New England
Lace Group
 

Blog & News

NELG loves to hear about what is going on in your life.  We hope that everyone will take a try at letting us know what new activities are going on. 

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  • January 11, 2022 10:52 PM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    I just happened to go over there today, and spotted this announcement.

    As many of you know, last summer we had to combine the old NeedleLaceTalk site with this site due to the rising costs of Web hosting on ning.com.  Those costs are about to go up again, so we have found a new home.  We have purchased a new domain which will be hosted on Epik.com.  Not only is the cost much more affordable for us, we will have much more control over the look and feel of the site and will be able to have content that just isn't feasible (or even possible) here.  The new site is at www.laceioli.org - be sure to bookmark it and be checking back as we move content from here to the new site.

  • January 08, 2022 12:40 PM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    In honor of our upcoming monthly meeting where we learn to make Dorset Buttons, spend some time examining these lovely buttons from a puzzle that I found while looking for other lace things.

    Button puzzle at GinaB Silkworks


  • December 20, 2021 7:05 PM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    A friend on Twitter just found this utterly hilarious clip, with everything. Antique lace, a nuisance cat, and every line is a gem. 

    https://youtu.be/uRyK8j8Dss0

    And those are very good caps. 

    Have a good laugh, and stay safe everyone.







  • December 10, 2021 8:33 AM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    I was listening to a podcast today, called "Dressed: History of Fashion". They interview people on a range of topics, some are current designers, some are film costumers, some are historians, etc. 

    This particular interview was with Mimi Prober, who is apparently using some antique lace in her designs. I can't link to that specific episode, but there are 2 parts. What I heard so far was part 1, in the middle they talk about the lace part.

    I went to her site to see what her stuff looks like: Mimi Prober Campaign.

    I don't know how deep she is on it, but it's nice to see appreciation for the old textiles and see them get new life. And she did appreciate the hand-work of them. 

    Mimi Prober on Instagram

    Dressed Podcast on Instagram


  • November 09, 2021 12:13 PM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    What an interesting and lovely idea. This woman on the islands takes antique and vintage pieces and dips them in metal plating. I love the idea of preserving some special items like wedding dress lace this way. 

    Gilded lace

    Monika Knutsson creates jewelry — and heirlooms — from vintage lace.

    https://www.mvtimes.com/2021/11/08/gilded-lace/

    Her website: https://monikaknutsson.com/

  • October 18, 2021 10:24 AM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    Just spotted this announcement on twitter:

    Ruth Mather says:

    Really excited to launch this new online seminar series next week - Lace End-to-End, covering the global history of lace from raw materials to heritage. Please come along! Last Tues of most months, 12 -1pm GMT.

    Here is the link to the list of upcoming talks. 

    https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/events/upcoming-events?&query=end-to-end

  • October 17, 2021 7:17 PM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    I was trying to find something else in the Connecticut Historical Society archives, and came across this image of the workmen (and that woman photobombing in the back corner) of the Deep River Lace Company. 

    http://emuseum.chs.org/emuseum/objects/15588/workers-at-deep-river-lace-company

    To see what else was out there about Deep River Lace, I just quickly searched and found this article in the NYT archives: 

    Lace Factory And Artistry Of Old World Quietly Fade

    Talks about a lot of old Leavers equipment and a style called "Rachel lace". Interesting tidbit about the Leaver's machines:

    "But it is not entirely dying out. Each of the six huge machines from the Deep River shop weighs 16 tons and stands 9 feet 6 inches tall--a design essentially unchanged from the prototype built by John Leavers, an English lace worker, in 1813. But they are not being decommissioned. Instead the machines will be shipped to Calais, France, where the old ways of lace-making still hold sway and eager apprentices can be found."

    The NYT article also references a bit about a similar mill in Rhode Island, "Rhode Island Lace Works in West Barrington" also to close soon, in August of 1990. 

    Has anyone ever researched any of this? Are there some old newsletter pieces or any local scholars of this around? 

  • October 08, 2021 3:00 PM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    A dress historian that I follow on twitter spotted this large and unusual sampler that I thought might interest some of the folks in our group.

    Tweet:  https://twitter.com/AldenBrien/status/1446533325368217604

    @AldenBrien The Deerfield (MA) antiques show is online and I love this enormous long "sampler" of crochet, lace, and tatting designs. What a wall hanging it would make! #crochettwt #textiles

    And the link to the actual item if you want to check it out: 1880s Crochet Lace Tatting Textile Sample Boards

    https://adadealers.com/antiques/index.php?page=out&id=13097&cid=333

  • October 05, 2021 10:09 PM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    A nice story about the MoMu exhibition: P.LACE.S

    Across five locations in Antwerp, the ModeMuseum shows how the delicate, weblike fabric became a staple of art, craft, fashion, and commerce.

  • October 01, 2021 2:35 PM | Mary Mangan (Administrator)

    I just got a copy of "Travels with George" by Nathaniel Philbrick. He did a sort of travelogue to revisit the route that George Washington took around the early US. This included Ipswich, of course, and I was wondering if he would talk about the lace. 

    We got a paragraph about it, mentioning that George did purchase some and that Martha wore it on her shawl. So more people will at least hear about the lace! I feel some momentum on this topic these days....

    And then I realized not everyone might know about the video of Martha's shawl by the Mount Vernon folks. But they also have a couple of other samples in their archives. 

    Mount Vernon blog post: Lavish Lace.

    Shawl video: RARE LOOK: Martha Washington's Shawl

    Review of the Philbrick book in the NYT recently: George Washington Slept Here? Then So Will Nathaniel Philbrick.


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