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LacingLOVE Share Your Love for Lace

By Anita Barry “Virginia is for Lovers!”

That’s been an iconic slogan for 52 years. It’s one of the top ten tourism marketing campaigns

of all times. The slogan has meant many things to different people. Take for instance

mountain lovers, beach lovers, and national park lovers. So many people have fallen in love

with Virginia in one way or another.

Now and again, when traveling through Virginia, travelers can see life-sized LOVE artwork signs

on display in public and private areas. The LOVE artwork signs are created to promote travel

and tourism as an extension of the iconic "Virginia is for Lovers" brand. The giant LOVE lettered

signs, called LOVEworks, can be seen in towns and cities all across the Commonwealth. Each

LOVE sign installation reflects the community in which it stands. Here's an example of the LOVE

sign my husband and I had fun building and assembling on our farm:

One of Virginia’s popular LOVEworks signs in Amissville, Virginia.

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Following in the footsteps of Virginia’s LOVEworks program, I thought of encouraging

lacemakers in Virginia and other areas to create their own signs of their LOVE for making lace.

Promote your lacemaking!

Take a look at Virginia lacer's LOVE signs created independently with their lace, tools and

supplies.

Photo by Pamela Paul

Photo by Margaret Campbell

Photo by Birgitte Tessier

Photo by Stephanie Langley

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Individual lacemakers are showing their love for their lacemaking by using hand-made laces and

the tools used to make the lace to spelling out the word “LOVE”. This initiative is known as the

LacingLOVE program. The lacemakers made LOVE sign(s) from bobbin lace, shuttle tatting,

needle tatting, Teneriffe (Sol Lace), and netting supplies as seen in the following photos. Lacers

can create a single LacingLOVE sign or more than one LacingLOVE sign. These photos have been

posted on the Piedmont Lace Guild of Virginia Facebook site. What better way to share one’s

love for lacing?!

The Piedmont Lace Guild of Virginia members photographed their LOVE of lacemaking:

Photo by Bonnie Swank More photographs can be found at the Piedmont Lace Guild of Virginia’s Facebook site

https://www.facebook.com/piedmontlaceVA. (November 1st was first Facebook posting.)

You can read more about PLGV at https://www.piedmontlace.org

Enthusiastic lacers who create and then display the LacingLOVE photographs are helping to

promote awareness of hand-made laces. Lace is known as a national treasure in some

countries, but not yet here in America. So these Virginia lacers are creatively spreading the joy

of lacing around the Commonwealth and beyond.

Join the LacingLOVE journey in your area:

1. Think of your own way to create the word "LOVE" using lacemaking tools, supplies or lace

motifs or snip-its. Be fun. Get creative.

2. Arrange the lace-making tools, supplies and/or lace to spell out the word “LOVE”. This is the

LacingLOVE sign.

3. Photograph your creative LacingLOVE sign.

4. Share your LacingLOVE photograph with your lace group, your lace guild and your friends to

promote your love of lace in your neighborhoods and communities.

https://www.facebook.com/piedmontlaceVAhttps://www.piedmontlace.org/

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Lace groups or guilds can be encouraged to post the LacingLOVE signs on their web or social

media sites. Spread your LOVE of lacemaking! And, have fun doing it!

Photo by Nancy Razzino

Photo by Bonnie Swank

Photo by Anita Barry