In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes
Do you know what school she attended? I am wondering if it was the one that
Gertrude Whiting attended where she learned to make lace. I believe it was
called, the Institut Professional Neuchatelois de Dentelles. I know of
another
lace maker and teacher, who taught here in New York, who also attended this
school and am beginning to want to know more about it.
There is a book, I think written in French, which I was able to borrow
from The Lace Guild's library. I can't lay my hand on the title at the
moment, but I tracked it down after googling the name of the school.
A while back I was given a book of samples done for the first section of
the certificate, successfully worked by Norah Crooke in 1911. I took it
with me to our lace day in 2006 because I felt other lacemakers should
have the opportunity to see the lace. Unfortunately, as the pieces are
pinned to the pages, not stitched, (I have decided to leave it as it is;
there is no rust on the pins) during the day one of the samples was
stolen - and I feel this was my fault for letting the book out of my
sight. The experience so shook my trust in fellow lacemakers that it was
the major reason (apart from the fact that there were not sufficient
people prepared to arrive early enough to help prepare the room etc., on
the day, I don't know what I would have done without the help of my
husband and one of our male, non-lacemaking friends!) that after 2007's
lace day (which was already planned and booked) I have not wanted to
organise another one. (That said, I don't think I could have coped with
the workload of lace day organisation for this year whilst dealing with
my parents' Estates.)
Anyway, from what I remember, the school was opened around 1905, by a
Mexican taught lacemaker. Hence all of the students worked on Spanish
type (upright) pillows. The principal died in 1914, and the school was
continued by her son until it finally closed somewhere around 1930 (I'm
going on memory here!). There were two halves of the course, one to
learn the lace, the other to become proficient enough to teach. If you
get hold of the book, some of the photographs (including the syllabus)
are of work identical to the pieces Norah worked. There are, in the
folder, several prickings - these are on card which is very thick and
would have been a nightmare to prick (one person I showed it to thought
they would have needed a drill!). I did attempt to find out a bit more
about the lacemaker, as her name is more English than Swiss, but didn't
get very far. The samples include pieces that are worked in two colours
(white and green).
--
Jane Partridge
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