The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-10
vALVOGNIAN LACE.
Specimens of Italian Work Sent to
st. Louis Exposition.

The Italian minister of commerce.
industry and agriculture has just sent.
at the cost and risk of the state %
specimens of ValVOgnlan lace, cut
work, etc, to the St. Louis exposition.
This lace is made at Vale Vogna by
the peasant women, and the INDUSTRY
is one in which the two queens of
Italy, Margherita and Elena take a
great and active interest. Queen Mar
gherita bought a considerable part OF
the first ValvOgnian exhibit. which
was sent to the "Women'S industries,
and not long ago she bought two
tahleclOths and some doylies, ordering
at the same time a bedspread in cut
work. Queen Elena recently bought
some Valvognian lace at the Wo-
mems Arts and Crafts in Rome.
Much of the lace made at Vale
Vogna is copied from ancient models.
Cut work comes from the Ara BIS, and
most of the ancient specimens hand
ed down to the present day were
brought from Sicily. This is because
four hundred years ago there were in
this island plenty of captive MOors,
who were set at work to beautify the
homes of their captorS- Ihe1r work,
if in good preservation, brings thou
sands of francs today, and there is a
great demand for it. The reproduc-
tons also command a hlgh price and
to make them is a work of time, pa
tience and skill. Queen Margherita' s
curtains will occupy clever fingers in
the Vale Vogna for some months to
come, and the pair of curtains sent
to the St Louis exposition represent
an equal amount of work.
Cut work is called by some authori-
ties Greek lace" 1t is made by cut
ting spaces in linen Corning thus
many different patterns) and sewing
the sides of the spaces to prevent
their fraying. In the old work these
edges seem to have been sewn gen
orally with brown. Cut work is some
times varied by an admixture of
drawn thread work (punta tirata)
and also by embroidery in coarse
white thread.
Design No. wa probably an
adaptation by European workers of
Arab lace, for the representation of
lions. deer, horses men and women is
contrary to MOslem law. This pattern
also has been successfully copied in
the Vale WOgna-a brown flax thread
defining the cut edges-while the
work is fringed, as in the original,
with a knotted thread, in which a few
inches of blue alternate with few
inches of brown.
The creamy homespun linen of the
valley closely resembles the ancient
linen of the model pieces. and is
made by the lacemakers, who are also
the agriculturists of this high Alpine
region.
They SOW the hemp: tend it; gather
! it, stalk by stalk, as it comes to per-
lection; soak it; beat it; spin and
weave it! So said one of the girls.
adding: I'VE may well be fond of our
| clothing, for we have so much to with
/ it And, at the last" dra wing herself
up proudly. 1--WE trim it with our OWL
/ puncettoi'
Some of the linen the VaIvognians
send to be dyed blue for the aprons OF
their traditional costume. Otherwise
| their clothing is made and decorated
/ entirely at home. The weave of this
/ linen is so close that wayfaring con
/ tadine fold an apron corner into {
! cup and drink from it at any noun.
/ tain stream. There is no drip from
/ this cup. and the fabric is as desir-
/ able as it IS firm in texture. It is al
i most everlasting, and the lace that i
is trimmed with. I'VE make for eter
nifty" the women say.
Design No ? shows cut work ans