It all started on a Thursday evening …. I wanted to dye some RPL pieces, and was not sure if I had all the right ingredients. The idea that I wanted to dye with natural items was logic to me from the start. From the beginning I was fixated on pink shades.
It’s Friday morning and once the little one went to take a nap it was time to start the dye process……
To dye doilies, lace, point lace is as old as time…. I am very much interested in natural dye and always experimented with it, from teas, to coffee dye…..
I had three white natural Romanian Point Lace doilies. You probably have seen them in one older post or on social media…
Here they are before, the dye adventure!
You do not need much for a natural dye. A few bowls, pots to bring it to a boil, and of course vinegar. I use the very cheap one dollar vinegar.
That’s about I guess and yes like with every dye, X fingers, that it comes out ok! LOL
Since I dye only 3 pieces to experiment with colours, I do not need much.
For the onion dye I used all the left over onion shells red and brown that we had left in the house. In this case it;s about 2 hands full. The more the better, but like I said it;s all left overs.
I used two hibiscus and one rose hip teabag to dye the second Romanian point lace doily. For the last doily I used two bags of Billy teabags. It;s Australian Bush tea. The colour is dark brown.
Step One!
I soaked all three doilies in cold water for at least 15 minutes.
Step Two!
After that I started to boil water and to get the pots ready.
You will need three posts and half a cup f vinegar in total. Add to each pot a bit of vinegar and let it boil. Make sure that the water is not over boiling. I add wooden spoons to each pot.
Step Three!
Bring it to a boil and make sure that the doily is deep in the hot water. Stir is a bit and also be careful when you turn it. It need to be in hot water and in the dye all the time. If edges of the doily is out, you will have a weak dye. Love how the dark red actually looks like.
The Billy Tea is fantastic , a gorgeous colour, very elegant
almost like cognac.It looks nice so far. I can imagine that it will turn way lighter of course. It’s never easy to say if you experiment and if you do it with Romanian Point Lace pieces. If you are not sure, I suggest to experiment with a simple Romanian Point Lace cord. Cut it in pieces and add into each colour. That way you will not loose or damage a doily if you need it later on. After all you were quite busy creating it. 🙂
Make sure that the stove is on medium to high but watch it all the time. While the doilies are wet, the dye looks darker, see images below. Once it;s dry they will lighten up!
Hibiscus, has a light colour once dry and a very soft smell. It will not smell once it;s dry. The onion dye is stronger in colour. The tea is quite faded but a good outcome. Soft, and delicate with a vintage touch!
Step four!
Once ready, you can hang them outside on the line to dry. But if you can’t wait, you can iron them dry. That way you are one step ahead and you do not need to block it, since you pressed them while wet.
E voila…. this is the result of this dye. Have you tried to dye your Romanian Point Lace? If yes, please let me know.
As you can see the hibiscus tea resulted into a very pale pink. It is gorgeous, but soft. If you would be interested in a deeper pink, you might need to add more hip rose tea bags, or avocado seeds and shells.
I enjoyed to dye all three, but I think I would be very interested to dive deeper into natural dye on the pink side. I hope you all had fun reading this blog post and please so share it, pin it, like it and comment!
I like the idea that I can do Romanian Point Lace in light or white colour, due to the fact that the fillings are easier to create on lighter thread. It also means that I have the freedom to experiment and change colours as much as I like by changing the dye. It’s easy if you look for a specific colour that you can;t find in the store.
Saturday I had another look at the result of pink and I was not really happy with it. Starring at it while eating blueberries gave me the idea to actually dye the same piece in blueberry.
Once finishing with making blueberry juice for Andrada, I used the left over and added vinegar. The doily was 30 minutes in the hot juice and this is the result….
The pink is darker, more into a purple note…. I love the result.
I would like to invite you to take a survey! It would help me to provide a better service for all of you! Answer 5 simple questions for us and we would be very thankful.
At Ink & Lace Designs we create one of a kind designs, unique pattern, art and prints. If you would like us to add more, just let us know! Let us make Ink & Lace better for you!
