NYC and Kansas City USA Spring 2014

I cannot get into edit my blog. It has been blocked for the last three weeks, since early June 2014

Clones lace Blog

 Workshops in the States.

 March 27th – April 10th 2014

Church of the Good Shepherd, East 31st St, Manhattan, sponsored by NYC Crochet Guild

Devon Thein of the Ratti Center in the Met Museum, NYC invited me to  visit the Center and meet some of their young students whom she and Gunnel were meeting on Friday March 28th. I had hoped to see some of their antique IC pieces, but maybe the next time…..

Devon Chiara Romano and Gunne. Chiara is researching

17th century Buratto embroidery lace

Devon wearing a bobbin lace neck piece which she made.

Loubov (17) is planning to make a black lace wedding dress!

He attends a design high school in NYC (like in the ’80s production of ‘Fame’)

13 students in a tiny room!

Máire and Sonya Kulczyckyj at the NYC workshop

Bettyann and Máire

Demonstrating a buttony to a group at the workshop

Some of…

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Early Theme Adopters: Pictorico

WordPress.com Blog

Launched last month, Pictorico is a free theme that combines a dynamic portfolio-style home page with a simple, single-column layout for posts and pages. It’s great for pro photographers, casual photobloggers, and anyone who wants a sleek space for personal blogging.

Let’s take a look at a few sites using Pictorico:

A Feast for the Eyes

British blogger Issy shares recipes at A Feast for the Eyes, a name that perfectly captures the focus of the site: food and photography. Pictorico‘s front-page grid displays her mix of dishes beautifully — her images are crisp and bold, while her plate setups are stylish and carefully considered.

Issy sets featured images on individual posts, adding color and sophistication to the header area. She also takes advantage of the theme’s clean, single-column layout, letting her images shine on the page:

Ubuntu

The traveler and outdoor enthusiast at Ubuntu sets a wide custom header…

View original post 177 more words

The Constant Knitter Dublin April 2014

 

 

I had a great workshop in the Constant Knitter Dublin April 26th 2014

 

 Grainne’s Clones knot and rose necklace

Another way to wear my shawlette, if you have a sleeveles dress!

 

The rose and leaf Clones knot necklace in white!

24th International Clones Lace Summer workshop June 10-15th 2014

 

 

Summer workshop timetable of events 2014

Accommodation list 2014

If you would like to know more about this unique summer school,  contact me at

maireslace@gmail.com

2015 summer workshop details soon

images of 2014 summer school soon.!

 

 

 

Cassandra Hand Rose Event 2014

Clones Lace Tiara

 

Clones Lace roses and wild roses as part of Eva’s art piece!:)

 

 

Mairéad and Eva

 

Cassandra Hand Rose in St Patrick’s Eve Parade 

 

 

 

On March 8th 2014 we had the Cassandra Hand Rose Event in Clones. I was commissioned to make a Clones lace Tiara for the occasion. Lee-Ann McPhillips won the heat and had the honour of wearing the tiara. Hopefully she’ll keep wearing it and show it off in Tralee in August 2014:)

Then, as part of the St Patrick’s Eve Parade in Clones, Eva’s painting, which used Clones Lace Roses and Wild Roses, was attached to the front of the car in which Lee-Ann, the Cassandra Hand Rose was driven in the Parade!:)

Visit to Brussels and Brugge, Belgium

 Over the last few years, a group of seven of us have been visiting the European Christmas Markets over a long weekend in December each year. This year, I was excited to hear that Brussels- Brugge was the destination!:)  Brussels is the capital of the European Union, but it also has a beautiful old city and it is famous for it’s chocolates, beer and LACE. It was very difficult to find genuine lace and I soon realized that I had to look for antique lace to have any chance of seeing genuine lace. Even then, it was difficult to find real handmade lace in Brussels and to find sales people who were truthful about it’s origin, even though it was obvious to me that it couldn’t be handmade in Brussels when I looked at the price – nine euro for a genuine piece of lace!!! The shop would probably take  100% and a piece of genuine lace would take at least twenty hours to make! On our visit to Brugge, there were lace shops everywhere, but again it was all computerized lace. The computerized lace was very shiny white. The antique lace was an off -white. In Brugge, the sales people were more honest and explained that genuine lace makers  couldn’t  keep up with the tourist demand. One  woman told me that 80% of tourists are happy to buy computerized Chinese lace. About 20% of people want to see the antique lace.  She had some genuine lace made by students, who were happy to sell it at a low price – €12.50 for a small piece. I bought 2 pieces of students lace. In the past all types of lace were made in Brugge – Bobbin, needle and tape lace. Nowadays there are classes in bobbin lace. Unfortunately we were returning to Brussels that night, so we didn’t get a chance to see a class in progress.  Luckily, I had attended an introduction talk and class on Bobbin lace in Cliffoney Sligo and I also saw some Honiton Lace makers at work when I was in Bolsena Ricama, Italy in September, so I am becoming more aware of good bobbin lace. Of course, when I am asked to teach Irish Crochet/Clones Lace with the Guild of Irish lace makers in Dublin, Ann Keller is the resident bobbin lace tutor! It is not one of traditional Irish laces, but is very popular in England and in Europe.

