PieceWork May - June 2016

Once again, we devote the May/June issue of PieceWork to lace. And once again, our contributors have gone above and beyond to bring you an array of stories. Many have a personal connection—Julie Turjoman writes about her grandfather’s lace and embroidery company; Lowanne E. Jones shares her great-grandmother’s wedding jacket; Nancy Bush profiles her friend and Haapsalu lace master, Linda Elgas; and the list goes on.

Projects include knitted, crocheted, and tatted lace. Among them is the Bonnie Rose Baby Bonnet by Laura Ricketts, which Laura designed in parts because the filet-crochet section is time-consuming. Laura explains, “That way, if the bonnet is to be a gift, the crocheter can work the central panel ahead of time. After the birth, when the baby’s initials and birth date are known, the crocheter can create the two side panels, netting, and trim.” Brilliant!

Susan Strawn’s article, “A Mysterious Handmade Tatting-Sample Book,” is an absolute delight, as is the actual book. This wee book was compiled by an entrepreneur, living in Iowa in the early decades of the twentieth century, to sell tatted lace.

Patricia Dotson gave her mother’s amazing knitted-lace sampler book to PieceWork. Mary Elizabeth Greenwall Edie made the book in 1935. The fragile pages are filled with more than thirty samples and her handwritten instructions.

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