Ultra rare collectors item. Hardly any lace collectors have seen a worked example or even knew it existed. The design appeared in Mary Card's Crochet Book No 7 in 1928 under the name: A Lacey Set in the Lily Design.
This listing is for the round mat of the set which has a gently scalloped edging.
Made of off- white mercerised cotton thread, it is in great vintage condition. Please view the photos carefully and ask any questions before buying. It's a good size, measuring approximately 42 cm/16.5" in diameter. It's great for displaying under a vase as the centre only shows the basic lace background, and all the exciting motifs are in the outer circle.
Mary Card (1861-1940) was an Australian educator and lace designer who took crochet to another level. Starting a new career as an independent middle aged woman during WWI, she shot to stardom status first in Melbourne, then moved to London and later to New York where she worked for women's magazines and continued to publish her own, very successful charts and books.
Her stunning unparalelled patterns were inspired by nature, especially by the unique Australian flora and fauna. Her work has delighted and enriched the lives of women across the world when the craft of lacemaking was very popular and is still highly regarded today with collectors and lovers of antique lace. She was a very prolific designer, so much fun to be had, should you decide to start collecting her work. Mary's designs include numerous small doilies, placemats, clothing accessories, as well as over 40 large items such as tablecloths, chair covers, towel insets and bedspreads.
We do our due diligence when deciding the authenticity of the pieces we list. Some designs commonly believed to be Mary Card's work cannot be authenticated as some magazines did not credit or name their designers. For those who wish to do their own research, we recommend the excellent books of Barbara Ballantyne on the topic.