26 April 2010

Beth Fish Laces

You may or may not have noticed that I was a bit absent from blogging and tweeting the last few days. I was co-hosting a lace workshop, where I finished a piece of lace that I've been working on for quite a while.


This is an example of Withof lace, a Dutch lace very much influenced by the art deco movement. (Click the image to see a large version of the scan.) This piece is 2¾ inches across and took about 55 hours of workshop time to complete.
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49 comments:

  1. Zee4/26/10, 7:30 AM

    Wow! That is beautiful!

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  2. bermudaonion4/26/10, 7:31 AM

    We did miss you on Twitter. Your lace is gorgeous - what will you do with it now, frame it?

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  3. Chrisbookarama4/26/10, 7:32 AM

    Wow! That's impressive. And 55 hours! No wonder handmade lace in the old days was expensive. Beautiful work!

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  4. Anonymous4/26/10, 7:33 AM

    The lace looks lovely! I would never be patient enough to frabricate such a thing myself, I'm sure.

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  5. JoAnn4/26/10, 7:37 AM

    Just beautiful! I've done counted cross-stitch on fine linen with pulled and drawn thread, and some cut-work, too... but not since the girls were younger. Am thinking about getting back into it, but not sure my aging eyes can handle it. You must use a magnifier for this?

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  6. Beth F4/26/10, 7:43 AM

    This is a bobbin lace, which means it is similar to miniature weaving. I use a magnifier for part of the lace (making the sewings) but not for the general weaving. It's kind of hard to explain.

    Thanks so much for your kind comments.

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  7. Beth4/26/10, 7:49 AM

    That lace is beautiful! Nothing quite like the beauty of a handmade object!

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  8. Care4/26/10, 7:52 AM

    oh it's beautiful! wow.

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  9. Nise' 4/26/10, 8:04 AM

    Wow, how lovely. I had no idea of the time involved in lace making.

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  10. Amy4/26/10, 8:04 AM

    How beautiful, and intricate! I am getting the impression from this that you have a lot of patience, as well as skill. It's so neat!

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  11. Lucy 4/26/10, 8:12 AM

    I did wonder where you were...when not on Twitter;)

    It's positively beautiful! I'd love to learn how to do this.

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  12. Dawn @ sheIsTooFondOfBooks4/26/10, 8:28 AM

    Gorgeous - such intricate work! I was wondering the same as Kathy - what do you do with your finished pieces of lace? Do you always use white (thread? or is there a fancy word for the raw material?)

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  13. Jen - Devourer of Books4/26/10, 8:34 AM

    Oh wow, gorgeous!

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  14. Beth F4/26/10, 8:34 AM

    I will be framing this piece. For Withof, I use white thread and white only. But for other types of lace I use colors.

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  15. Stacy4/26/10, 8:51 AM

    Truly beautiful:)

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  16. Jackie (Farm Lane Books)4/26/10, 8:53 AM

    Beautiful! It looks like an angel's wing. I wouldn't have the patience to sit and do that for 50+ hours, but I admire your dedication and you can be really proud of what you've created.

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  17. Sandy Nawrot4/26/10, 9:40 AM

    That is gorgeous! I'm sorry to say that I don't have one tiny bit of this kind of talent. I can't believe it took 55 hours! It requires talent AND patience, but it paid off.

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  18. Julie P.4/26/10, 9:49 AM

    Just amazing. 55 hours!!! No wonder you don't sleep!

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  19. Michelle4/26/10, 10:33 AM

    This is amazing! Such beautiful craftsmanship. I agree with Sandy, you have amazing talent *and* patience!

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  20. Anonymous4/26/10, 11:15 AM

    55 hours?!? Wow! You're very patient. And talented.

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  21. Louise4/26/10, 11:44 AM

    Oh yes, I echo the WOWs of the others. That is quite something, that lace. And 55 hours. WOW again, very, very pretty :-)

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  22. kayerj4/26/10, 11:46 AM

    oh my! that is stunning.

