Exhibit calls for lace makers, needle artists

The 2006 Lace & Needle Art Exhibit is looking for lace makers and needle artists to display their work at Exhibit. The Exhibit is a non-juried show and is opened to anyone who does handwork, for example: crochet, knitting, bobbin lace, tatting, Hardanger, drawn work, needlepoint, smocking, tri-loom weaving, silk ribbon embroidery, hand embroidery, chicken scratch, and Battenberg Lace. For more information on how to enter your handmade lace or needle art, contact Coletta Bailey at (251)970-3068 or email bailey@gulftel.com.

Items for the Exhibit are to be checked-in Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 1-5 p.m. and from 8 a.m. 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 15, with items being retrieved on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 2:15 p.m. 5 p.m. There is no cost to exhibit your articles.

The Exhibit will be held Feb. 16-18 at the Loxley Civic Center located at 4198 Municipal Park Drive in Loxley, AL. The hours are Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m.2 pm and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The three-day event will feature all handmade items from local and international artists, guest speakers, demonstrators, and Victorian Teas.

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the guest speaker will be Anna Marie Phelps, owner of Peanut Butter-n-Jelly Kids, of Mobile, Ala., speaking on smocking. Phelps’s handwork was recently featured in 2005 November issue of Creative Needle magazine and has been featured in Sew Beautiful magazine. Phelps’ has designed her own line of smocking plates. Friday, the speaker will be Elise Russell of Bay Minette, AL speaking on “The Art of Bobbin Lace.”

Russell has been doing bobbin lace for the last 20 years having taken lessons in Belgium, England, Holland, and Australia. She teaches bobbin lace at the YarnHaus in Mobile, AL. Saturday’s guest speaker is Coletta Bailey of Summerdale, AL speaking on “Tatting – knot a lost art”. Bailey has been tatting for the past 25 years and teaching for tatting for over 23 years. She has taught tatting in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, and Idaho. Students from Canada, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia have attended her workshops in South Alabama.

Vintage pieces of lace and needle art, needle craft magazines from early 1900’s, and vintage tools used in lace making, embroidery work, and sewing will also be on display. A Victorian tea will be served each day. Seating is limited for the tea and reservations are recommended. Call Mary Baker at (251)947-5096 for reservations.

Admission to the 2006 Exhibit is $5 per person and $10 for the Victorian Tea. There is no charge for parking. For more information on the 2006 Exhibit, contact Joey Knight, the Civic Center Coordinator, at (251)964-7733. The 2006 Lace & Needle Art Exhibit is being sponsored by the Loxley Art Council, a non-profit organization promoting the arts in Central Baldwin County.