A few of my favorite places!
Creative inspiration abounds here.
Suggested Reading
No one beats Helen Gibb for tips and techniques on ribbonwork flowers. I use many of her techniques when creating millinery designs and decoration the gowns of my dolls.
Monday, April 19, 2010
They just don't make it like they used to........
Pictured above, a stunning flounce of Brussels "point de gaze" lace which features raised flower details. This lace was highly prized for the wedding trousseau. 100% cotton dating to 1870-1890I'm an avid collector of antique laces; I don't think one can be a doll costumer or an historical fashion enthusiast and not have an affinity towards old lace and trims. I must confess that in my collection, I have some laces like the one pictured above, that I will just have a pretty darn hard time parting with!!! These old antique beauties are becoming very rare and very expensive, and coming across them in estate sales or antique stores is not likely to happen anymore.
I don't know if it is just me or if there are others out there with the same inclinations, but I'm disapointed by fabric choices today. "mundane and stiff" have become the rule of today's modern laces..and in many cases the fabrics. While the commercial processes used during Victorian times also involved a high degree of mass production in mills, the quality, in my opinion has never been surpassed. When you hold a length of the Victorian or Edwardian era lace in your hand, there is no comparison to the feel of the workmanship and the natural fibers used. Today's textiles are nearly all plastic when you read their fiber content.
Pictured above, the details of the raised embroidery work on this Brussels Pointe de Gaze lace. This flounce features raised colonial knots work, open cut work and roses with five layers of embroidered net lace petals, all hand laid one over the other....the effect is exquisite!I for one am literally hoarding antique lace in my studio because I know that one day, the quality pieces that we can still get today will be even scarcer! I have a storage unit in my studio dedicated solely to antique and vintage laces and another unit dedicated to the antique and vintage sewing notions, like buttons, ribbons or flosses. If you ever get the chance, check out some of the links in my link list, because these sellers are top notch:)
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