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Antique Lacework & Embroidery

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Feb. 7th, 2008 | 12:15 pm
mood: impressedimpressed
posted by: [info]nimoloth in [info]leavesoftea

Item: antique Northern Irish lacework and embroidery, made from linen flour sacks.
Approx. Time: ~1900











My Aunt brought me these when she was over from Dublin the other day. They are lacework cloths made my my Great-Granny on my Dad's side. They were farmers in Northern Ireland and these were made from the linen flour sacks, washed, pressed and embellished with complicated embroidery. The detail and skill is amazing. It must have been very time-consuming work, especially with all the other business of a farm to take care of, and no electricity to see by either. They are so complex and beautiful I don't know what to do with them other than keep them wrapped up safely!

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Comments {12}

stlctyaly

I do !!!!!

from: [info]stlctyaly
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 01:22 pm (UTC)
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Do you have a "Michaels", "Pat Catans", or the like form of Art store? If so, have them professionally framed. If you can't afford it, you can purchase frames which are like shadow boxes and buy some of that foam board and pin them in there. You could also add a picture of Granny or a favorite hand written recipe or note of hers. Hope this is an idea you may like or helps you come up with something.

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The White Ghost

Re: I do !!!!!

from: [info]nimoloth
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 01:33 pm (UTC)
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That is a good idea! I like it. They are quite big though, so I'll need to wait until we're not renting and have a bigger place.

I like the picture idea there is one picture of her, next to Great-Granda, standing in the garden with a bike. It's a great picture!

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dodging_fate

Re: I do !!!!!

from: [info]dodging_fate
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 02:05 pm (UTC)
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*nods*

I have a couple of amazing doilies... my grandmother knit one and her great aunt crocheted hte other. I need to have them starched and framed (and sealed for preservation) at some point! I have a large enough place to display them, even the big doily, but not the $ for the professional frame job... yet.

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stlctyaly

Re: I do !!!!!

from: [info]stlctyaly
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 03:42 pm (UTC)
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Sounds like the picture I have of my grandparents on my mother's side. They are standing next to a split rail fence. It's awesome ! It's what made me so INTO shooting lots of black and white photos myself. I'm a freelance photographer. I think you will like it when you do it. Another thing you can do is either quilt it into a quilt yourself, or have someone else do it for you. I have also seen memory bears made from peoples old clothes so I guess it would work here too. I have my mothers wedding dress and am looking for ways to display it too. I don't have a big home and am not moving anytime in the future. Probably never.

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melanie still waiting call norton

(no subject)

from: [info]idlepudding
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 02:03 pm (UTC)
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wow! those are incredible!

i would also suggest the framing option. however, i would just make sure everything you frame them with is acid free/archival, to avoid them from yellowing or getting destroyed from non-archival products, especially since they are so old.

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kryptyd

(no subject)

from: [info]kryptyd
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 02:05 pm (UTC)
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They are beautiful and I am so happy that your family still has them. Irish people tend a lot more than people in mainland Europe to have a bit of an "out with the old" attitude when it comes to antiques (it comes of this being such a poor country up until recently is my theory. At least, I always notice so much more antiques, and even old well preserved vehicles around when I go to Europa than around here, so it's neictosee that some pople satill appreciate things of the past.

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The White Ghost

(no subject)

from: [info]nimoloth
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 02:42 pm (UTC)
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A lot of fascinaitng stuff was lost when Gran's house was ceared out - I don't know where a lot of it went. But some of it is still in the family, like an old wooden 45" player unit, a 1900s walnut veneer piano (that can't be tuned to concert pitch or it'll break!), and some old gas lamps. There was so much fascainting stuff in that farmhouse, much unchanged for so many years. It was a great place, the farm.

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Versailles

(no subject)

from: [info]versailles_rose
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 03:14 pm (UTC)
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As a piano tuner's wife, I can tell you that an older piano that is in good condition and can be tuned, may be brought up to a pitch lower than A=440. Any piano tuner worth his or her salt will be happy to work with you. Our piano, an upright made in the 1920's is tuned to A=435, and no one really cares. The kids have piano lessons on it and we use it for sing songs, etc. =)

PS, the LACE is gorgeous. I have a lot of it from my granny too.

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better_off_redd

(no subject)

from: [info]better_off_redd
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 02:32 pm (UTC)
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Wow!
These are such lovely treasures!!!
I agree that you should look into some sort of frame.

I can tell you that no time on a farm was ever wasted.
They might have made some time to use available sunlight if they could. Embroidery guilds of the middle ages frowned upon the use of candle light and regarded natural light as the only light to embroider by.
If you have ever done any kind of embroidery, sunlight is the best when you can get it.
Projects like this would have taken some time to complete, even at a high level of skill. It may also be possible that more than one relative worked on them. I suggest this because back in the old days, good sewing & embroidery skills were a must for every young girl...As necesary as cooking in order to someday be a good wife.

However they came to be, they are most beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Redd


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better_off_redd

I am want to agree...However...

from: [info]better_off_redd
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 03:24 pm (UTC)
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Personally, do want to agree with you.
I am more partial to the idea of having it out where it can be seen...The sad reality in which I live, most of my friends are severely lacking in social grace and poise...Nice people, though blissfully clueless, having them over to visit has often been a source of frustration for me.

If I possessed something this lovely, I'd have better peace of mind knowing it was safe from harm.

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Jessica

(no subject)

from: [info]antisocial_nerd
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 06:48 pm (UTC)
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I'm SO jealous!! They're beautiful!

Get them professionally framed though.

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Anglers Rest

(no subject)

from: [info]anglersrest
date: Feb. 7th, 2008 11:09 pm (UTC)
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What beautiful cloths. They do deserve to be framed & hung for everyone to enjoy. I have a piece of embroidery that my Grandfather did during the Summer of 1940 when he was in the army during WWII. I had it framed and I look at it everyday, much better that hid away in a drawer.
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