Vintage Thursday: An Oklahoma gift

Cluny lace
The name Cluny is given to the kind of lace of which the design is based on ancient bobbin lace preserved at the Cluny Museum (Musée de Cluny) in Paris. The lace has certain distinct characteristics. The ground is made of plaited bars or brides. The solid parts are constructed of whole stitch, half stitch or whole stitch and twist. The designs are mostly geometric. For decoration, small picots and point d'esprit are used. Cluny lace was developed during the second half of the 19th century, inspired by lace samples originally worked during the 16th century. It was usually worked in coarse linen threads and used to trim household items, such as table and bed linens. Cluny is a coarse strong fabric still made by hand in France, Belgium, and China. Its name is derived from the Cluny Museum of Medieval Arts and Crafts in Paris. It is also made by machine. Heavy linen thread is used, and the design is so open that the product is light and pleasing. ( www.lace-tapestries.com )














This is such a treat to show all of you on Vintage Thursday. A new friend named Helen from Oklahoma ( aka: Reddirt Woman ) emailed me a few weeks ago and asked if I would be interested in a piece of Cluny lace that she had. She thought that I would appreciate it because I love vintage lace and "pretty things". I didn't know what Cluny lace was but I said "Yes" and she sent me this lovely doiley. Photos do not do this lace justice. This doiley is exquisite!
If you read the information at the top you will see that this is a very different kind of lace that came from France( and Helen's envelope says "South Belgium" too ). The envelope says that missionaries took this kind of lace to China before Communism and it was called Chinese Bobbin Lace. If you click on the photo you will be able to see that each thread is crocheted with other threads before it was make into this doiley and that the center and the butterfly body are multiple threads, built up and given a convexed, three dimentional quality to those places. I have never done any crocheted lace work so this seems magical to me.

What a nice gift this was, Helen. Thank you so much. It will be taken good care of and treasured.

Please go to Colorado Lady, who hosts Vintage Thingies Thurdays, and see other wonderful vintage goodies.