Just to add to the resources for anyone considering Cantu lace, Mary McPeek produced a 28 page booklet, which looks self-published, in 1985 - my copy came from the Lace Guild's second hand book stand (current version on website in e-form - a not-disinterested recommendation!); she seems to be from the US, judging by her spelling, and includes a bibliography. I assume a copy is in the Lace Guild library available for lending, or else the copy I bought would not have been on sale. Lace 89, from January 1998 has an article by Jean Barrett on lace from the Tebbs' Art of Bobbin lace, showing a Cantu collar she had, with a pattern she produced for it. She noted that Bridget Cook's Practical Skills book p.150 number 13 illustrated techniques that could be used in the open petals in the flower heads; pp.122-3 number 11 shows how to work the tendrils, and there the illustration is of Cantu-type lace. Mary Peak's book refers to the pattern in "Lavori a Fuselli, edizioni "Mani di Fata". This seems to be a special edition giving the basics of bobbin lace, the front cover has a picture of a Cantu-type edging on a small bolster being worked, interestingly with the pin holes pre pricked, and the back cover has a cantu edging , just stems and tendrills, no flowers, mounted on an embroidered cloth. As ever, instructions or prickings for these are not included in the pattern sheet. I do not know how old the magazine is, but have a copy priced at lire 180 - and it's many decades since lire 180 was worth anything! It passed through the hands of Alec Tiranti Ltd Fine art booksellers of 72 Charlotte Street, London W1 with a price of 3/6, ie 17.5p new UK money, so not this century! [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:52:32 EDT From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [lace] Cantu Lace of Italy
There has been some Cantu-related correspondence on Arachne in the last month, and perhaps what I wrote to Lori (Lacefairy) after OIDFA in Groningen will be of interest. Below is the essence of what was sent to her, so my verbal feedback would not be forgotten: "I could find no Italian supplies dealers at OIDFA "I cornered Barbara Fay to ask about Cantu lace books. She said the last good one, which I have - "Merletti a Cantu - cultura c tradizione di una comunita tra i secoli XVIII e XX", $50 in 2000 - is now out-of-print. (It does not have patterns or give instructions, and is in Italian. Lots of nice black & white pictures and text.) "She showed me issues # 3 and #4 of "Pizzo di Cantu", and # 3 seemed the nicest. It is a magazine of pictures of projects, diagrams, and prickings on tissue and plain pricking card inserts in the magazine. She was charging 10 Euros for the magazine, with a U.S. dollar worth about 60 cents! "It seemed to me that the cost was high, and I was not sure you wanted something in magazine format - sort of like a large Burda. "Later, I learned Ilona (my roommate) had bought # 3, in Italian language. It contains Cantu projects: fan leaf, a variety of edgings, Virgin Mary portrait, insertions for household curtains, pillow cases, etc. and an entire placemat (not just an edging). The publisher's website is _www.manidifata.it_ (http://www.manidifata.it/) which has British flag and English language. "It seemed very expensive for a magazine that could get mis-laid. You can go to _www.barbara-fay.de_ (http://www.barbara-fay.de/) and look at what they have at this time, but it is in German. The above magazines have been listed in catalog (which does come in English). Barbara and her husband are fluent in English. "Sometimes Betty Manfre comes to the U.S. from Italy.. She used to live near me in New Jersey, and she is fluent in English. She was once the IOLI's regional director from Europe. She taught Cantu and gave a talk "The Laces of Italy" at the 2002 Ithaca (New York) Lace Day and Conference." There are Cantu examples in other general lace books, but we do have problems with getting English-language books of instruction about any of the Italian laces. Jeri Ames Lace and Embroidery Resource Center Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:31:07 +0200 From: "Karen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: RE: [lace] Cantu Lace of Italy Thanks for replying Jeri. I have seen the magazines available over the net, but I was after more instruction than patterns. Malvary has very kindly helped out. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be many instruction books with the special Cantu techniques as there are for many of the other types of laces. Karen in Malta Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
