Lenka's Way of LaceOffering: Red Berries
Posted on March 26, 2019
Frame:
Cedar driftwood (designed and made by Colin Hamilton of Thuja Wood Art
Lace:
Enamelled copper and stainless steel wires
Semi-precious stones and beads:
Bamboo Coral, Clear Quartz Crystal, Hawk’s Eye, Rudraksha Seeds
Technique: handmade bobbin lace – TesseLace pattern
Dimensions in centimetres: h:43 x w:43 x d:5
Dimensions in inches: h:17 x w:18 x d:2
If cold winter months are good for something else than hibernating, it is for lacemaking. Long, dark nights offer quiet time for uninterrupted work and allow sustained focus that reaches almost a state of meditation.
Cocooning in my studio, I was looking for an idea for lace that would fit in one of Colin’s driftwood frames. Dried by sun and fresh air the wood feels so warm, as it is radiating energy collected over many summers. Just like standing cedar trees, the driftwood offers assurance that we, too, will survive yet another winter. Living on the West Coast of Canada for thirty years, I came to understand why cedar has been considered sacred by indigenous people.
majestic cedar tree in my backyard
An empty red cedar driftwood frame has been standing on the shelf in my studio for more than a year, patiently waiting for lace. Upon invitation, the images kept appearing, but none of them strong enough to stay and prompt me into action. One day, on a walk through fresh snow in Kwomais Point Park, I was amazed by dark lines of underbrush with embellishments of ice and red berries, set starkly against pristine white background. There is a lot of lace to be found in the forest, but rarely in such plain sight.
I started to work on my next offering. Once again, my connection with Veronika Irvine and her TesseLace worked miracles, and I was able to find the right grid and use the Circular Grid Templates for designing the mandala.
It worked so well that the piece was finished before the snow in the forest melted… It became my offering to the season that makes us revere cedar, to the beauty of snow and ice, and to the berries who know how to say ‘fertility’ like no other.
The Offering: Red Berries will be shown in juried exhibition ‘Just Gates’, organized by Arts Council of Surrey, in April 2019.
Copyright©2019. Lenka Suchanek. All rights reserved.
NEW: Spring Garden Pattern & Tutorial
Posted on March 26, 2019
Just in time for spring festivities, the Spring Garden Pattern and Tutorial is here to help you to create original gifts and decorations for all special celebrations that come with the season – from Easter to Mother’s day, from spring weddings to showers for spring babies, from birthdays of the lucky spring-born to spontaneous merrymaking of green-thumbed people… Because all the flowers areblooming and all the birds are singing to remind us that we are taking part in a miracle of life.
The Spring Garden lace can be finished as an egg holder or napkin ring, used as a greeting card insert, framed as a picture, or shaped as fanciful free standing 3-D decoration.
Cheerful grass greens with colourful beads brighten spaces and minds, especially after long winter. It is a wonderful gift that does not take too much time to make, and it is sure to surprise and impress the lucky recipient.
The pattern is easy to learn, and is therefore suitable for lacemakers of all skill levels. The tutorial is very thorough and detailed, with almost forty photos to illustrate the techniques from start to finish. If you bought any of the previous New School of Lace Patterns and Tutorials for Wire Lace, you know that you can expect quality instruction and original ideas. And you can combine the new design with other spring themes – Flower Earrings, Seedlings and Chicken Egg Stand… All available exclusively from my Wire Lace Supplies shop on Etsy.
There is always more room to learn and grow and expand your lace skills.
Happy spring and happy lacemaking!
Meganeura
Posted on September 14, 2018
Material:
stainless steel and enamelled copper wires
drift wood, crystal beads
Technique: handmade bobbin lace – free form
Dimensions: 48 x 72 x 5 cm (19 X 28 x 2 in)
Meganeura is an offering to Gaia and her transformative powers.
Meganeura, a dragonfly’s ancestor from the Carboniferous period, symbolizes transformation, survival, and incredible ability of Earth creatures to adapt and evolve with the environment. Watching dragonflies and knowing that their progenitor Meganeura lived 300 milion years ago, always fills me with awe and reverence for this planet and all life it carries.
This offering is a prayer for us, people of this Earth, to listen to Gaia, and learn from her wisdom… before it is too late.
This work is listed for sale in my Way of Lace shop on Etsy.
Copyright©2018. Lenka Suchanek. All rights reserved.
New Patterns for Wire Lace
Posted on March 8, 2018
Two new patterns are published, just in time for spring celebrations!
The Snail Pattern & Tutorial (B#004) explores, thoroughly and carefully, Cloth stitch and Whole stitch in wire lace.
The Chicken Egg Stand (PT#11) is popular not only for spring celebrations, but the egg holder can be used as decoration all year around. It is one of those charming little gifts that bring about big smiles. First pattern in new Animal Series.
To find more about these new patterns and to purchase them, please go to WireLaceSupplies shop on Etsy
New School of Lace 2018 Winter Classes and Workshops Schedule
Posted on December 12, 2017
Winter 2018 Schedule has been posted: weekly classes and workshops in traditional Bobbin Lace in Fibre, contemporary Bobbin Lace in Wire, Needle Lace Jewellery, Lace Design and more…
Join the growing group of lacemakers in Ocean Park in British Columbia (Canada) and see what you can create! Here is a collage of 2017 students’ projects for your inspiration:
Looking forward to the new year filled with lace, fun and friendships!
Feel free to contact me by e-mail at laceaway at gmail dot com or by phone at 778.288.0720 if you need more information or to register for upcoming classes and workshops.
