I'm Overwhelmed

by the generosity and kindness of my friends... blogging or otherwise. I have been given some amazing pieces of lace to use in my project, from precious tiny scraps to a whole wedding dress. There has been hand made bobbin lace, crochet lace and tatting. Lace that was bought from a gypsy and pieces made by grandmothers and aunts...

"My aunt Gladys crocheted it for me when I was about seven years old..." "She bought it because she just wanted to get rid of the gypsy" "I’ve had a bit of a turn out and in the bottom of a basket found this lace."

Lace that has been passed down through generations...

"This piece of lace belonged to my grandmother..." "They are from my Step Mother..." . "Someone somewhere loved it enough to keep it for years and I felt a connection. "
"...scraps of lace are from an underskirt belonging to late my mother in law..." "a piece of tatting made for a handkerchief probably by my paternal grandmother" "...from a box left to me by my Mum."

and some that has travelled from far away places such as Latvia, St. Helena, Austria and Canada...

"...hand made bobbin lace made by women from the island of St. Helena, where Napoleon was imprisoned and died"

Pieces of dresses, handkerchiefs, wedding bouquets and table linen...

"Please find snippets of lace that were in my bridal bouquet..." "... two small pieces from a large collection of linen, lace and embroideries cleared from my husband’s aunt’s house..."

"The dress lasted longer than the marriage!" "This is my mother’s wedding dress..."

And some that was made especially for me and this project...

"I have made you one tatted mini doily in ecru for your lace project..."

But it is the stories that are forming the backbone of my final project. You've told me stories that have made me smile and made me cry. Wonderful stories of generations of women, connected by fabrics, needle and thread. I don't have the words to thank you...

"...it is very precious. My mother died when I was a toddler so I never knew her..."

" She always wore lace in her neckline so that her cleavage was covered. "

I am now piecing together every single scrap, together with each story printed out in full. In my stitching I am also writing out each story so that it becomes embedded within my final textile.

These are then being distressed and dyed with tea to give an aged and uniform appearance to each piece. They are then going to be assembled to make a book. A book that will contain each story buried deep within it's pages.

Thank you everyone who has helped me with this. If you have sent lace but not heard back from me please do get in touch. And if you still have some you can send... I'm on a two week deadline! (So I may not be around much!)