Palmeida’s Lace

Palmeida’s Lace

I’d like to introduce you to Palmeida Machado

The inspiration behind Palmeida’s Lace, my husbands grandmother!

She was born on July 26, 1899…on an Island called Terceira, also referred to as the “Ilha Lilás” (the “lilac” or “violet” island), it’s an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, and is the location of the historical capital of the archipelago, the Azores’ oldest city.

The girl on the left, is my husbands mother Laura and the girl on the right is his aunt Rose.

Palmeida gave my husband and I…a very large collection of her handmade Portuguese lace, for our wedding. A lace bedspread, tablecloths, table runners and a lot of doilies!

I’ve kept them well-preserved over the years. I actually only used one small table-cloth to cover one of my grandmothers vintage tables.

I started making pottery in August of 1990, and in 1991…I dug out the plastic bag filled with Palmeida’s lace and took just a few small doilies out…to use for texture. I used them for a while, then I stopped for some reason. I’m not sure why? I guess I wanted to try something different, and then I probably forgot all about it. I’m bringing it back now. 

Here’s a heart dish in Indigo Blue

It came out great! My husband loves it too, it’s his favorite color.

I love this glaze!

Here’s a close-up view

Here’s one in cream

On this one…I applied three coats of violet underglaze, washed it off, leaving the underglaze in all the crevices. Then I glazed it with a clear gloss glaze.

It’s so pretty!

A true family heirloom from me to you!