Lenka's Way of LaceOld Wise Tree from the Netherlands
March 31, 2026
In the last days of winter an email from the Netherlands delivered a special news: there is a new Old Wise Tree, and it is made from copper wire! What a welcome addition to the Old Wise Tree Gallery; until now, only eight trees out of forty-one have been made in metal – seven in copper and one in bronze. With the new tree from Ephrem Muskee, the wire grove is now covering more than twenty percent of the gallery space. That is fantastic!
Wire is my favourite material for lacemaking, and I love to see its potential emerge and expand in hands of other lacemakers. Ephrem’s Old Wise Tree does just that and presents wire lace art at its best. The work shows a sound technique of an experienced lacemaker. Precise tensioning of the ground and the fan worker reveals that Ephrem mastered the wire medium, which is not an easy task, especially for a lacemaker used to work with fine threads. The tree’s branches, trunk and roots, too, are perfectly formed. Braiding and twisting 300+ strands of lively wires is a challenge, and it requires a lot of patience and practice to succeed.
Ephrem’s original work brings forth two most important assets of the wire medium – its strength and its response to light.
In this work, copper wire gives sufficient support for lace to be mounted in an open frame. A robust root system, simply anchored to the frame, creates strong foundation for the burly tree trunk. The airy, yet sturdy, crown is secured to the outline by only a few invisible nylon strings.
Two photographs of the tree, one against black and the other against white background, demonstrate the unique quality of wire lace to reflect light. In natural light a minute detail is revealed, so it looks very much like fibre lace. In a spotlight the lace bursts out with brilliant shine, like fine metalwork, and bright colours, like glass. The enamelled copper wire is essentially a combination of both materials, pure metal coated with a glass-like polymers. And light loves to play with them.
I envision this Old Wise Tree suspended in an open space, where it is transformed by light, natural and artificial, during the course of the day. With its shadow echoing the intricate pattern around, the Old Wise Tree fills the room with a delicate charm that only handmade lace can achieve.
As long as the character of the technique is respected, bobbin lace readily adapts to new materials without losing her beauty.
What an amazing interpretation of the Old Wise Tree theme. Congratulation, Ephrem ! Thank you for sharing your original lace art 🙂
Please find the new tree in a company of others in the Old Wise Tree Gallery
The online gallery is always open and welcomes all visitors!
It is a wonderful spring in Vancouver now. Cherry trees, magnolias and big maples are in bloom and all plants are sending new shoots. Air is filled with youthful energy and the sun, when it comes out of the clouds, is nice and warm. I think it is the best time to find inspiration in nature’s fertile creativity and perhaps think about planting a seed of another Old Wise Tree…
The Free Old Wise Tree Pattern, with a full tutorial, was published on this website on January 16th, 2021.
As of March 30th, 2026, the Old Wise Tree page has been viewed 15,629 times; 4018 visitors downloaded the pricking; 42 artworks from 9 countries have been submitted to the Old Wise Tree Gallery.
Everybody is welcome to use the free pattern and create an original interpretation of the theme!
If you do, please consider sharing your creation with us :
Send a photo (or more) of your tree with following information to this email address:
Your Name + City / Country + Materials used + Pricking size (if different than the original 100%)
+ Optional: Notes (any specific information you would like to add)
Happy lacemaking to all,
Lenka
Lenka's Way of Lace 