Embroidery

PARIS - Francois Lesage, the heir of the legendary Maison Lesage embroidery atelier which has long been embellishing Paris couture houses' most fantastic creations, died yesterday. He was 82 years old. Founded by Lesage's father, Maison Lesage worked for the creme de la creme of early 20th-century designers, including Vionnet and Elsa Schiaparelli. The house of Lesage became the go-to spot for designers looking for exceptional work. Under Lesage's leadership, the house acquired such prestigious clients as Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga and Christian Lacroix.

Many varieties of textiles have become popular with collectors. Lace, embroideries and costumes from all cultures are beginning to appear at antiques shows and galleries, along with such traditionally popular items as samplers, quilts and Navaho blankets. New methods of backing and framing make it possible to use fragile textiles as wall hangings. Age alone is not what makes a textile attractive to collectors. Examples from primitive cultures are often desirable, although they are not as old as, say, European needlework and tapestry.

Some craft with a chisel, others with a brush. Mary-Lou Giacomelli creates with a sewing machine. And for a woman who took up embroidery only a year or so ago, the Medford Lakes resident shows precocious talent. In August, she placed first in a national embroidery contest conducted by the Embroiderers Guild of America with a work keyed to the contest theme of the European discovery of the New World, the first competition she had ever entered. Her design was a stylized 5-by-7-inch, red-and-gold Spanish cross on which 37 words were embroidered.

Marmaduke Cooper might well approve the new bedhangings that surround the four-poster in the master bedroom of Pomona Hall, the restored 18th-century house on Park Boulevard in Camden. The heavy linens are swirled with embroidered strawberries and apples, violets and goldenrod and redbirds and bluebirds, all indigenous to New Jersey in the 18th century, when Marmaduke was master of the hall. But these delicate designs owe their elegance to the perseverance of eight 20th-century women.

Peg Gillen can trace her needlework obsession to a Woman's Day magazine article she read as a young mother in the early 1960s. The story about a Danish embroidery stitch has led to dozens of finely crafted projects and what she calls "UFOs," or unfinished objects. "It will take over your life," Gillen said during this month's gathering of the Bucks County chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America. About 50 of her works, including framed pieces, pillows and 3-D figures, will be featured in the chapter's biennial exhibit this week.

RAY MATERSON did 7 1/2 years in the joint one stitch at a time. Embroidered his way through the squinting darkness that is a maximum security prison. Used blue thread from unraveled socks, used brown thread from frayed shoelaces, used swatches of gray cotton/polyester boxer shorts as background. Used a needle borrowed from a sympathetic guard, used skills he didn't know he had. Focused on baseball because it reminded him of his childhood, before booze and drugs warped his life, before a carjacking (with a toy gun)

Francois Lesage, 82, the heir of the legendary Maison Lesage embroidery atelier that has long been embellishing Paris couture houses' most fantastic creations, died Thursday, atelier officials said. Founded by Mr. Lesage's father, Maison Lesage worked for creme de la creme of early 20th-century designers, including Vionnet and Elsa Schiaparelli. As the number of embroidery ateliers in the French capital dwindled, the house of Lesage became the go-to spot for designers looking for exceptional work.

Arlene Spector uses her needle to create sacramental embroidery, to give her family a sense of Jewish tradition. "We call it mikdash maot, making the home a small sanctuary, keeping a sense of Judaism in the home," said Spector, of Cherry Hill. As president of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework, which meets at the Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill, Spector leads monthly meetings, some devoted to study, some devoted to hands- on work.

The Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework begins its new year of programs on Wednesday at the Jewish Community Center of Southern New Jersey, 2395 West Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill. The organization includes chapters in Canada, Israel and South Africa, said Fradele Feld, publicity chairwoman for the group. Overall, there are about 600 to 700 members, including about 30 people from New Jersey, Philadelphia and suburban Pennsylvania who make up the Delaware Valley Chapter. The local guild was founded about 12 years ago by a group of women in New York, Feld said.

To keep her quiet while they listened to the radio, Charlotte Froman's grandmother and great-grandmother, both dressmakers, taught her to embroider. "They loved to listen to the soap operas, and they didn't want to be interrupted," Froman said. After learning a stitch, she would run to the porch of her North Philadelphia home to teach her girlfriends. "Needlework is the process of discovery and a way to express myself," said Froman, who now lives in Willingboro. In 1969, she helped found the Colonial West Jersey Chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America.

