Register for Studies in Antique Lace (Jan-Apr)

Please make sure you have submitted your info for the classes in this series via our form before you purchase this workshop.

Instructor: Elizabeth Kurella

Course Description: The magic of antique lace is in the stories of remarkable human creativity, achievement, diligence and sometimes just plain silly fun. Come time travel with lace collector, dealer, and maven Elizabeth Kurella as she dips into centuries of lace, presents some mysteries and unravels a few, and offers a universe of possibilities for lace making, design and inspiration. All using lace from her private collection.

Level: Beginner / Intermediate

Prerequisites: None, but some understanding of lacemaking would be helpful.

Monday, January 12, 2026
A Musical Mystery in Brussels Bobbin Lace: Tiny Brussels bobbin lace musicians revel in a resurrected world - and teach us how to look at antique lace to identify and judge, and gather ideas to make our own designs.

Monday, January 26, 2026
 An Excess of Gros Point: How many variations of fancy stitches and perilous picots can one absorb before your eyes cross and your mind rebels? They’re all in one yards-long length of 16th and 17th century Gros Point needle lace reassembled in the 19th century. An amazing expanse — created to what purpose? And by whom?

Monday, February 9, 2026
Revisit the Lace Exhibits of an English Devotee: Auctions at the Kerry Taylor house in London not only turned loose a remarkable array of fine collector’s lace but provided a window into the mid-twentieth century exhibits staged by collector Enid Purvis. See how she made lace from a wide range of time periods and quality levels interesting and attractive.

Monday, February 23, 2026
A Flight of Eagles and Knights, from the 16th Century: Dimensional needle lace knights on horseback with beady eyes march through a field of eagles while tiny deer and birds run rings around punto in aria and reticella rosettes in an early 16th century lace panel. Discover details that might inspire a new project, or simply revel in traveling back to the turbulent years as the medieval transitioned to the Renaissance.

Monday, March 9, 2026:
The Madness of Lace Menders: What - through the centuries - has moved people to think they can make damaged or worn old lace whole again? Explore a wild range of mends in very old to semi old lace and from the sublime to the ridiculous - and perhaps plan or rethink a plan to do some mending of your own. 

Monday, March 23, 2026
A Mysterious Milanese Bobbin Lace Tournament: Two very similar lengths of what likely is 17th century Milanese bobbin lace both seem to depict a knight’s misadventures in a wonderland of birds and frolicking beasties. Is it a parable? The whimsy and technical simplicity make this piece a treasury of possibilities for relatively beginning bobbin lacemakers.

Monday,April 13, 2026
Too Good to Throw Away: For centuries lace has been treasured, and even the most insignificant scrap was considered too good to throw away. Answering the plaintive whine “but what do you DO with it, we will explore ways people have collected, repurposed, remodeled, and displayed salvaged old lace from the simplest of crafts to exotic specimens of the most difficult of techniques.

Monday, April 27, 2026
A Magical 19th Century Lace Album: A mysterious Victorian lady left behind a remarkable collection of snippets of her treasured finds and gifts from world traveling friends. What can we learn from her wide-ranging assemblage of technically diverse lace samples and hand written notes?

Times: 10:00 am -11:00 am PST / PDT

Second Camera: Not required