Archive for the ‘Lacemaking Books’ Category
February 8th, 2013
There’s always something new at Roseground ? Sure is, particularly right now ! Here’s a small selection -
Tatting Treasures, the latest book by Jan Stawasz is here. Jan’s first book – “Tatting Theory and Patterns” was a run-away success and has long been out of print so it is not surprising that his latest book has been eagerly awaited. Once again, he uses his innovative tatting technique together with over 50 well presented and very attractive projects which are sure to please.
And, while we are mentioning tatting books, be sure to take a look at the latest from Japan – Tatting Accessories and Tomoko Morimoto’s Tatting Lace.
Aerlit Shuttles – There have been plenty of shuttles over the years with inbuilt spool but, since the original one, which has been out of production for decades. few if any have been completely satisfactory. Now we have the ‘Aerlit’, a careful reproduction, thoroughly tested by leading shuttle tatters, which is sure to please. And, you will surely love the bold colours, each with a contrasting spool !
Diamant Thread – you will really like this metallic thread from DMC, which has a special coating which makes it very smooth when used as a lacemaking thread. We now have it in gold and silver colours.
Idrija Lace – Broad Tape – we now have books 1 & 2, both with traditional patterns from the Idrija Municipal Museum, probably originated in Idrija at the end of the 19th and early 20 centuries and now meticulously re-presented by local experts for modern use. These are intended to be worked using the široki ris (broad tape) techniques characteristic of Idrija lace which continues to be popular today.
And there’s more about the Idrija technique in Idrijska Cipka and a collection of smaller Idrija lace projects in Bits of Lace. We are expecting more Idrija titles soon, we’ll let you know when they arrive.
Crochet Lace – We are big fans of Barbara Ballantyne’s ever-growing range of crochet lace books and we particularly like her latest and, if you are a crochet lace fan, we know you will too. Irish Crochet Lace in Austria & France and Irish Crochet Lace in the Nineteenth Century have arrived and are already selling well.
Don’t forget, you can always check out what’s new on the Roseground site, in any year. This year, type new2013 in any search box. And, with this year only recently started, its worth typing new2012 to see what was new last year too.
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October 4th, 2012
When, last May, Ulrike Voelcker launched her ground-breaking and wide-ranging three-part work on Torchon, with Part 1 (‘Discover Torchon‘), it was an immediate best seller – and continues to be so, as lacemakers appreciate its comprehensive coverage of Torchon techniques, its many innovative insights and its excellent presentation. Now, the promised Part 2 – ‘Explore Torchon‘ – has been released - and we are certainly not disappointed and we are pretty sure that Ulrike’s many fans won’t be either !
In this part, we have a collection of larger Torchon patterns which encourage those who used the projects offered in Part 1 to move on to produce any (or all!) of the excellent pieces that are included. The range is wide and the variety is impressive with the author following her maxim that “Form Follows Function” - that is, the design should suit the use to which the lace is to be put. Thus, there are patterns for stylish shawls, attractive curtains and table runners, mats and edgings – some particularly innovative – and a sampler and more. With so much on offer, this is a book that can be used, not only as a follow on from Part 1, but also as a stand-alone pattern book for experienced lacemakers who will surely be attracted to what it offers.
Those who have progressed to this Part from the ‘Discover’ section, will welcome the references back to the relevant techniques in Part 1, that are included with each of the patterns – which are themselves presented in meticulous detail with copious and very clear photographs, prickings and line drawings – colour assisted where needed – and appropriate pattern notes in English and German.
The book is, once again, presented as a set of sturdy loose pages, punched for holding in a loose-leaf binder of your choosing – alongside Part 1 for those who own it and to await the addition of Part 3 should you eventually choose to purchase it. This approach has proved very popular as it avoids the increasingly expensive cost of binding and allows for individual prickings to be taken out while in use and to make copying easier.
If you missed Part 1, don’t worry – its still available here ! And Part 3, ’Master’ which, we are promised, will deepen our knowledge of Torchon even further, is promised for 2013. This is a series that is highly recommended for all Torchon lacemakers !
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May 15th, 2012
Whether you are a real beginner or have some experience with Torchon lace making and wish to learn more, the latest publication ‘Discover Torchon‘ by Ulrike Voelcker, which takes a comprehensive and sometimes innovative look at Torchon techniques, is most certainly for you.
Ulrike’s books are always eagerly awaited and never disappoint. Each one is produced in meticulous detail with copious and very clear photographs, prickings and line drawings – colour assisted where needed – and thorough instructional text in English and German.
