Old Wise Trees are flourishing in all seasons! 

Catherine Lillie from East Yorkshire, UK, interpreted the theme in four variations, representing the four seasons in UK:

– pink blossom with a hint of green for Spring; 

– variegated green for Summer; 

– autumnal browns and oranges;

– snow topped, bare black branches for Winter; 

What a wonderful idea! And great interpretation of the Old Wise Three theme – each tree represents the season not only by well chosen colours, but also by the shape of the crown and architecture of trunk and branches –  widely branched fertile mother tree in spring time; relaxed, vigorously growing summer tree; burly, portly tree of autumn; and rugged tree, resilient and strong to withstand the winter weather. So complex, yet so simple – four seasons painted with threads and delicate stitches, with lots of skill, love and dedication. 

If you look closely, you can see that Catherine changed the pattern slightly: She substituted plain torchon ground stitch (CT-pin-CT) with Brussels ground (CTCT-pin-CTCT), which produced bolder net with interesting colour shading. It also made transition between the crown and branches a bit more static, showing the firm footside edge, but perhaps due to use of variegated threads, the difference is almost indistinguishable. This reveals and confirms amazing versatility of bobbin lace technique that allows every lacemaker to explore, grow and create original works.

I am happy to see that the Old Wise Tree pattern inspired such ambitious project.

Congratulations, Catherine, well done!

The Free Old Wise Tree Pattern and Tutorial was published on this website on January 16th, 2021.
As of today – March 10th, 2023 –

• the page has been viewed 8327 times
• 1630 visitors downloaded the pricking
• 25 artworks from 5 countries have been submitted to be exhibited in the Old Wise Tree Gallery

A big Thank You to all participating lacemakers!

Maybe there are more lace trees out there? If you created your own, I would like to hear from you. 

All lacemakers who create their original Old Wise Trees based on the free pattern are welcome to submit their lace art to the Old Wise Tree GALLERY!

Please consider reaching out by sending a photo of your tree with following information to this email address: 

old.wise.tree@lenkas.com

Your Name + City / Country + Materials used + Pricking size (if different than the original 100%)
+ Optional: Notes (any specific information you would like to add)

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Disclaimer: By submitting the photo/s and requested information you agree that your work will be displayed in the Old Wise Tree Gallery hosted on this website.

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Happy lacemaking and old wise tree growing,

Lenka