You might say I have a crush on vintage laces. I think I really do… I received a big package in the mail the day I got home from my eye surgery! YAY! I opened it up, but was kind of at a disadvantage as my “close-up” eye was the one I had surgery on, so I had a patch over it. Sure I opened the package up and tried to see them, but it wasn’t until today that I actually laid them all out and really took a good look at them.
Where did they come from? One of the Sofa Sisters sent them to me… our very dear, Kathie, was the sweetheart who did this. Apparently, she went to an auction or a sale of this lady who had a doll collection and these were some of the laces she used. Kathie sent me a VERY NICE share of the ones she got… Thank you again, Kathie!
So, I asked Kathie if it would be alright if I shared them with everyone…and she said it was fine.
There were too many pieces to show in one shot, so I will show a big grouping… then 4 closer shots of that lot, then another big group and 4 close up shots of that one… etc… Oh, and don’t forget to click on the pictures to enlarge them… you HAVE to see these close up to really see how intricate and delicate and wonderful they really are!
Next group…
Next group…
Now, I bet you were wondering if I had any favorites? Yes, I sure did… but there were quite a few…
When I thanked Kathie, I told I would pick up a piece and instantly think of a doll that might be seen wearing that lace… I have lots of ideas going round and round in my head…
Hope you enjoyed them… they are wonderful!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, WOW!!! What a treasure trove!! I have some favorites, too, Jeanne…
In group 1, picture 2, that pointy lace, lower right, could be for the neckline of a gown, and in picture 4, the organdy dickey could be taken apart and used for an apron (or two), or maybe sleeves.
In group 2, picture 2, that gorgeous, rich-looking lace in the lower right corner needs to go on a velvet dress, I think–maybe navy blue or burgundy. (In that same picture, the wide white lace at lower left is, I’m pretty sure, knitted. My great-aunt used to knit lace like that.)
You have a nice variety of widths and styles–some are probably narrow enough to use on your smallest dolls! Some might even be cut apart and used as single motifs. Fun!
Beautiful!!!!!!! What a wonderful selection Kathie gave you! So many laces, so many types, sizes and shapes, ti is astounding that there are no duplicates there! It’s a shame that lace making seems to be a lost art, and art it is!
I can see pretty trims for a fancy apron for Kirsten, pretty neckline lace trims for a velvet dress for someone like Samantha, a Civil War era dress all decked out with lace too. You could never find this kind of selection at JoAnn’s!:-)
I’m not even going to try to figure out my favorites, they all are #1 in my book! Thank you, Kathie for sending those to Jeanne, so that we will be able to see them in all their glory in a Jeanne Marie creation!
Thanks for all your nice comments… Actually I was “given” all that lace and knew there was no way I would use them all. I knew Jeanne would make better use of them than to have sit in my stash. Honestly if you could describe to me what kind you like in the pictures I’d be happy to share some I still have MORE. 😉 Seriously… just let me know. Mikekathie@msn.com
I separated off a group that are heavier… Charlotte mentioned knitted , and that may be what they are….but very dark…like coffee with cream. Would they bleach?
They need a home for sure.
My first thought was Congratulations! on being the recipient of such a wonderful trove of treasures. These look worthy of the clothing section of an art museum. How kind and thoughtful of Kathie to share these pieces of history with you and the group.
I’m a lace junkie myself, but all mine are modern. I would love to have a trove of vintage laces like these, but I’ve never had the opportunity to come across any that were in good shape, especially as good as these. I have to leave soon for caroling at the bank, but I will give the laces a more thorough look-see when I return. All the pieces are wonderful.
One of my sofa sisters mentioned yesterday that I would get no sympathy over our 80 degree temps this week. I’ll share and then we’ll both be comfortable. All I can say is that after being raised in PA, 80 degrees in December is not my cup of tea. Sean had a duct replacement job on Monday and he and Jason were up in an attic during that heat. They were both struggling from the experience yesterday. He was glad to have the work and at this time of year and then the heat came in.
Well, I’m off to do some caroling. Wish I had a beautiful outfit like Rebecca and Addy to wear.
Hi Barbara,
I do sympathize with your 80 degree temps. I expect cold in December and preferably snow for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We spent Christmas with relatives in Beesley and Rosenburg two Christmases as a child and even then it seemed strange.
Dumb autocorrect. Should be Beasley.
What a wonderful gift from Kathie. I wish we had auctions here like those where this exquisite lace was procured. What an amazing grouping. If the lace were mine, I would probably take the collar and attached fake blouse shown in the first and fourth photos and wear it under a black sweater for Jeanne’s next holiday gathering. It is perfect. The collar and tails in the last photo could be worn as well, gently tied for a demur look. I think I like that one even better. The cuff with the black trim is also a masterpiece. I wonder what seamstress made it? As I gaze at all of the individual pieces, it makes me visualize a women sitting in an armless rocker by the light of an oil lamp working diligently to make a special piece for a future garment. So many types of work from tatting at home to pieces obtained from across the sea. What a special present. 🙂
What beautiful laces! So interesting and unique. How nice of Kathie to share some of her laces. I see the blouse you put together with several pieces in the first picture. The lace collar in the 11th picture is quite interesting. It looks very old in style as many of the others do. What treasures!
These laces are wonderful. I’m waiting for beautiful creations.
First, I wanted to tell you Susette that I enjoyed seeing your doll photos. I saw them too late to comment. Your doll tree in really unique. The up the stairs doll photo was really cute.
Oh what absolutely beautiful laces. I love antique laces as well. How sweet of Kathie to send them to you, Jeanne. I’m sure we will be seeing them featured on many upcoming creations.
OOOOOOoooooh! Gorgeous!