While enjoying a Car Show last week, I popped into a shop that sells collectibles and vintage items. I’ve found shuttles and thread and samples of lace there, so I try to browse whenever I’m in the area. I found a copy of Collingbourne’s 1920 New Easy Way of Making Real Tatting and Maltese Art. This is not a significant publication. It is very much a product of its time. You can view a scan of it on this website. The cover has an illustration of a women in striped dress tatting at round table. On the table is a shuttle, ball of thread, a half dozen books, and a hairpin lace “loom” sitting on top of another book.
Now full disclosure: I am not drawn to learning bobbin lace,
nor does "Maltese" intrigue me. Not like tatting does. I realize I’m quite narrow
in my lacing. ‘nuff said.
The border around the cover illustration is made up of
drawings of lace edgings. Two are tatted, two are "Maltese". Quite a good
marketing scheme! The main focus is selling thread. We can dream of producing
the laces pictured using the fine product!!
What I really wanted to have is the story shared as an
introduction to the text. It describes a trip taken to discover lace in Italy.
Quite delightful. Almost makes me want to get on a plane for (HOW LONG????) a
trip to Venice and Burono. What will be there 100 years after this fine lady’s
discovery trip?
For today, I’ll finish a bookmark and dream of traveling
from one tourist destination area to another.
I love how the lady is seated on a ball of thread pouffe, LOL! Scrolled through the book and most patterns seem to be fairly common, found in other publications of the time. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe book is fascinating, but I must confess - I've dabbled in other forms of lace and I've even made a little Maltese lace (known to me as 'hairpin' lace) many, many years ago, but NOTHING ever attracted me the way tatting did - and still does. Great fun to see the styles from 'way back then, too.
ReplyDeleteStephanieW
An interesting find! I had a chance once to learn bobbin lace but didn’t take it. Tatting is enough for me.
ReplyDelete