It does not matter where you go in Europe or at what historical period you have a look at, lace was and is a starting point. Lace was popular for both women and men. At the beginning lace was only for the high class, royalty, noble men and women…. The middle class was creating the lace collars, the lace appliques and so much more but yet were not allowed to wear it. Something we can;t even imagine these days… We live in a world of fast fashion where lace is a rarity of it;s made by hand, These days lace is made by machines… sadly I have to say that is something that drives me maddddddddddddddddddddd! What about you? If you create lace by hand, you know what I mean. The same goes for crochet, knit, etc….
To me if feels like we devalue us as people as a society that can do wonders with our hands , some with their feet and brain… If we let a machine take over and one day technology vanishes who can create all these magical intrigued designs? Certainly the new generations do not have a clue how to even hold a needle, a hook or even create a lace pattern… Don;t even get me started! LOL
The collar you see below is a traditional Romanian Point Lace Collar.
It has the traditional ecru thread and the traditional pattern
floral
vegetal
simple Romanian cord
traditional shape design ( V shape)
leaf motives with traditional filings
What actually happens to you, when you put a lace collar on, oh well you can actually transform your outfit into an elegant outfit , no effort at all! You are chic and elegant in 2018! You can adopt the Parisian look so easy just by wearing a lace collar.
This collar is a great example for a modern Romanian Point Lace, design. It has a touch of tradition, since it’s in ecru and follows a repetitive motive. The designer of this collar is Russian – I could not find out the name.
The white design above is made in two identical pieces. It is for a dress and the focus point is the shoulder line in front and back. It’s also traditional in pattern, design, shape and even colour. It;s white for the following reasons.
it is made for a young girl
a wedding piece
wedding dress
part of a dowry
christening
birth gift
Now the good part about how Romanian Point Lace collars are made is that we simply apply them to the blouse, attaching them only in certain points on the item to make it stay, but easy to be removed.
I created a collar that has all the aspects of traditional Romanian Point Lace – repetitive motive, geometrical design, flat lace, floral organic elements, but the colour is different. I was still using the traditional thread from Romanofir but the colour simply just spoke to me. I was thinking it might look amazing to be able to wear a lace collar on light clothes. Since almost all the lace pieces are done in light colours, this might be a way to keep lace still interesting.
If you want to hear more about this type of collar, check out the video below! You can see why type of hooks I used for it and how I broke it down.
Thank you
If you have any questions on the lace collars, please comment below! Also, tell me how you wear your lace collar!
I don’t know if it’s every girls dream to wear a handmade lace dress on the day they marry, but certainly this is a fantastic dress, even thou it’s not RPL, the designer Marie Grazia Chiuri did a stunning job! Also follow her on Instagram by clicking her name! You will love what you see!
What I love about is the simplicity and the elegance also the sass! Chiara Ferragni wears it right. What I like is the idea that this dress was inspired by the elegant design of Grace Kelly. Her wedding dress was a dream – Check it out!
Chiara looked absolutely stunning in a custom-made couture wedding gown by Dior. Her ensemble comprised a white lace romper and A-line tulle over skirt, which gave the illusion of a full-length gown. E voila the surprise! An easy to wear look after the ceremony. I guess when you are an IT -Girl and look like her why not! if you like to find out more about this gorgeous girl, read here
If I had to do my wedding again, I would definitely try something like that! Crochet lace is exquisite, delicate and something to pass on to the next generation.
Well, August is gone, can you believe it? Yup, me neither! But well a new month is waiting to be lived, conquered and discovered. I love September Down Under. It;s great, we start Spring and it;s not melting hot, where the wind is your great buddy! Very pleasant… Living in Brisbane is fabulous. Not toooo hot and not to cold….. But still when I think about September, I think of how September is in Europe. I grew up there so I guess it comes natural , a no brainer!
You are asking what September will bring when it comes to Romanian Lace, well a lot…. but to start the month easy, please check out the images below where you can see that Romanian Point Lace is actually not forgotten or rediscovered in the fashion world.
Dior latest collection is inspired by Romanian Lace….
Study the details and simple beauty that creates a complex field of creativity.
I am exited to see that such a big fashion house it discovering such an antique lace making craft.
Have a look at the details and image what you can make with this wonderful technique! Are you exited? I sure am, to see you make it happen!
I am simply in love with the possibilities…. the colours, the threads, that designs it;s all open for you!
