Lace Ribbons
In July 2004, at the OIDFA Congress in
Prague, I encountered for the first time the expression “dentelle
rubanée”
(ribbon lace), at a conference, and I liked it very much.
When I got to thinking about it, I
realized
how the making of lace in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia imitates
that of a
ribbon.
The folkloric Slovakian laces which
decorate aprons and bonnets are made with bands of meandering cloth
stitch and
coloured leaves. These laces have
inspired contemporary lacemakers such as Jana Frajkorova, whose two
examples
are shown here. They
have the advantage
of requiring few bobbins, but they do have their technical
difficulties; that
is to say, they are not as easy as they look.
Of another sort, the large Czech works by
Marie Vankova, Milca Eremiasova, Eva Fialova and others are made with
large
ribbons of cloth stitch with eyes and leaves. Those who had the chance
to visit
the Czechoslovakian pavilion in Montréal during Expo ’67, won’t
have forgotten
the marvelous laces shown there. Here
is a dress by Eva Fialova which was perhaps displayed there and which
is made
of ribbons of lace placed side by side with pretty motifs at the
neckline, also
inspired by ribbon.
At the beginning of the 20th
Century, Marie Sedlackova-Serbouskova, born in Eastern Bohemia near
Vamberk,
created a large number of patterns for the household:
cloths, napkins, tablemats, curtains, etc. By
alternating lattice and cloth stitches, with
twists and diagonal rows, she was able to create a great variety of
motifs in
which ribbons form the basic structure.
Then around 1930, coloured threads were used and combined with
ecru. For her designs she even employed
two colours in the same pair.
In visiting the displays at Prague and
the
lacemaking centres of the Czech Republic, I often had occasion to
notice the
influence of this ribbon construction in the lace; here is a
contemporary piece
seen in Prague.
And it’s the story of this attraction to
the expression “ribbon lace” which I’m telling!
Reference:
Krajky z nite zivota
Marie Sedlackove-Serbouskove
Par Marie Hulcova
ISBN 80-86076-37-7
Text and photos in CLG Vol. 19, No. 3: Nicole Gauthier