instructional texts

introduction

For further study of technique, historical context, and meaning of Armenian needlelace patterns we recommend the texts featured below—listed in reverse chronological order—for makers who enjoy following written directions and for those seeking to learn about the tradition in depth.

With varying degrees of step-by-step directions, photographs, illustrations, and ethnographic information, each text was authored by forward-thinking needlelace artists who, as community leaders, recognized the importance of preserving and sharing such information for the sake of generations to come.

To acquire the texts, we encourage supporting independent sellers such as: Abril Books (an Armenian bookshop in Glendale, California), or via AbeBooks, ebay, Etsy, etc., when possible. Be aware that finding these books may take time since some of them are hard to find.

As noted on our Videos page, differences in techniques, patterns and pattern names, and instructional styles between makers are to be expected.

recommended texts

Lusine Mkhitaryan. Հայկական Ասեցնագործ Ժանյակ: Վարպետության Դասեր (Armenian Needle Lace: Master Classes). Yerevan: Zangak, 2018.

The most recently published text on Armenian needlelace is by Lusine Mkhitaryan, a highly regarded textile artist, teacher, and lecturer in Armenia, and author of several works on major Armenian needlework traditions. This text features excellent, step-by-step color photographs and detailed instructions and was published in Eastern Armenian and also in Russian. Those who cannot read either language will likely find the photographs easy to follow and the writing easy to understand via mobile phone translation applications.

May be available from Zangak, the publisher (Yerevan, Armenia) or Abril Books (Glendale, California); or elsewhere.

Alice Odian Kasparian. Armenian Needlelace and Embroidery: A Preservation of Some of History's Oldest and Finest Needlework. McLean, VA: EPM Publications, 1983.

Written by expert lace maker and corporate executive Alice Odian Kasparian, this treasured text is the first comprehensive work on Armenian needlelace in English. With several chapters containing ethnographic information, including the historical context and theories on origins, this text also includes material on other key forms of Armenian needlework (e.g., Marash embroidery). Though long out of print, copies can often be found and a free digital version may be accessed via the Internet Archive.

Nouvart Tashjian. Armenian Lace. Boston: Priscilla Publishing Company, 1923.

Sixty years prior to Kasparian’s work, the first text on Armenian needlelace in English is a slender-yet-informative volume by Nouvart Tashjian, a professional librarian and skilled lacemaker. Notably, this work was published in 1923 at a time in which Armenian cultural forms were at risk in the wake of genocide. Tashjian, who was also one of the editors of Priscilla Magazine—a once-popular American handwork and fashion periodical—was invited by her colleagues to write a needlelace text in an effort to help preserve the tradition.

The most recent reprint is available online through Lacis.com and in person at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles (Berkeley, California); previous editions can be found online, including a PDF of the original Priscilla edition.