Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles

Koko’s weaving is out of this world!! When she pulled these stunning scarves out of her bag, made from Merino wool and Tencel rayon fiber (the dark, almost metallic blue parts of the design, also constituting the fringe), she elicited audible gasps from us. She found the pattern in a Swedish book, and made these beauties on her 8-heddle tabletop loom. Truly gorgeous work. Koko, you’re an inspiration, and we applaud you! . . . #weaving #textileart

BREAKING NEWS: Lacis will now be accepting shopping appointments. You will be able to shop Lacis in a calm and stress-free environment. Appointments can be made by calling Lacis at (510) 843-7290 during regular business hours, (Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 PM) or by email at [email protected]. Appointments should be made 24 hours in advance. All appointments must be confirmed by Lacis via phone or email. Please read the information below or contact us for more info...! Appointments will be made in 15-minute increments, up to 1 hour long, unless prior arrangements have been made. Only one appointment will be admitted into the shop at a time. There is a maximum of 3 customers in a group per appointment. There will be a 30 minute cleaning period between scheduled appointments. Customers and Staff will be required to wear face coverings at all times. Upon entry, customers should use the hand sanitizing station at the entrance. Customers will be advised that they should not enter the building if they have a cough or fever. Customers should observe social distancing within the Lacis shop. The use of credit and debit cards is recommended. Customers with reusable bags will be required to bag their purchases. Customers should knock on the front door upon their arrival. If there is no answer, please call Lacis upon their arrival. A staff member will confirm their appointment and let them in.

Helma Siepmann, a German master of innovative, free-style tatting passed away on September 21, 2020. Her creative approach to tatting encompassed freeform techniques to capture pictorial and abstract natural imagery. Lacis had the honor of publishing two of her books, Tatting Innovations and "Tatting: Artistry in Thread. Her artistry was also featured in an exhibit at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, "Tatting: From Concept to Conceptual Art" in 2016. She leaves be...hind a legacy of inspiration. Jules Kliot, Director of the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles commented: With peace at last. Her contributions in support of the creative spirit Will extend to eternity, I thank her for being. Jules See more

Greetings! As the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles gets closer to reopening fully, we are pleased to announce that our exhibit in the upstairs gallery, "Worn to Dance: 1920s Fashion and Beading" will be extended. This will accommodate those who were unable to visit this gorgeous exhibition before the shelter in place mandate went into effect. We will keep you updated when we have dates and details! In the meantime, enjoy this observation about the fashionable set by Coleen M...oore, 1920s Movie Starlet. They were smart and sophisticated, with an air of independence about them, and so casual about their looks and clothes and manners as to be almost slapdash. I don’t know if I realized as soon as I began seeing them that they represented the wave of the future, but I do know I was drawn to them. I shared their restlessness, understood their determination to free themselves of the Victorian shackles of the pre-World War I era, and find out for themselves what life was all about. See more

It all started with a phone call from Pennsylvania artist Mary Elizabeth Nelson. She was looking for a cotton cutwork thread for a new project that would stretch her skills as a textile artist. Her intention was to experiment with embroidering text, for which she requested a range of blues and whites to complement her already established cyanotype palette. She ultimately chose a selection of DMC Coton a Broder Cutwork #25, as well as an old favorite of hers, Valdani Cotton P...erle #8. We were immediately intrigued by the mere description of her unique medium, yet no amount of research could prepare us for the stunning, beautifully constructed little book she later sent our way. The eco-printing technique employed here is wet cyanotype, or wet cyan, for short. It is a chemical process not unlike photography, in that it requires photosensitive compoundsand a dark room. The method was first invented in 1841 by Sir John Herschel, and then popularized by one of its earliest innovators, the brilliant photographer, botanist, and novelist Anna Atkins. (We highly recommend you take a look at her photograms of British algae!) It is a lovely marriage between the foraging of botanical objects out-of-doors, and the strict, careful processes of chemistry within. And what it produces are prints of an impossibly fascinating aesthetic. The spontaneity and singularity of the striking images that emerge from cyanotype printingand from this magical little bookis nothing less than a miracle of alchemy and art. Thank you so much, Mary Elizabeth, for reaching out to us, and sharing this beautiful book with us! #MaryElizabethNelson #Lacis #LacisMuseum #DMC #CotonABroder #cyanotype #ecoprinting

Lacis friends and patrons: You responded, and we hear you! After your powerful, resounding reception of our post on Friday, we have appointed our lacy RBG tribute a place of honor Lacis shop. Please schedule an in-store shopping appointment to pay a visit to our special memorial, and remember/honor the memory of RBG with us. We also have lace collars and jabots galore, if you wish to add some of that singular RBG-style sartorial flair to your wardrobe. Call us at 510-843-7290 to schedule your appointment. #RBG #Mayhermemorybearevolution

Our team at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles would like to take a moment to honor, in our own small way, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. She was fierce, brilliant, tireless, courageous, a force of natureand an unforgettable example to us all. In her own words: I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.... May her memory be a blessing. RBG, we salute you. This collar, made just last month by our manager, Kij Greenwood, is a modified doily pattern. The RGB medallion is made from a combination of needle lace, filet lace, embroidery, and crochet. #RBG #RuthBaderGinsberg

UPDATE: We now have telephone capability once more! Thanks for all your patience, friends. You can now drop us a line anytime! Greetings, lovely Lacis customers and friends! Have you had any trouble reaching us by phone today? If so, it's not youit's us! So sorry for the inconvenience. It'll be remedied very soon! For now, you can reach out to us by email ([email protected]). or by sending us a Facebook message. And if you include a phone number, we will happily give you ...a ring! Thanks for bearing with us, and have a beautiful day!

