The Making of Quality Victorian Lace

Victorian lace was an art form, just as lace has been an artform for needle crafters all through the ages. The beauty, intricacy, and femininity of Victorian lace can not be surpassed. Whether crocheted or embroidered, lace is the human epitome of heavenly texture, like nature’s black lace silhouette of oak trees against the sunset sky, or feathery clouds patterning a windblown stratosphere with intelligent design.

Victorian Organics eyelet has roots in a self portrait oil painting done at about 12 years old of a girl in a Victorian lace dress with a parasol. Little did the family know what intuition was painted onto that canvas. It was a look into the past as well as the future.

Then in a 1970’s college course, the study of the costume history of the nineteenth century struck a chord deep in the soul of this English descendant of the receiver of the Victorian Cross, given by the Queen after the Boer War. Besides that, my friend and classmate, Renee’s replica of Victorian underwear was so whimsically inspiring that it made a permanent groove into my brain. With the birth of my baby girl a decade later, a perfect little model for feminine baby clothes brought about constant visualization of soft modern day textile creations with antique style.

The first Ariadne lace was custom made to exact specifications by a Swiss factory in New Jersey in the 1980’s, and reordered in huge lots several times. But like all the computerized lace factories in America, the businesses shuttered their doors and the work was sent to China and India.

Not willing to ever give up on a lifelong project, Ariadne lace was made in China once, but the quality was not up to par, so it is still being sold off on ebay today.

Then one day, a bright revelation came that started the lace being specially made in India out of custom made organic woven cotton. India has a long history of embroidery and needle arts, still found flourishing today in the embellishment of beautiful saris flowing in the wind behind scooters and motorcycles. The thought of going to the most spiritual country in the world to have Ariadne lace made was, and still is in 2017, the dream of a lifetime.

So now you have a full line of Victorian style organic eyelet baby keepsakes that have had one designer’s heart poured into them, and a lifetime of blood, sweat and tears to refine them into the very best gift for our little angels. Blood has come from needle pricked fingers (the sewing machine needle even went though my finger once). Sweat has poured from working in the sewing factories in the heat of Southern India with lace makers, weavers and tailors. And tears of joy have watered my eyes from being blessed with creating something from a visualization that is centuries old.

Once when gazing at the impression of the eyelet on the white ironing board cover, a knowingness within confirmed that it wasn’t just this life that has been spent making this lace, but many lifetimes before have been spent doing this work. When a person becomes so absorbed in the work, the person becomes the work, and all is one.

May every baby be blessed with the very best.