Offering: West Coast Mandala
Posted on November 14, 2017
Frame:
Cedar driftwood (designed and made by Colin Hamilton of Thuja Wood Art)
Lace:
Enamelled copper and stainless steel wires
Semi-precious stone cabochons and beads (from centre):
Nephrite (BC jade), Almandine Garnet, Shell, Rose Quartz, Bamboo Coral, Rhodochrosite, Clear Quartz Crystal, Calcite, Blue Tiger’s Eye, Shell, Hematite
Technique: handmade bobbin lace – free form
Dimensions in centimetres: 64 x 61 x 12 ( 4 cm without stands)
Dimensions in inches: 25 x 24 x 5 (2 inches without stands)
West Coast Mandala is an Offering to the magnificent Pacific Northwest nature.
In harsh climate of the temperate rainforest, human life has never been easy. Ancient people called upon spirit powers to receive guidance and protection. They were taught to live in harmony with the land and the ocean, and respect all plants and animals. This wise, timeless teaching still resonates on the West Coast.
The Offering: West Coast Mandala is presented in a frame made from red cedar driftwood, which carries the spirit of the tree of life, and creates a sacred space for reflection and meditation. In its centre, the mandala holds a cabochon of the B.C. jade, and radiates the energy outwards through the copper wire weave. Inner sacred geometry circle with semi-precious stones, coral and shell beads, represents the earth’s depths. Surrounding three currents symbolize underground, surface and ocean water bodies. Water brings fertility and abundance to the soil and to people, and they present offerings of flowers and fish. Fertile land is encircled by a protective range of the coastal mountains, which merge into the mist of the sky dome. From above, water motion, vegetation growth and people’s lives are governed by the moon cycle. All is connected and therefore in harmony with the timeless wisdom.
This artwork is now exhibited in Talisman Gallery on Pender Island, BC.
Copyright©2018. Lenka Suchanek. All rights reserved.
Reframed: Lost Art I & II
Posted on November 14, 2017
Reframed: Lost Art I
Material: Bronze wire Technique: Milanese tape lace
Size: 56 x 56 cm (22 x 22 in)
Reframed: Lost Art II
Material: Bronze wire Technique: Concentric continuous lace
Size: 56 x 56 cm (22 x 22 in)
In North America, handmade bobbin lace has been often called “a lost art”. I could not agree, because the lace I have known was very much alive – present, vibrant, breathing and growing. I followed her intricate patterns and looked for materials and forms that could carry the lace forward. In one of my many projects I explored pattern connections between various craft disciplines – wood work, stone carving, tile work and lace work – and set out a testing ground for new connections. Two pieces that remained from the project were put away, and literally, lost in my studio storage.
When I found them this summer I realized how much has changed in the last 10 years. The lace craft as I knew has been almost lost. The gossamer lace weave is getting weaker as the threads are ageing. Traditional schools closed, lace museums activities were reduced, and major international events abandoned because of lack of funds. At the same time, more and more independent artists started to use lace techniques in their work, creating imaginative lace art. As if lace had left the past and entered the future…
I decided to re-frame these two works to reflect the change. I covered painting canvas with silk fabric and cut the centre out to expose black background. As the lace stretches over the opening, it casts shadows, and the illusive pattern is dissipating into the black hole of the passing time. Lace remains, but only very few people can connect it to the history.
Can lace live detached from her own history? Can we?
Only time will tell…
These artworks are for sale in my WAYofLACE shop on Etsy.
Offering: Moon Reflection
Posted on November 14, 2017
Handmade Bobbin Lace Wall Art
Material
steel wire, milky marble cabochons, glass seed beads, silk background
Techniques
handmade bobbin lace, beading
Size
75 x 27 cm
Lace well done…
Posted on June 3, 2015
Season wrap-up wire lace workshop is coming on Saturday, June 27, 2015. It will harness the fresh summer energy to finish projects we started in previous workshops, to improve, strengthen and grow our skills and most of all, to release the creative potential locked in lace. Bring your unfinished projects in wire bobbin or needle lace with your questions about techniques and finishing, bring your finished projects to show and share with others, and of course, bring your ideas for future lace designs. Be ready for learning, brainstorming and fun!
Detailed information and registration
Victorian Black Lace Brooch
Posted on May 8, 2015
Bobbin lace in wire workshop #4 is coming soon, and since it will happen on a Canadian public holiday weekend that is celebrated in honour of Queen Victoria’s birthday, the theme of the workshops is a Victorian Black Lace Brooch.
Join the class to learn how to make fine black lace, embellish it with jet crystals and finish it as a brooch. The workshop is design to suit beginners as well as lacemakers with some experience with wire. Instruction will cover braids, picots, leafs and basket weave cloth stitch with a special attention to handling fine enamelled copper wire, adding crystals and finishing.
The poster shows just a draft of the design as I am eagerly awaiting a shipment of brooch pin backs to finalize the design and make the first samples 🙂
Victorian Black Lace Brooch – Bobbin Lace in Wire #4
June workshop, on Saturday the 27, 2015 will celebrate arrival of summer with a bright happy “Sun” theme.
There are many ways how to create sun in lace. Numerous patterns had been developed by many previous lacemakers and lace designers, and we can find a lot of inspiration in traditional laces. It is hard to choose which one to start with, and I have not decided, yet it is going to be plaited bobbin lace design or needle lace Retticella in gold plated copper.
Lenka's Way of Lace 