RE: [lace] *Witches' Work* - connection to Binche
Hello all After weeks of hard work I finally caught up with the digests ;) and lo and behold, there was a question waiting to be answered and I knew the answer. This must be fait so I will answer this question ;) I've never heard of witches work before but "point de fee" and "toveressewerk" sounded familiar. So I took out the syllabus from my cours on Binch lace and there was indeed a chapter on this kind of Binch. It is the name for Binch with a lot of square tallies in it. Those tallies are not part of the ground but are an extra accent to the motive. This type of Binch is said to be very rare especially in older laces. I've seen more examples of this type of lace in other places as well. There is a nice picture of a piece of Point de Fee in Ulrike Lohr's Schneeverweht und durchgedreht on page 35. It is called a very chaotic lace and I agree. Almost all the examples of Point de Fee I have seen were quite chaotic and not really beautifull in my oppinion. So I'll stick to the Flat Binch and drool over the lace on page 94 wich needs approx. 200 bobbins. and is 15 centimeters wide. But first I need more bobbins . Greetings from Nelleke Glansdorp in Leiden, The Netherlands where the sun is shining and light is just right for working on that Kortelahti pattern that is blokking up my block pillow for just over a year now. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] *Witches' Work* - connection to Binche - Comment #2
In a message dated 9/13/03 7:21:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << I appreciate and thank those who are delving into this subject on my behalf!! After I posted my question a few weeks ago on Flanders corners, Michael Giusiana's Flanders articles in LMi were brought to my attention. >> - Dear Lacemakers, The above quotation refers to Flanders lace. In the interest of accuracy, I think it important to note that the Binche research reflected in "Lace Magazine International" was done over a lifetime - by Berthilde Vandoren, mother of the editor - Lieve Jerger, and the text of each article cited was written by either mother or daughter. In the articles referenced in my reply, Michael Giusiana was mentioned in connection with the diagrams and pricking in issue #46, 1998. It is possible Mr. Giusiana has written about Witches' Work, but I did not find it in the editions from which I gave details, and I prefer to be quoted as saying texts were written by Mme. Vandoren and Lieve Jerger. Mr. Giusiana is credited elsewhere in these magazines as "our Master Pattern Curator at LMi". In the final edition of LMi (#56), Lieve Jerger wrote a wonderful tribute to her mother. How nice it would be if all our "great lace experts" could be acknowledged in such a comprehensive and loving way. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
RE: [lace] *Witches' Work* - connection to Binche
I appreciate and thank those who are delving into this subject on my behalf!! After I posted my question a few weeks ago on Flanders corners, Michael Giusiana's Flanders articles in LMi were brought to my attention. I only own the last two issues, but there is a complete set of LMi at the house where we have our Wednesday lace session and I started plowing through them after the Flanders information. Of course the wonderful Binche articles caught my eye but I didn't have time to do more than skim through them. That was when I came across the term Witches' Work and a hint that it was a lace that was on beyond Binche so I asked the group if anyone knew what it was. Some one thought it might be another name for Binche but no one really knew for sure. Being a recent victim of "Binche fever" I was more than curious about a lace that might be a step beyond Binche and I figured that there had to be someone on arachne who knew what this lace was and probably a good many lacemakers besides myself who would be interested in learning what it is, if it is still being made, if anyone still teaches it and so forth. I have been asking other lacemakers since that day and another response I got was that Witches' Work was like Binche with a lot of tallies. Now I can go back through Jeri's references next Wednesday and read them more closely. Thanks a bunch for weeding through the LMi back issues and posting these to the forum. Marcie Original Post: >>To the original person who inquired about *Witches' Work*: There are probably several of us who have spent a great deal of time trying to find an answer for you. Very often a question is short, and the answer is not. What is the purpose behind the request? - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[lace] *Witches' Work* - connection to Binche
Dear Lacemakers, My lace books did not yield information about *Witches' Work*, but there are numerous references to it in "Lace Magazine International", which is no longer published. It is possible to order back issues at: www.lacemaking.com (This is the address on the gift bobbin attendees at IOLI convention received in their goodie bags) Click on Lace Magazine, and you can read tables of contents of the magazines. The last issue was #56 in 2000. I do not have a complete collection, but here are some references to *Witches' Work* - the name of which has been highlighted throughout with asterisks: 2000, Issue #56, page 23 - Title of article: 'Lace Collecting with a Focus'. Quote: "It made mother visibly happy that I was able to distinguish - at a glance - a Mechelen lace from a Valenciennes, a Feather Binche, or a forerunner of *Witches' Work*." Text by Lieve Jerger - editor of the magazine. 1998, Issue #46, page 29 - Title of article: '18th Century Binche Lace Recreation'. Quote in reference to Binche and the term 'Antiek' which is used in Belgium for all laces that have the twisted (CTCT/red) open rim, outlining the motifs: "Once you have mastered this technique, you can design your own Point de Fees, the fabled *Witches Work* which is the finest achievement of Binche lace." Diagrams and Pricking by Michael Giusiana. Text by Lieve Jerger. 1997, Issue #41, page 15 and Cover - Title of article: 'What is Binche Lace?' Quote: "Binche laces can be sorted in three major groupings: a) Feather-Binche b) Binche based on four strand grounds c) *Witches Work*, Toveressewerk or Point de Fees." Caption of detail of front cover: "Apostoline Sister Roberta and others in Bruges today still create *Witches' Work*. The method used for passing threads fluently and neatly from one pattern into another descends directly from the halo ring technique found in the early Antwerp laces. Surplus threads are worked towards the edge below into a netstitch field. No threads are added or taken out of this lace." Text by Berthilda Vandoren, late mother of Lieve Jerger, with illustrations from the Spieghel Collection. 1995, Issue 36, page 20 - Title of article: 'Lace Instruction in Bruges, Belgium'. Picture caption: "Toveressework or *Witches Work* like this illustrates the incredible lace legacy of the Aposteline Nuns who started the contemporary Bruges Kantcentrum in 1717." It is probable that earlier editions contain more references to *Witches' Work* and/or the Aposteline Nuns. You might do further research about Aposteline Nuns, Toveressework, or Point de Fees. For those who enjoy the history of lace and lacemakers, these "Lace Magazine International" publications would be valued reference material for your home libraries. The price has been greatly reduced. Toward the end of the publication of the magazines, the price at Borders book store was $8.50 per issue! I looked quickly at Michael Giusiana's three books on Binche lace, and did not find references to *Witches' Work*. However - in connection with another discussion on Arachne last week (Costumes for Shakespearean productions) -- Giusiana's "Binche I" (Subtitled: Around the Corner: Handkerchiefs) has a two-page history of the handkerchief. The historic review goes back to Persian and Roman times, tells when handkerchiefs were first standardized as to shape, and ends with the plain "Kleenex(tm)" now in use worldwide. To the original person who inquired about *Witches' Work*: There are probably several of us who have spent a great deal of time trying to find an answer for you. Very often a question is short, and the answer is not. What is the purpose behind the request? Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