This time, Ulrike has taken a different approach to the physical format of the publication by supplying it as a set of loose pages, punched for holding in a loose-leaf binder of your choosing. We like this idea and we think you will too – it avoids the increasingly expensive cost of binding and allows for greater flexibility in use – for instance, individual prickings may be copied easily. And, as Ulrike will be following up with other sections, the binder can eventually keep them all together.
The future parts, which will be available for additional purchase, will build on this first part – ‘Explore’ (expected late 2012) will add larger prickings and ‘Master’ (expected during 2013) will deepen a knowledge of Torchon even further.
In the meantime, whether or not you choose to add these extra sections as they appear, this first part stands alone and provides a very comprehensive manual for a popular and flexible lace form. Highly recommended !
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October 21st, 2011
As the world knows, northeastern Japan was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami on the 11th March 2011. Now, seven months later, it is known that nearly 20,000 are confirmed dead or are still missing. More than 60,000 are living in temporary shelters and over 250 children are orphaned.
Rieko Tamura, a Japanese lacemaker, and her students live in western Japan which was undamaged but they were, of course, deeply shocked by the tragedy and were determined to do what they could for the victims. They thought, “What can we do as lacemakers ?”. Now, after approaching the Lace Guild and obtaining permission, Rieko has redrawn the patterns from the CD of the Rose Family Sample Book and 25 of her students have worked the samples and produced this well presented booklet of 30 Bedfordshire edging and insertion patterns. They are donating all their profits to the Japanese Red Cross Society which is working with the victims.
This is an excellent opportunity for lacemakers to obtain an excellent collection of patterns - and to support this very worthy cause at the same time.
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May 19th, 2011
We have been used to a steady stream of lacemaking books over the last few years and Roseground has brought you most of them as they have appeared. Last year though, saw something of a pause for breath – although Ulrike Voelcker’s Rib & Roll book was amongst some notable exceptions and was deservedly well-received as a result. But now, in the last couple of months, we have seen the pace hot up.
It probably started with Jane Atkinson’s beautiful book on modern lace, Contemporary Lace For You – a book packed with ideas and supported by superb photography, taken on location in Dorset. Anyone with even the slightest inclination towards experimenting with modern designs is sure to be inspired with this one.
Then came Invisible, mentioned in an earlier post, in which Martina Wolter-Kampmann describes in excellent detail, her techniques for achieving invisible starts and finishes – even supplying a DVD to support the very thorough text.
We have been used to – and in awe of – major works from Ulrike Voelcker which seem to appear almost annually. This year, however, there is no large hardback but her many fans should not despair, as they can settle perhaps - just this time ! – for her latest booklet, Jewelry with Beads which is packed with patterns for earrings, hair clips and brooches – enjoy !
Hinojosa Lace, a Spanish braid lace, was developed in the early part of the last century in a small village of that name, in south-west Spain. For several decades it provided work and an income for most of the women there but, as demand declined, the skills within the population were soon also in decline. For some time now there has been a renewed interest in the lace techniques and now, after years of research, Marina Regueiro has produced Hinojosa Lace – History & Technique (shown above), an impressive and attractive work that is sure to be popular.
And, don’t let us forget the tatters ! For several years now we have seen a stream of immaculately produced books from Japan which have provided new inspiration to tatters around the world. Although we have sometimes been confused by the use of the same title – ’Tatting Lace’ – for all of the different books in the series, we have only too happy to live with the confusion to have the pleasure of these wonderful books – yes, they are written in the Japanese language but the illustrations and diagrams are superb and most experienced tatters soon find themselves happily working the patterns. The latest is by Sumi Fujishige and its available from Roseground now.
So plenty of interest already and, we hear, more in the pipeline. One thing for sure, you will find all that is new at Roseground !
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April 26th, 2011
All of us want to make neat starts and finishes – even avoiding those annoying knots on the back of the lace – and this latest book from Martina Wolter-Kampmann explains how to do it in all the detail you will need.
Here, you can learn to use the ‘lazy loop’ to work finishes – in many situations – that are not only invisible on the front of the lace, but also invisible on the back! The book is packed with 700 diagrams and photographs which explain every step – and, so that you can look over her shoulder while she works the techniques, Martina has included a DVD in the back of the book.
Martina Wolter-Kampmann is an established and respected lace teacher and designer, based in Germany. Her early training included studying textile design at the University of Dormund and a thorough grounding in bobbin lace at Le Puy and at the Kant Centrum in Brugge.
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