"With several international exhibits and articles to her credit, Marguerite Shimmons is recognized as one of the leading contributors to the modern lace knitting movement which is now the focus of the world of knitting.
     "Marguerite was born in Leningrad in 1923, and survived the terrible siege of Leningrad and a harrowing escape with her family to Germany in 1943, where she witnessed the end of the war in a refugee camp. In Germany she saw knitted lace so beautiful that even after she married and came to the US, she never forgot it. She wrote to a friend in Germany, who sent her a pattern by Christine Duchrow. Knitting this tablecloth took her a whole year, not only because it was a very large piece, but also because she had never knitted lace before, and had to work out the symbols and chart by herself.
     "After retiring from a career in civil engineering and technical design, Marguerite had time to devote her considerable artistic talents to art knitting, and she has completed over 1,000 pieces using size 1.5 mm needles and fine DMC #100 cotton thread.
     "Marguerite has now given her first tablecloth to Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, along with a generous sampling of other pieces of knitted lace. To share with all of you the legacy that Marguerite has given to our museum and to the world of lace knitting, we invite you to view the pieces included in this donation."

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