This Amazing Lace exhibit
features the work of Margaret
MacArthur Weir (1809-1895), a
Scottish tambour lace-maker
who emigrated to a farm near
St. Marys, Ontario with her
husband and young family in
1843. Throughout her life,
Margaret produced great
quantities of lace. Even
| after her death her work was
incorporated into clothing
for her children,
grandchildren and great
grandchildren.
First, the exhibit traces
the history and production of
tambour lace through a rich
array of Margaret’s work:
exquisite edgings, costumes
| and curtaining, each piece
crafted with precision and an
eye for detail. Other
artifacts, photographs, maps
and documents showcase
Margaret Weir’s new life in
Canada as a mother and a lace-
maker.
Next, although lace-
making might seem like a lost
| art, the second part of the
Amazing Lace exhibit features
the work of four contemporary
lace-makers. Their tatting,
knitting, crochet and needle
laces, and their reasons for
continuing the legacy of this
textile craft, bring Margaret
Weir's work into perspective,
bridging three centuries of
|