Tiny snips of lace...lace doilies...lace tablecloths...lace ruffles...yards and yards of lace. How could anyone not love lace??? Especially the antique and vintage finds. I love the warm colors of antique lace: ecru, eggshell, tan. I can sit and stare at old lace all day and marvel at the patience that went into it. Then, of course, you wonder what a snippet was used to embellish. Was that medallion leftover from a wedding dress? Did that ruffle once garnish a little girl's pinafore? The hours, the dreams, the visions!
I have been through many love affairs with lace. I can recall what was probably polyester lace around the yellow organza lampshade I had as a little girl. Then there was the lace on my Gunne Sax style Easter dress (I can remember going shopping for that dress because I loved it so much!) Scrimping and saving to order a white Battenburg lace comforter set after I married. Then my husband laid a newly cleaned and oiled gun on the comforter. Yes, we are still married and no, the stain never did come out. I made a duvet cover with a fabric covered in violets to stuff the comforter into. I am a generally very patient person.
These days I invest in antique and vintage lace. As I learn more about it, I find myself being much more finicky than I used to be. I can't say that I have a favorite type because they all interest me, from the heavier tape varieties to the delicate bobbin lace. Even the ones that need extra TLC are welcome in my home because it can be a challenge to bring them back to life.
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| Lace still attached to the curtain fabric that I had removed for laundering the lace. |
Last weekend I helped a friend with an estate sale she was managing. As I was pricing the linens (smart girl, that Lisa!) I uncovered a set of drapes dripping in lace. Nine inches deep, and two and a half yards of lace gathered onto a curtain comes out at a bit over nine yards when removed.
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| Examples of 3 of the lace fragments |
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| Close-up of one lace |
Yes, I have 18 yards of vintage lace. There are about six different vintage laces that were sewn together and attached to these curtains, probably in the late 80s/early 90s. I remember those decades, and I do not recall this being the "in" thing. But I am so glad this woman had it done! I'm still flying high about my find.
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| The baby bonnet from the side and back. |
At the same time, I found a lace baby bonnet and a gallon size bag of upholstery remnants that will surely find themselves in a crazy quilt. All of this for helping a friend. I realize that there will not always be finds like this, but I can't wait to help her again!
As a bonus, there was this piece of lace on a remnant of bed skirt. It is luxuriously soft and reminds me of the skirt of my wedding dress in 1990, so I am dating it then. Not old, but a large piece and it will be really nice to work with.
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