Sandra Shaffer knows exactly what it took for an aristocrat to impress the hoi polloi of 16th century Europe when stepping out among the masses. Lace. And plenty of it.

"If you were wealthy and you wanted to show off, you would wear lots and lots of lace," she said. "It was so expensive that it was a commodity that was smuggled, because it was taxed."

On May 10, Shaffer was one of the lace makers who came out to demonstrate their craft to the public at the Thomas Isaac Log Cabin in Ellicott City. She is a member of the appropriately named Log Cabin Lacers, who meet monthly to practice the ancient craft.

Shaffer looks forward to the months of May and September, because the group regularly puts on a lace making demonstration at the Log Cabin. Although the weather failed to cooperate this year, "it's a little special because it's usually nice, the weather, and we get to work outside," she said.

Shaffer, who lives in Ellicott City, has been making lace regularly since 1994. An accomplished weaver, she took a class in lace making and was thoroughly captivated by the intricacy of the handiwork and the history of lace.

"I have shelves of books on lace. How to make lace, instructions on making different kinds of lace, the history behind it," she said. "We learn from instructors, from books and from each other."

One of Shaffer's many acquired books, "A Dictionary of Lace," provides a definition of the decorative, frothy textile. Lace is "a textile patterned with holes which are created by the manipulation of threads."

Handmade still a luxury item

Although lace has fallen out of favor as a fashion statement, handmade lace is still a luxury item appreciated by textile enthusiasts and connoisseurs. Traditionally, lace was white, occasionally interspersed with threads of real gold or silver. The Log Cabin Lacers, a study group of the Chesapeake Region Lace Guild, adhere to the old methods of making lace, but often add a modern twist by using colorful thread and yarn in their creations.

There are many different varieties of lace, and many different ways it can be produced.

"You can use knitting procedures to make a lacey textile, think shawls. Small decorative items, think doilies. Tatting: you use a shuttle and thread to make lace. Crocheting is a lace," explained Shaffer.

Passersby who visited the Log Cabin and wanted to experience working on the intricate handicraft could choose from making lace by tatting, which employs a series of knots and loops, or making bobbin lace, where an intricate pattern is produced by mapping out a design with pins on a sturdy lace pillow. Shaffer pointed out she made her own lace pillow -- a raised circle roughly 18 inches in diameter -- out of common housing insulation.

Shaffer, 76, enjoys meeting with her fellow lace makers every month.

"I like it because you exercise your brain and your social skills...It keeps us off the streets, it's cheaper than a psychiatrist and it makes beautiful things," she said.

Another demonstrator, Susan Kuvelker, noted making lace requires complete concentration.

"None of the lace makers ever get Alzheimer's or anything else," she said. "You can't do lace and watch TV."

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