Are you with me now?
Exited to try it?
I am preparing soon a simple project that you can make into an item or a larger piece!
But first things, I will take you to the steps on what you will need to make RPL ! So no stress , we get there!
Together we will make it happen, but for now we enjoy September!
Comment below and let me know how you feel! Are you interested in giving it a go? See the amazing pieces above, from Dior to Guo Pei….. lace is making a comeback!
XO,
Lorena
PS: It would be great to know if you tried Romanian Lace before! Please comment below and get in touch!
Also if you like to stay in touch with us, sign up!
To me a lot….. Bread means life, it;s more than food, it;s more than flour, water, (yeast ) mixed together… it;s family, money and memories….
For some people, bread is simply bread… In Romania, bread has a special meaning…. The design is unique, it’s fun and not easy to do. They mostly braid bread, similar to Romanian Point Lace designs….. Check the images below!
I grew up in Cugir a small town in Transylvania and every three days we went to buy bread… not just any bread… Bread from Lae Pecu…. It might not say anything to you, but let me explain! Are you ready?! In the image below is the late Lae Pecu. He was a very good friend of my grandpa and we always went into the backdoor to get our bread. While they were talking about the all time….. I always received a treat similar to a bagel these days but way better! I had no idea how lucky I was! Nicholas Hanegar ( Lae Pecu) not only made the best bread in town, he put Cugir on the culinary map in Romania.
His bread was so famous that people started to come from far to buy his bread. These days the bakery is still going stroner than ever! His grandson took over….. If you want to find out more about this amazing bread….. Read here!
Bread to us is actually so important that bread is actually used as a plate for soups. Check it out below! Funky!
But you probably wonder why I tell you all this about bread, coz you are here to read about Romanian Point Lace or Art! Well I blog about this topic so you can see some braided bread designs and understand how connected bread is to how we make point lace! Now you know!
Personally I am such a bread fan, that I have a bread culture in the fridge that is 3 years old almost! Yes, I made my own Sourdough! What about you?
If you pay attention to the designs, you can see that most pattern are like Romanian Point Lace designs, organic, symmetric and traditional. The one design below is inspired by Constantin Brancusi and the Endless Column.
Image: ANA A NEGRU
The bread below is inspired by an ancient culture, Cucuteni… You find more about here!
Image : ANA A NEGRU
One of my favourite designs is the bread pattern below, such a traditional floral design, for bread and for RPL!
Image: ANA A NEGRU
If you like the images of sourdough bread you might like to check out the Instagram Account of Anna A Negru So please follow, coz I do!
Have you tried to make bread? If you are motivated, this is my recipe, simple and easy! It; just takes time!
The way we like to make lace, point lace, the way we like to enjoy and make bread it;s no wonder we create bread in form of grapes! Check this beauty out!
XO:)
Lorena
PS: Comment below and let me know about your love for Bread!
All images are provided by Google. They do not belong to me!
Sign Up Now and you will receive 15% OFF your first order PLUS grab 4 FREEBIE including My morning routine Reiki principles, Palm Chakras Activation, Thread_Yarn Cheat Sheet and a print and art journal mood trackers.
Thank you for subscribing. Please use the discount code SIGNUP15 on checkout. An email is also on the way with your FREEBIES.
You do not need much for a natural dye. A few bowls, pots to bring it to a boil, and of course vinegar. I use the very cheap one dollar vinegar.
Saturday I had another look at the result of pink and I was not really happy with it. Starring at it while eating blueberries gave me the idea to actually dye the same piece in blueberry.
To me if feels like we devalue us as people as a society that can do wonders with our hands , some with their feet and brain… If we let a machine take over and one day technology vanishes who can create all these magical intrigued designs? Certainly the new generations do not have a clue how to even hold a needle, a hook or even create a lace pattern… Don;t even get me started! LOL 
This collar is a great example for a modern Romanian Point Lace, design. It has a touch of tradition, since it’s in ecru and follows a repetitive motive. The designer of this collar is Russian – I could not find out the name. 
Comment below and let me know how you feel! Are you interested in giving it a go? See the amazing pieces above, from Dior to Guo Pei….. lace is making a comeback!
Image: ANA A NEGRU
Image: ANA A NEGRU
