me. Thank so much for dropping in to read at 🍁Leaves and for your comment!

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Lace is such a beautiful thing. Mum had Nottingham lace on her wedding dress and veil in the 1970s - it was beautiful (I know this, because her dress was in my dressing-up box for years as a child!). When I went to Murano, Venice, on a glassy pilgrimage in around 2006 (for a while I was a glass artist) we made a trip across to neighbouring island Burano, where as you know there's a huge culture of lace-making. Bobbin-lace making interests me because of the use of glass beads as spangles - they're works of art in their own right!

Such a beautiful read. Thank you!

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Ahhh. Two wonderful memories ... a wedding gown and an island of lace-makers!

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Yes - perfect, right? ♥️

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I'm a complete klutz re. laces, but I do have vivid memories of my grandmother's dedication to this type of art. She was an Asia Minor refugee who was forced to abandon a PALACE of a home and ended up in a hovel near Athens... but she NEVER gave up on her laces. Sad but sweet memories.... Thank you for posting this... I'm sure Granma sees it from up there and smiling....

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Sounds like you could write quite a story about Grandma. Maybe you already have!

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That's a nice thought.... I'm so confused and weary that many wonderful themes escape me! Thanks, Sharon!

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I am not surprised you are confused and weary, AT. Ever consider getting rid of your TV and newspaper? The prescription from the Divine Physician, if you ask me. I tossed mine out three years ago and have been recalled to life! Just saying.

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I don't watch TV at all and gave up newspapers 5 years ago.... All of my info comes from private sources, old colleagues, certain Websites here in Greece that I trust since my professional days, and regular correspondents with old colleagues.... what kills me is having lost my family.

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I am so sorry about that, AT. Have you written about that loss? I would like to understand that unhappy situation and how you are managing to live with it. . We all suffer grief and we can all use help coping with it. I for one.

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Yes, I have.... indirectly.... I regularly correspond with an old friend here in Greece who faces a similar situation to mine and she has been abused continually since the age of 2 by her monstrous mother, now dead thank God (she's now in her early 60s). Unfortunately she refuses to use the phone (!?) and thus we're into endless long emails and occasional tweets. That helps. And yesterday an old dear colleague call me and we talked for 2 hours (she knows my ex family). I cried afterwards for more than an hour.... I'm really sorry to hear you've experienced grief, too, I hope you find solace in your beautiful writing. Why do we have to suffer mostly out of NOTHING???? [the explanation of this last statement requires a long essay....]

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