Tour of the Lacis Museum in Berkeley California

close up tatted 'cherry blossoms' by Taeko Takashima Kobe, Japan

In February I visited my son and family in California. I usually try to get together with weavers when I am out there. This year I spent a day with Melissa who is a member of the Buellwood Weavers and Fiber Artist Guild who lives in Sonoma, California during the winter and in near Lake Linden during the summer. 

Melissa and I spent a day visiting Berkeley, for a little shopping, lunch at the famous

Chez Panaisse Cafe, and a tour of the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles. 

A toast to my weaving friends !

Our lunch was lovely and very relaxing. The mission style interior was beautiful. When you eat at a place like this there is always room for dessert! Melissa choose the Cardamon Cake, which was quite tasty, I went for Chocolate Mousse.

The Lacis Museum started out at a retail store in 1965 by Kaethe Kliot. She was a fiber artist enthusiast and provided materials to the artists in the area. The Kliots collected many original pieces of fiber through out the years and it was also a place to exhibit some of this collection. When Kaethe died in 2002 her husband Jules, who had become a partner with her in the store, took over with the help of their son Perrin. Today the Museum is a Non Profit Corporation and the store provides all the textile needs, product and books for all forms of Fiber art. All proceeds from the store support the Lacis Museum which asks only for a donation for the tour. The original small store has grown to occupy over 10,000 square feet.

The Museum has at least two big shows a year. We visited the show Tatting from "Concept to Conceptual ART" and Art it was - I was not disappointed. June 3, 2016 - April 1, 2017

Irish Lace crocheted coll

PreColombian lace

We first explored the conventional and historic exhibits in the retail store. Period dresses and costumes were hanging from the ceiling and hundreds of antique sewing machines scattered about the store. Trying not to be distracted by the supply of textile products for sale all around us we waited for patiently for the our tour guide and three other people who called about a tour. 

The tour took us into another larger room that the walls were covered with Tatting- some so large they were hung high up on the wall. I did not realize it at the time but after reading the online story I think the tour guide was actually Jules the owner of the Lacis Museum. Some of the exhibit was traditional tatting of doilies and lace. Then we saw tatting that was colorful jewelry and bridal necklaces some of Irish origin and some of Asian origin. So Many great pieces to show you

' Christmas Fantasy' and 'Cherry Blossoms' by Taeko Takasima

a tatted alphabet

tatted San Francisco highlights

colored Tatting Lindsay Rodgers Scotland

 Then there was the creative use of color and technique that really caught my interest. Painting with colored tatted elements, Check out Helma Siepmann's web page with tatting lessons in German http://occhihelma.de/lektion-3-arbeiten-mit-dem-josefinenring/

Helma Siepmann Germany

close up of her interpretation of nature

 

Also some beautiful three dimensional Sea Urchin made Andrea Brewster of Oakland CA. 

Beautiful Jewelry by Terachi Yuuko of Kyoto, Japan.

Tatted and beaded necklace 'Lovely'

Tatted and beaded Purse 'Tsukubal'

Here a beaded and tatted Bridal necklace by Nina Libin of NY NY. I was truly inspired by this exhibit of Tatting.

Bride necklace

Tatted garment

Virginia Mescher   Parasols

Jules gave us a quick tatting lesson and a shuttle to take home.

Because we were so amazed by the art these tatters had created he took us upstairs and gave us a sneak preview of the show they will hang this Summer.

 'Pina Philippine Cloth of Pride, Endurance and Passion' July 7, 2017- May 4, 2018

LOOK CLOSE this is Applique

Pina is a fiber made from the leaves of the Pineapple plant and is commonly used in the Philippines to weave cloth. From the 1500's until today. It is sometimes combined with silk or Polyester to create a textile fabric for clothing. 

Each strand of the fiber is stripped and knotted one by one to form a continuous filament to be handwoven. Production of this fabric has been revived in the past 20 years.

Hand embroidered / Appliqued Pieces are called Sombrado. The cloth Calado is stain resistant and strong although it looks delicate. It takes 8 hours to make a 24 inch by one meter cloth.

Embroidered

 

Appliqued Pina Cloth

 this really looks like a good Exhibit coming in July 2017 to the Lacis Museum in Berkeley CA.
 I hope you enjoy the pictures and if you want to see more ask to see what is on my iPad.

Our next guild meeting is at noon Monday, March 20 at Gloria Dei church in Hancock, MI

The topic will be' color theory' by Phyllis Please bring 4 or 5 yarn samples from your stash, for her presentation.  A few yards of each will be fine.