Cajah Reed, PhD is a lacemaker, author, and researcher with a long-standing interest in how materials and scale shape lace.
While she works within traditional lace techniques, much of her practice involves experimentation with fiber. She began making lace with cotton and silk, but branched out into wire, fishing line, grocery bags, and other unconventional threads. This exploration raised questions that go beyond those for standard thread into what “fibers” can be forced into holding the structure of bobbin lace.
The exploration of materiality has been a major factor in the development of the graduated grid system. When working with unfamiliar or mixed materials, guessing at scale often leads to lace with an unfortunate appearance. The grids grew out of a desire to find a clearer way to observe how different materials respond across a range of sizes.
Alongside this project, she actively makes and exhibits lace. You can find her body of lacework and ongoing experiments at:
The website and social media contains a portfolio and record of her wider lace practice, while Thread Testing for Lace Making focuses specifically on building a practical reference for thread choice.