Brightly colored and heavily patterned embroidered Indian fabric. Small round mirrors and pom-poms are also stitched onto the fabric.

Caring for Textile Arts

Q: My dad was a costume designer who loved textile arts. He collected fabrics and needlework from all over the world. I have boxes full of amazing textiles now, but some are pretty delicate. I’d love to enjoy them and put them up around my house, but I don’t want to hurt them, and could […]

A well-dressed woman with carefully curled hair and a lace collar over her yellow dress, focuses on the making of lace. She handles several wooden bobbins of thread over a lace pillow that rests on a wooden stand.

Decorating with Lace and Macrame

Lace, a textile used mainly to decorate clothing or home furnishings, was traditionally created by hand by highly skilled girls and women. Technically an openwork fabric, lace was invented around the 15th century in Europe. Though usually considered a clothing adornment, especially for wedding dresses and lingerie, lace often appeared in curtains, on pillows, and […]