Much has been done in the last decade to preserve the tradition of Idrija lace. However, the number of active lacemakers is decreasing, and we don't use many lace products. I think it is correct that we see Idrija lace as a luxury good and use it mainly on festive occasions and holidays. However, we could give it to each other more often, wear a small, discreet lace necklace to work, enjoy the play of shadows left by a soft light in the evening, show off our curtains with pride, mark a page in our favourite book with a favourite lace motif, etc.
Idrija lace is not cheap in the eyes of the unacquainted, who cannot know that even a tiny lace contains countless hours of time, love and memories. A lacemaker's earnings are meagre. After deducting the dealers' commissions, the cost of materials, the promotion and the taxes paid, a lacemaker finds out that her hard and meticulous work does not pay off. Gaining an average of €2-3 per hour of work, not having a guaranteed purchase of lace from month to month, is hard. The low demand for lace often forces lacemakers to lower their expectations or to question how much their time is worth. This situation explains, at least in part, why lacemaking persists mainly among retired women and why there are so few professional lace dealers.
I invite you to look at and use some of the Idrija lace bobbin patterns! Let's use our imagination, find new uses for Idrija lace and show them to others so that the lacemaking tradition does not fade into oblivion.
FLOWER FROM THE EXHIBITION "LACE THAT WARMS"
Visitors to the august exhibition "Lace that warms" in Spodnja Idrija (Slovenija) could see over 80 lace works on display. Recycling was the main theme of the exhibition. As an exhibit designer Tina Koder Grajzar pointed out, bobbin lace is a sustainable product in itself. It has a long life span and lacemakers throw away very little of the leftover thread in its handmade production. Nevertheless, the members of the Idrija Lacemakers' Association have found many ways to recycle leftover wool from previous projects, upcycle outdated garments, make new products from local sheep's wool, dyed with natural dyes and use patterns for various purposes. The exhibition itself was put together using only leftover materials from previous displays.
I participated in the exhibition with a bouquet I like ( in the photo), which you can make too. I invite you to download the instructions for making it at the link Lace that warms. You can also access the full photo gallery of the products.
MY BLUE BUTTERFLY FROM #LACECOLLAGE ACTION
Idrija Lacemakers' Association usually held #lacecollage actions in the pre-Easter and New Year months.
This time, however, the organisers of the Idrija Lace Festival wanted to organise a similar event in cooperation with the Idrija Lacemakers' Association. With one difference: the campaign will not take place online but in person in Idrija.
The president of the Association, Andreja Uršič, once again designed basic patterns- this time of butterflies. They inspired 118 lacemakers that sent 169 butterflies. No two are identical.
My blue butterfly will also be on display at the exhibition, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, 17 and 18 June, from 09:00 to 19:00 on the ground floor of the library Mestna knjižnica in čitalnica Idrija. If you like it and would like to make it yourself, you can click on the photo. Basic butterfly patterns are available at: Butterfly-1 in Butterfly-2.
IVA'S SUMMER- SPRING LAMP
A summer- spring lamp lace pattern with a lower circumference of 41 cm, an upper circumference of 35 cm and a height of 15.5 cm inspired Ms. Ivi Branda. She asked me a simple question about how to attach the lace to her fabric lamp.
I made the pattern to her liking for the lace that encircles the lamp. She just need to connect the matching loops around the edges in a two-loop crochet hook to avoid glueing, stitching or any other treatment. This way, Mrs Ivi can easily replace the lace with a winter pattern and enjoy the freedom of combining light and shadows.
The pattern is a bit bigger, so you need to print it on 3 A4 sheets, trim the edges and glue them together. Download the 3x A4 lace pattern. Click on the photo to print the original A3 lace pattern.
A PENDANT FOR TAMARA
This time I'm sharing with you a pattern for a pendant that you can attach to your favourite necklace, a string or a cord. Using metallic thread or sequins will make your necklace even more festive.
You can access the pattern by clicking on the image thumbnail.
THE DRAGON EYE
In the last www.lacepatterns.link e-news, I asked you about my next lacemaking pattern. From the answers I received, I considered two: it should be round and contain fish for practice.
The resulting brooch pattern is 5.5 cm in diameter, which I have named dragon's eye.
My fellow lacemakers from the Idrija Lace Ladies' Association chose it out of six others.
If you like the pattern, click on the link below and make lace with me. You will need 8 pairs of cotton Thread, Idrija Nr. 30.
Idrija Lacemakers Association action is special since
it brings together bobbin, sewn lace and embroidery makers from all over the world,
proves that we can make laces in countless possible ways by combining different colours, lace techniques, used threads and other accessories,
takes place in the pre-holiday period and brightens the holidays for many people.
About the #Lacecollage campaign through my redesigns, basic patterns drawn by Andreja Uršič, President of the Idrija Lacemakers' Association, or photo galleries of collages on the FB page of the Association of Idrija Lacemakers'Association.
Evergreen patterns such as an angel, a flower, a Christmas tree or a snowflake always come in handy.
Click on the image of the selected sample and download the .pdf file. You can print it out in A4 size and enjoy the music of the crossing and twisting of the bobbins.
If you encounter a problem while making lace, I will be happy to help. You can also email me (lacepatterns.info@gmail.com) your comments, suggestions or preferred lace pattern motifs. I would be glad to receive photographs of your lace made from my patterns.