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  23. Heather4/26/10, 12:33 PM

    that is beautiful.

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  24. Dorte H4/26/10, 1:52 PM

    Oh, this is beautiful! My mother-in-law makes lace, and she has become fairly good at it over the years. I am not patient enough to try it, though.

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  25. Margot4/26/10, 1:57 PM

    I enlarged the picture and was simply amazed at the detail. I've never seen handmade lace before. This is truly a work of art.

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  26. Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog4/26/10, 3:53 PM

    Lovely! But 55 hours? You are much more patience than I!

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  27. April4/26/10, 4:08 PM

    WOW! That is amazing and gorgeous, Beth!!! What a talent you are!

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  28. Unknown4/26/10, 4:36 PM

    Wow - it's beautiful. I'm sure you glad to have it finished too.

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  29. Molly4/26/10, 6:46 PM

    Oh my....that is absolutely gorgeous! I am sure that every stitch was a labor of love.

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  30. Melissa4/26/10, 6:49 PM

    It's beautiful!

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  31. Belle4/26/10, 7:40 PM

    That's beautiful! You must really enjoy it - 55 hours is a LOT of time.

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  32. Melody4/26/10, 8:00 PM

    That's beautiful!

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  33. Tracy4/26/10, 8:08 PM

    This is gorgeous. 55 hours! It makes me think about the lace women who used to do all that fabulous work in the pre-machine age--

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  34. Anonymous4/26/10, 8:19 PM

    Your lace is gorgeous!

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  35. Jenners4/26/10, 8:30 PM

    I'm very impressed!

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  36. Beth F4/26/10, 8:39 PM

    Thanks so much again!

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  37. Michelle4/26/10, 9:22 PM

    Gorgeous! That is truly a talent. I hope you have some very special plans to showcase that piece!

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  38. Bonnie4/26/10, 9:40 PM

    This is stunning, you are talented Beth. I'd love to read more about your lacework and how it's done and how you got started doing this. I hope that you blog more about this. I have several lace doilies from my grandmother who is from Germany. It may be crocheted but it is very fine. I wish that I had the patience for this, it is beautiful. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  39. Carrie K.4/27/10, 1:19 AM

    Wow - that must take so much patience! It's gorgeous. :)

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  40. nat @book, line, and sinker4/27/10, 6:44 AM

    wow...that is a beautiful design! i had no idea just how labor-intensive lace-making is. what do you plan on doing with your piece?

    seeing the picture brought to mind a book i listened to last year--the lace reader by brunonia barry. it wasn't about making lace but reading it.

    cheers!

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  41. Nicole (Linus's Blanket)4/27/10, 7:30 AM

    That is so beautiful, and so labor intensive! I was going to say, "Teach me, teach me!", until I saw the number of hours just that little bit took. I am still trying to finish a blanket I started crocheting when I was 9.

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  42. Robin M4/27/10, 2:39 PM

    Beautiful detailing. You did an awesome job.

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  43. Amused4/27/10, 10:05 PM

    SO beautiful! I can't even imagine doing something that intricate! I love it when people show off their crafts!

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  44. TBM4/28/10, 6:14 AM

    Oh my... you MADE this?!

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  45. S. Krishna4/28/10, 1:24 PM

    Gorgeous! As you know, I haven't really been on Twitter much either - I wish I had something this pretty to show for it!

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  46. The Bumbles4/28/10, 10:22 PM

    That is very interesting - you must be extremely proud after all of that intricate work and time. Candace the Lacemaker - who knew?! Thanks for sharing.

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  47. Anonymous4/29/10, 3:26 PM

    Wow, I think more patience than I have is required to complete something like this. It's so pretty :)

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  48. Alice5/2/10, 6:29 AM

    So intricate and beautiful! I've never made lace in my life, so this is really awesome, Beth!

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  49. Jena5/11/10, 1:24 AM

    So pretty! How amazing that you were able to make this yourself!

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