Today, we will share another textile gem from the Lacis treasure vault otherwise known as the box of small square Tablecloths. Today’s offering is an ecru linen tablecloth embellished with delightful floral designs punctuated with Tenerife lace medallions. Embroidered with a Wedgewood blue cotton thread, the stylized flora is created with satin stitch, chain stitch, and French knots to provide the frames for the Tenerife lace. Tenerife is a needle lace that originated in th...e 17th century from the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands off the coast of Spain. It began as a form of drawn thread work with circular patterns built upon a skeleton of woven threads. In the 19th century, the method of lace-making changed to one where the thread is first taken to-and-fro across the fabric-covered circular cards or blocks around pins stuck around the edge. Once these radial threads are in place the pattern is woven in with a needle. The finished motif is released by removing the pins and the motifs are later sewn together. On the back of this tablecloth, the bases of the radial threads are clearly visible. And in closing, we will share one last bit of Tenerife trivia. In the 1930s and 1940s, Tenerife Lace was sometimes called Polka Spider Web Lace! If you have an itch to try your hand at Tenerife lace, we have grids, kits, and books so that you can start weaving your own spider web of lace! Call 510-843-7290 or email [email protected] for updates to our shopping hours. #LacisMuseum #Lacis #TenerifeLace #VintageTablecloth

The Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles will be closed on Monday in observation of Labor Day. We will reopen on Tuesdays for our usual hours, 12- 6pm. We will be open for shopping by appointment or curbside pickup. Please call us at 510-843-7290 during business hours or email us at [email protected]!

While it is indeed true that the Lacis shop is open from both shopping by appointment and curbside pickup, the staff has been taking advantage of our downtime to clean, reorganize, and as a result, unearth textile treasures. Feast your eyes on this adorable tablecloth discovered in a box labeled simply "small square tablecloths." That label does not do justice to this delightful item. It is indeed a square (33" by 33") creme linen tablecloth but each corner is embellished wi...th a butterfly! Each "papillion" has been created in filet crochet using a jade green cotton cordonnet thread. A contrasting creme thread augments the wing details. But the icing on this household confection is the use of hand-sewn eyelets to create the antennae of these crocheted insects. We thought that it was fitting to feature this traditional symbol of growth and rebirth with you! Please stay tuned as we bring to light more treatures from the Lacis "vaults." And be sure to call 510-843-7290 (M-Sat, 12 - 6 pm) to set up an appointment to make a pilgrimage to Lacis.

Many of our customers have taken opportunities to learn new skills while at home. One of our recent visitors (and yes, we are now open for shopping by appointment!) showed us a beautiful Victorian Lavender Wand that she had created. She had been taught how to make this delightfully braided baton by a friend. Since the Victorian age, the Provençal Lavender Plant has been used to create fragrant flower crafts. These Lavender Wands or Batons can be used to scent drawers as a Lav...ender sachet and hung on cabinets for decoration and freshening. They can even be carried around as Lavender Tussie Mussies. There are a plethora of tutorials online for others who might want to follow suit in creating their own floral wands! Our talented customer chose a beautiful selection of pastel ribbons for her next batch of wands that have been earmarked as gifts. And as she left the Lacis shop, she waved her magical Lavender Wand to wish us "Good Luck and Health!" Feel free to schedule your shopping appointment with us by calling 510-843-7290 during regular business hours or email us at [email protected]. We would love to see what new skills you have discovered!

Our first week of being open to shopping by appointment has been a testament to the creativity of our beloved customers! We have had bobbin lace makers, self-taught bookbinders, milliners, costumers, textile artists, and vintage clothing enthusiasts grace our shop. One customer purchased vintage linens, napkins, and table runners for a wedding. Another was exploring new-found skills learned during the Shelter in Place to crochet delicate doilies. We salute them all! Come ma...ke your appointment today! It's as simple as calling us at 510-843-7290 or emailing us at [email protected]. Please contact us for more details! And in the meantime, enjoy this embroidered eye candy from our upcoming exhibit, "The Bird in the Textile Arts: The Extraordinary in Thread." Dates TBA,

When will the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles reopen to customers? Due to the tactile nature of the Lacis shopping experience, we are striving to provide a safe environment to shop and work in. While we work to implement new safety protocols to protect the health of our treasured customers and staff, Lacis is open for curbside service. Please call us during regular business hours at 510-843-7290 (Monday Saturday, 12-6PM) to talk to a staff member. If you have a specific r...equest, you may also email us at [email protected]. For example, just last week, we assisted a bride who was looking for a vintage wedding veil. After sharing some photos, we were able to narrow it down to a couple of options. She was able to view them through the front window and made a selection. We will keep you informed about future opening dates of both the retail and exhibit sections of the Museum! Thank you!

The Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles is open for curbside service during our regular business hours, Monday through Saturday, 12-6PM. Please call the Lacis shop at 510-843-7290 or email us at [email protected]. Our turn-a-around is usually within the day and we will deliver the items to you in your car! All the items on the Lacis.com website are available for pickup at the shop. The Lacis Museum and shop are not open to the public with the exception of curbside pickup at this time. However, please enjoy the preview of our upcoming exhibit (Opening date unknown) of "Birds in Textiles."

Starting on June 1, 2020, the Lacis Museum will be open for curbside service. Please call (510-843-7290) or email ([email protected]) during regular business hours (Monday through Saturday, 12- 6 PM) Customers will not be allowed into the store at this time. We will keep you updated! We can't wait to see our customers again!