Sunday, May 31, 2009

Lace and linen

I have armloads of beautiful linen and lace now. I dyed oodles last week, mixing turquoise, blue, two yellows and black.

This wheel of lace is hand-tatted and measures about 24 inches across. It is a stunner.
These two placemats are the first of eight. They are hand-appliqued cotton voile. Amazing work.
I also began, at last, to dye the mounds of linen napkins I've collected.
You can choose your favorite when Boston Handmade comes to the South End Open Market Sunday June 14.

4 comments:

Celena said...

absolutely gorgeous!

Sherryl said...

very cool!

Barney Google said...

Linda -

those appliqued placemats look very much like Marghab Linens from Madera. If you want more info, go to the South Dakota Art Museum and see what they have there. They are the home of the permanent collection.

If you run across more and they are in good condition, you may find them to be fairly valuable. A small coaster sell for around $50 and there are very few left for the open market.

They look nice dyed, but I have to say I like them better in their original condition. I have drooled over the collection for years - I used to walk through the Museum on my way home from classes when I was a student at SDSU in the 80's. And everytime I am in the neighborhood, stop in and make sure to get a good look. They are exquisite.

Please don't think I am trying to rain on your parade, I just want to know what they might be so if you find more gems, you can profit from them!

Linda Branch Dunn said...

Part of what started me in this business was the desire to give new life to textiles which I found abandoned.I remember when women fretted over holiday linens - the ironing, the bleach, the labor. Overdyeing lets old work have a new beauty and a new life. Collectors will preserve some originals. But some will be used and treasured, another kind of success.