At this year's EAC National Seminar, I had the choice of several tours and activities on the free day between classes, or to take an additional one day class. Well, I took the class since I was there to soak up as much new knowledge as I could! My free day class was taught by Silvia Murariu, a noted designer of Romanian Point Lace. Please click on the photo above to enlarge it so you can see as much detail as possible on the vest Sylvia is wearing. The lace on it is jaw dropping and of course all made by Sylvia.
This Lavender Basket was the project we worked on in the class. Romanian Point Lace is worked on a muslin backing cloth with the pattern marked on it. Crochet cords are basted onto the backing cloth and then the needleweaving and other stitching is done between the cords. When complete, the basting threads are snipped and the lace motif is freed from the backing. I think perhaps mine will not end up as shown in a picture but rather will end up on a crazy quilt block. After all, what doesn't? lol
We learned how to crochet two types of the cord in the class although the kit contained the cord all done and ready for us to use. These are samples of various cords that Sylvia had in class for us to see. I have found a wonderful article by Sylvia in an old issue of the EGA magazine which has very clear instructions as well for making the cording.
We had the opportunity to see some of the books Sylvia has written and they have all gone onto my wish list as a result. I especially like the Christmas book with the angels, trees, etc. Perfect for motifs!
Samples of Sylvia's exquisite lace were on display for us to see. I was amazed at the results that could be obtained from a technique that is much easier than it looks!
By combining the Romanian Point Lace with other forms of stitching, Sylvia creates wonderful projects which she teaches in longer classes than the quick little one I took. She was a very good teacher and had great teaching aids and instructions. I would be happy to have the opportunity to take another class in the future and learn more from Sylvia. In the meantime, I will have to be content with finishing my small project and learning as much more as I can on my own. I would like to teach this technique to others and Sylvia is very supportive of this. She says the more people that have learned Romanian Point Lace the better, because it allows her to get back to her first love of designing!
If you would like to learn more about Sylvia Murariu and Romanian Point Lace and see what books and kits are available, I would recommend you visit her website.
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