LA ENCAJERA - THE LACEMAKER #8

Letter to the readers

Very dear reader,

In this issue we are pleased to feature the town of Almagro. In this region many women make lace to earn money. Among the fruits of labor we discovered there, is a beautiful wide lace edging. Check it out in this issue! The bobbins from this region are also rather unique and differ from those used in other parts of the country. Those on page 5 are all hand carved by the lacemaker's father.

The Almagro town hall offers free lacemaking classes at its university for all who wish to learn. They begin attending as young girls and continue until they have enough knowledge to make lace to sell. Keep in mind that lace made in this region is predominately made to adorn the borders of sheets, towels and pillowcases. I'm sure you'll also find the information on Almagro's pillows and wooden stands very interesting.

Also in this issue you'll find two different Madonnas with child. Each one is made with a different style. With the Madonna on page 9 you can pick your own colours and put it in a greeting card. The other one is larger and can be framed. Choose whichever one suits your mood.

In this issue we tell you about a small lace museum in a tiny village in Galicia where the country folk are happy to share their personal belongings with the visitors. Strangely the museum is open when the curator is at home. The curator is actually a lacemaker who lives accross the street from the museum. She keeps one eye on the museum entrance through her window while she makes lace at home. When visitors appear, she grabs her pillow and rushes across the street to open the museum, and continue her lace making at the museum.

The Biennal was celebrated in Salsepolcro, Italy, this September. We are happy to share what we learned about it.

Would you like to make some beautiful lace jewels? In this issue check out the two delicate brooches and pin. Enjoy!

The Asociacion Catalana de Puntaires celebrated their annual lace day and La Encajera was there! Find out more about it in this issue.

We continue to offer you information about the different lace centres of Spain. In this issue we cover the Balearic Islands.

Check out the three quick and easy to make Christmas cards to make!

Did you know the lace festival in Tonder, Denmark only takes place every three years? La Encajera did not want to miss the opportunity and travelled to Denmark to see what it was all about. What a great experience! Read all about it and make a Tonder lace doily starting on page 17.

When Princess Elena, the king's daughter had her baby, the School of Lacemakers of Olerdola got together to make a mobile of little elephants. You can make it from our design and surely find a deserving baby to give it to in your family or group of friends.

On page 21 you'll find something original and quite different. The author gives these the name of "babies". We have re-named them as Christmas babies since she has used both white and gold thread. Decide for yourself.

Finally we must tell you about something new. We've had numerous requests and much interest, and I'm sure many are awaiting this issue in which we feature - tatting. We dedicate three pages, where we explain the steps and offer five delicate patterns.

Don't miss the five great bookmarks for every level of lacemaker!

Happy 1999! Felicidades!

Montserrat Arcos
Directora

Index