PARIS - Francois Lesage, the heir of the legendary Maison Lesage embroidery atelier which has long been embellishing Paris couture houses' most fantastic creations, died yesterday. He was 82 years old. Founded by Lesage's father, Maison Lesage worked for the creme de la creme of early 20th-century designers, including Vionnet and Elsa Schiaparelli. The house of Lesage became the go-to spot for designers looking for exceptional work. Under Lesage's leadership, the house acquired such prestigious clients as Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga and Christian Lacroix.

Francois Lesage, 82, the heir of the legendary Maison Lesage embroidery atelier that has long been embellishing Paris couture houses' most fantastic creations, died Thursday, atelier officials said. Founded by Mr. Lesage's father, Maison Lesage worked for creme de la creme of early 20th-century designers, including Vionnet and Elsa Schiaparelli. As the number of embroidery ateliers in the French capital dwindled, the house of Lesage became the go-to spot for designers looking for exceptional work.

Blessed with enchanting visuals and blighted with clunky dialogue, The Last Airbender is stunning in at least two senses of the word. M. Night Shyamalan's mash-up of Star Wars and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon unfolds in a mythical world out of balance. In this epic allegory adapted from Nickelodeon's animated series, for 100 years the Earth, Air, and Water nations have been decimated by armies of the Fire nation. (Think: a cosmic version of rock/paper/scissors.

Pillows splash a space with spice. Season your surroundings with hues and patterns like these. Indoors or outdoors, Greno floor cushions ($39) invite friends to gather around for a picnic or casual party. Available at local Ikea stores and www.ikea.com . The reversible Peony pillow from DwellStudio for Target ($24.99) offers bold florals in spring's hottest color combination, yellow and gray. Available at local Target stores and www.target.com . This crew of critters (elephant, giraffe and hippo)

It's less than three weeks until Fall Fashion Week 2006, and Diane von Furstenberg designer Alexandra DeYonge is still making the final cuts for the show. Does the grouping have the right mix of solids and prints? Are the blouses sufficiently ruffled? Are the slacks paired with the right jacket? And most important, which of the jersey knit wrap dresses - von Furstenberg's signature item - should lead this afternoon's show? This week, top designers will gather once again in Bryant Park's heated tents to present their ready-to-wear collections.

As a child, I would look through store circulars in the Sunday newspaper, cutting out pictures for the Christmas list that I hung on the refrigerator. I added more items as I saw them, dreaming of actually getting all the things I glued to my advertising collage. Few of my outlandish requests - a horse and my own television, stereo and telephone - made their way under our Christmas tree. In their place were gifts that mattered much more: homemade stuffed animals, a handcrafted wooden rocking horse, knitted sweaters, and customized coupons for an extra hour of TV past my bedtime or a family day trip to a place of my choice.

To keep her quiet while they listened to the radio, Charlotte Froman's grandmother and great-grandmother, both dressmakers, taught her to embroider. "They loved to listen to the soap operas, and they didn't want to be interrupted," Froman said. After learning a stitch, she would run to the porch of her North Philadelphia home to teach her girlfriends. "Needlework is the process of discovery and a way to express myself," said Froman, who now lives in Willingboro. In 1969, she helped found the Colonial West Jersey Chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America.

He played the mandolin, harmonica and the E-flat alto horn. She was an accomplished organist. He liked Big Bands and John Philip Sousa marches; she liked classical music. She was a gardener and quilter and did fine crewel embroidery; he could fix anything around the house. Eleanor High Rebmann, 86, died from complications of Parkinson's disease Oct. 25 at Broomall Presbyterian Village, a nursing facility. She had been ill for more than 10 years. E. Leslie "Lee" Rebmann, 88, died of sepsis Tuesday at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

RAY MATERSON did 7 1/2 years in the joint one stitch at a time. Embroidered his way through the squinting darkness that is a maximum security prison. Used blue thread from unraveled socks, used brown thread from frayed shoelaces, used swatches of gray cotton/polyester boxer shorts as background. Used a needle borrowed from a sympathetic guard, used skills he didn't know he had. Focused on baseball because it reminded him of his childhood, before booze and drugs warped his life, before a carjacking (with a toy gun)

Peg Gillen can trace her needlework obsession to a Woman's Day magazine article she read as a young mother in the early 1960s. The story about a Danish embroidery stitch has led to dozens of finely crafted projects and what she calls "UFOs," or unfinished objects. "It will take over your life," Gillen said during this month's gathering of the Bucks County chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America. About 50 of her works, including framed pieces, pillows and 3-D figures, will be featured in the chapter's biennial exhibit this week.