Čipka USA

Idrija Bobbin Lace - Allie Marguccio, Lacemaker 

Personal Biography: The great-granddaughter of a Slovene bobbin lacemaker, Allie’s passion is evidenced by her continued study and research of the lace of her heritage.  Idrija lace has long been a favorite and treasured gift when sent by her Slovene relatives.  With the help of her European cousins, she obtained the traditional materials used to make Idrija Lace so that she can carry on the tradition in the USA.  She has traveled to Slovenia numerous times to tour the lacemaking centers of Idrija, Železniki and Cerkno.

In 2008, Allie was awarded a grant from the Pennyslvania Council on the Arts Cultural Partnership to study traditional Idrija lace techniques. She traveled to Slovenia to study under the tutelage of Metka Fortuna, Director of the Idrija School of Lace and Master Lace Teacher, Stana Felih.  In addition to private lessons at her home, Allie has taught beginning bobbin lace classes at the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center as part of a community outreach program created by the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown for the appreciation of the ethnic arts.  She also teaches bobbin lace to elementary school children as part of the community outreach program for the United School District where she works as a school librarian.  Allie has also been a keynote speaker and has taught Idrija lace workshop classes at the Ithaca Lace Days, Ithaca, NY, and the Winter Lace Conference in Costa Mesa, CA.

She is an active member of The Five Rivers Bobbin Lacemakers, a lace group with membership in 6 western Pennsylvania counties and eastern Ohio. She has served as Head Coordinator, Secretary, Newsletter Editor, District Coordinator and is currently the Historian.

Both Allie and her husband Tom are involved in historical demonstration of bobbin lace and bobbin turning. In May and June of 2009, Allie’s lace work and Slovenian family heritage titled: Idrija Lace: Celebrating My Slovenian Family Heritage was the featured exhibit at the Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. In 2010, Allie was named a Bottle Artist for the Bottle Works. A "lace vase" created by her and her husband was auctioned off at the Bottle Works annual fundraising dinner in November 2010.