seasonal sale of BRUSSELS LACE AND HAND EMBROIDERY

on sale will be a range of fine brussels lace embellished tablecloths, table runners, placemats, doilies, pillow cases and napkin sets.

Cherished gifts for the season in the form of exquisite Brussels lace and hand-embroidered home linens will be on sale on Saturday, 17th November. Andrea Boekel – an exponent of these forms of textile art will host this event that is held every two years.

On sale will be a range of fine Brussels lace embellished tablecloths, table runners, placemats, doilies, pillow cases and napkin sets. Many of these items have delicate hand embroidery and detailing. Created by rural women to Andrea's designs, each piece takes many hours of painstaking work to complete.

Andrea has been a teacher of needlework for many years. She then began teaching rural village women the craft and incorporated her own BOIapproved company in the early ‘90s. The products created by these village women were exhibited in major capitals of the world with the assistance of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board. Although the company did not survive the recession, Andrea is still dedicated to harnessing the talents of the rural workforce.

Sri Lanka's textile identity was taken to an international forum when she was invited by two of Australia's most prestigious universities to deliver lectures on “Textile as a Medium”. Lecturing at The Australia National University in Canberra and the University of Western Australia in Perth, students were given an insight into the flexibility of textile as a medium and an insight into Sri Lanka's impressive textile heritage.

Brussels lace (not to be confused with Battenburg lace) is highly prized for its delicate feel and appearance. Producing it in Sri Lanka was a landmark achievement for her. Andrea uses the finest linen fabric, Swiss organdie and European threads for her creations. Despite the many hours of work that is invested in producing a piece, the prices are surprisingly affordable.