The seven of us outside the hotel where we were staying in Brussels

A genuine piece of Bobbin Lace. The shop owner said it took an expert bobbin lace maker over a year (I would say two years) to make this piece, which was in the ceiling of a lace shop in Brugge. She said it would cost the same as a car to buy, if it was for sale!:)

Bobbin lace made by students in Brugge.

 

Computerized Chinese lace in the Christmas Markets in Brugge.

This beautiful piece of Genuine Bobbin Lace

was priced at €64.

Máire outside a house in Brugge with a lace curtain.

A close up of the window in Brugge with a mini bobbin lace maker!

Genuine needle and net lace.

Computerized Chinese Needle lace in Brugge.

A mixture of genuine and computerized lace.

The linen, which is probably make in China or Japan, has insets of

computerized tape lace.

Ice skating in Brugge

The huge queue of people waiting to climb the stairs of the bell tower in Brugge

Máire and Josie outside the 14th century Bell tower in Brugge

Mary at the Christmas markets in Brugge, with the Bell tower in the background

Máire and Liz on the horse and carriage ride around Brugge

Máire and Evanne relaxing at night in Brussels:)

Pieces which I bought:Clockwise:  A Chinese Christmas decoration (3 stars),  genuine bobbin lace, made by a student in Brugge (€12.50) a net piece of genuine lace, made by a student in Brugge (€12.50).

Clones Lace for sale

 

I can make this tiara to your personal taste, either for a wedding, communion, or as part of a Dancing costume.

Email me privately at maireslace@gmail.com

 

 

 

Máiréad’s  Shawlette

Aine’s shawlette

Clones lace Masquerade masks

shamrock necklace published in Inside Crochet issue 20, August 2011

Shamrock Garden

Shamrock Garden

christening collar

Clones Lace bookmark

Fuschia Irish Crochet bonnet

Baby bonnets can be made for either 5 week, 6 month, 1 year etc

Email me privately at maireslace@gmail.com

Small Peter Pan collar 

Irish Rose necklace 

Shamrock necklace in green or white/ecru.

Email me personally re orders at maireslace@gmail.com or message me on Clones Lace Workshops on Facebook

Workshops in Ireland and UK 2013 – 2014

November 2013 Clones Lace Schedule:

 The Constant Knitter Francis St, Dublin 9th November 2013

My next workshop in the Constant Knitter will be Saturday April 26th 2014

Deirdre Spideoige – ‘the regular’ at Constant Knitter!

We are proposing a weekend workshop in Clones – Crochet for Christmas –November 23-24 2013.

Anybody interested should contact me at maireslace@gmail.com

On 16th November 2013,  the Crafters Basket, Cliffoney County Sligo is the venue for

Clones Lace/Irish Crochet lace from 11am to 1pm, with Caron Laffey (from the Crafters Basket) demonstrating

bobbin lace in the afternoon, so it promises to be an interesting lace day!

NYC and Kansas City USA Spring 2014

 Workshops in the States.

 March 27th – April 10th 2014

Church of the Good Shepherd, East 31st St, Manhattan, sponsored by NYC Crochet Guild

Devon Thein of the Ratti Center in the Met Museum, NYC invited me to  visit the Center and meet some of their young students whom she and Gunnel were meeting on Friday March 28th. I had hoped to see some of their antique IC pieces, but maybe the next time…..

Devon Chiara Romano and Gunne. Chiara is researching

17th century Buratto embroidery lace

Devon wearing a bobbin lace neck piece which she made.

Loubov (17) is planning to make a black lace wedding dress!

He attends a design high school in NYC (like in the ’80s production of ‘Fame’)

13 students in a tiny room!

Máire and Sonya Kulczyckyj at the NYC workshop

Bettyann and Máire

Demonstrating a buttony to a group at the workshop

Some of us having a meal after the workshop.

Kansas City Missouri April 4-7th

Debra Lea gave the idea to Renata Rua and The Irish Center Kansas City of hosting my workshop there:

Lana Bennett and Ruth Jenkins admiring Olga’s top in Kansas City

Kirsten modelling Tonya’s top

Kirsten modelling Olga’s top

Kirsten modelling my top

Larisa Chilton travelled to Kansas City from Manhattan Kansas to meet  me in the Irish Center, Kansas City.

Some of Larisa’s pieces of Modern IC.

Teacosy by Larisa Chilton!

Renata Rua playing the bodhrán!:)

Lea Murphy playing the tin whistle at the session.

Lea also took some of the photos at the presentation

and gave me permission to reuse them! Thank you Lea:)

It wasn’t all Irish Crochet! We also had an Irish Traditional music session

in the Irish Center!:)

Renata’s car the morning I left!

Out for a meal leis na Gaeilgeoirí:)

Out for a Jazz night with Renee!:)

July 2014

Lacis, Berkeley SF July 23-26 2014

Makers Mercantile, Seattle August 1-3

1. Christina Tinkabell
2. Terri
3. Pauline Hooten plus 4-5 others  from Alaska!

Irish Festival Butte Montana August 8-9 2014

Up coming workshops in 2015 – Merida Mexico, Sao Paolo Brazil, Nashville Tennessee, Kentucky