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The Borris Lace Collection

by Marie Laurie & Annette Meldrum

      There are many types of lace, but surely one of the more obscure varieties has to be Borris lace, which is barely known in Ireland let alone outside it.  This is the story of two women who went to Borris House in County Carlow and ended up cataloging the collection of this little known but beautiful type of lace.
 
The history of Borris lace is very much a part of Ireland’s social history during the 19th century.  It is inextricably woven with the tragic Irish Potato Famine, and started out as a way for poor women to earn money for their families.  All this makes for fascinating reading, and makes up the first part of this unusual book.  Also shown are many photographs of the lace itself, and information about the people who made it and the sort of items it formed a part of.  As the best way of keeping a folk tradition alive is to actually do it yourself, I was thrilled to see that there are also plenty of projects in here for those who want to try their hand at making Borris lace themselves.  This is not the type of lace made with a pillow and bobbins, but needlelace such as forms a part of stumpwork and other needlecrafts.  There are some smallish line drawings which show how to do it rather well although those fairly experienced at needlework (not necessarily needlelace making) will find the instructions and diagrams easier to follow than total beginners, to which I would not recommend this book.  The items are lovely, however and anybody wanting to make them up who lives in Australia, Ireland, UK or US will find lists of a few suppliers at the back.  I’m always on the lookout for something different, and this particularly impressed me.

The Book

Sally Milner Publishing (Distributed in the UK by Search Press)
July 2010
Paperback
1863514074 / 9781863514071
How-To /Craft History
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Rachel A Hyde
Reviewed 2010
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