There is a big difference between either side of the Pond. On the Eastern side there was frequently a relative who made lace. One knew of its existence, usually. It was around. You might have had to look for it, but it was there. In the United States, certainly, one didn't know what it was. No one did it. That being said, I'm sure someone did it, but so few as to be the exception to the rule. As travel across the Pond became more common with ordinary people, exposure increased, and at least two Americans learned the basics in England and brought the enthusiasm home. I have heard that Holly would sit on a corner in downtown Ithaca making lace. The other difference is that it appears that on the Eastern side, crafts, especially traditional ones practiced in the area were fostered officially. There is very, very little of that in the US. When I'm sitting making lace in America, people ask what I am doing, unless they are Canadian. I will never forget working on my travel pillow at Heathrow and a young woman ask me what kind of lace I was making. That's the difference.
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