I was contacted by Kasuni, who is the owner of KUR Collection. She creates beautiful modern clothing designs using traditional Sri Lankan bobbin lace. I have been in awe of her fashion creations for years, and even more so when I got to meet her during my trip to New York for the Threads Of Power exhibit. I was so excited when Kasuni reached out to collaborate on a shirt.

The particular garment in question is a full handmade bobbin lace shirt that seemed to be missing a chunk of lace from the back. After several conversations, I understood that Kasuni wanted a large corded piece with long tassels hanging from the hemline.

Once I had the shirt in-hand, I measured the gap and figured out how many pin-holes I could fit versus the cord width. A 3 mm macramé cord seemed small enough to create an interesting design, while still thick enough to not get tangled. With that knowledge, I started samples in silk thread.

I created a few designs with an open/closed pin alternating ground and asymmetrical center spider. By the second sample, I was happy with the design and ready to scale-up the lace piece.