172 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
Figure 4 
Designed by Albert W. Heckman. Executed by Miss A. Ruth Heckman. 
THE MAKING OF A DESIGN FOR FILET CROCHET LACE 
EVERY china decorator as well as the ordinary layman 
realizes the value of appropriate settings for her table 
service. Beautiful china calls for beautiful linen, whether it 
be in one's home or in an exhibition of one's wares. It is. 
difficult however, to procure linens in keeping with the work of 
a modern china dcorator. The stores to be sure are full of 
excellent things but where will you find ready-made just what 
you want? Either the designs are too elaborate with prices 
unreasonably high or they are of inferior quality with little or 
no individuality, such as are turned out by the hundreds. 
Recent experiments with the use of color in table linens 
have in many instances proven to be very satisfying and suc- 
cessful. Yet. they are never quite so practical as all white 
table coverings. Among the things that are all white there is 
nothing that lends itself so easily to artistic results as filet 
crochet. And furthermore, it is a thing that practically every- 
one who has ever attempted it can do. A little thoughtfulness 
in planning a design and careful workmanship in working it 
out can bring about wonderful results. 
In planning your design take a piece of squared paper and 
sketch on it one of the motifs from page 143 of the January 
issue of the Keramic Studio, or use a motif of your own. Then 
see how this can be worked out in little squares like Fig. 1 and 
Fig. 2. At first it may not seem easy but after one has made a 
few trials one will undoubtedly arrive at something similar to 
these, which are adaptations of motifs of the Mountain Ash ber- 
ries you will find on the page mentioned. 
In making a design to be applied to a lunch cloth, a buffet 
cover, a napkin, or what not, first plan the shape of the lace. 
Then make the motif fit that shape. In arranging the motif 
keep it as simple as possible and avoid fancy curves in the de- 
sign. A few straight lines and simple shapes in the abstract 
are much more to be desired and effective than any attempt at 
a realistic portrayal of a rose or a bunch of grapes with confused 
interlaced lines such as one sees so commonly. 
Even though one may not have the time to crochet the 
design herself it js well worth'the time and effort it takes to 
make a few designs. These could be used by an assistant, if 
Figure 3 
Designed by Albert W. Heckman. Executed by A. Ruth Heckman. 
necessary, in working out the designs or they could be submitted 
to the editor of a needlecraft magazine. In the latter instance 
it,is advisable to send photographs of the finished articles with 
the working drawings. There is so much work done which is 
mediocre in design that one feels, that if she had something 
worth while to offer a publisher, she ought to have no trouble 
in disposing of it. One should not think because so much 
mediocre crocheting is done that there is no art to be had in 
Figure 6 
Reproduced through courtesy of Metropolitan Museum 
