Lacemaking

Hello again

Feeling a bit better now, though I keep coming upon things I want to tell Vina, and it is still something of a shock to realise I won't be able to do that any more.

Anyway, I never did get round to saying anything about the lacemaking weekend our group held recently. We had a visiting tutor, Kitty, from Edinburgh, who comes at least once a year to help us improve our skills. When I first started up the group I told everyone that I could only teach them so much, and after that they were on their own. I had learned the basics while in Yorkshire for a few years, and on returning to Scotland, finding no group nearer than Edinburgh, decided to start my own! We have now been going for almost 20 years I should think, and I think we have all branched out in different directions, tackling different types of techniques in different types of lace!

Here's a little history of lacemaking - a very little history! It goes at least as far back as the Egyptians as they say there were pieces of a net type fabric found in the Pyramid tombs, but little is known about it really till about the 15th century. Different countries of the world have evolved their own variety of lacemaking, many using the wooden stick-like things we call bobbins on which the thread is stored and fastened. Each variety is quite recognisable as coming from Russia, Malta, Italy, France, Belgium etc. The 'pillows' on which the work is done are also distinctive of an area or a type of lace. They are solid enough to stick pins into to hold the thread, woven with the bobbins, in position till the work has progressed to a point when they can be removed safely without allowing the work to be pulled out of shape.

Lacemaking came to England with the Huguenots, who fled from the Continent (of Europe) from religious persecution. Bringing their lace with them they settled in different areas of the south of England and were able to continue to make a small living for themselves. In turn they must have passed on their knowledge, and girls continued to make lace for the rich, earning a mere pittance from the dealers who bought their work on 'cut-off' days each year. Lace was sold at vast profit and highly prized by its rich owners. A great show of lace on garments, etc, was to show how rich you were.

Eventually, during the industrial revolution, it was discovered how to replicate the lace patterns by machines, and gradually machine-made lace became more widely available. By the mid 1800s, machines were capable of copying all the kinds of lace made in this country, and handmade lace became quite unprofitable so that no-one bothered to pass on the skills any more. I read somewhere that at some point, in Belgium there was only one lacemaker left. She was eventually persuaded to teach others to work the beautiful patterns as a pastime, and so it was not lost. Similarly in Britain and other countries, ladies and young girls were taught to make lace, and during the 20th century there was quite a revival in interest as a hobby. It is totally impractical to make a living from lacemaking but we all enjoy making gifts for friends and family. Brides' wedding veils, garters and lace edged hankies are among the popular items worked nowadays. Then when the babies come along, lace decorated Christening robes are being presented for handing down through the family.

Edgings involve a great deal of repetition and are not for me, being a somewhat impatient lacemaker! I like to make motifs, such as the one I am working on just now. Time to put in my pictures of the weekend with Kitty.....

Kitty is in the bottom centre picture , demonstrating to Marjorie a technique she will be using in her piece of Honiton lace. Noreen, Helen and Marjorie are lacemaking, while Alwyn is studying a lace book. Perhaps she's thinking of having a go at Honiton lace. The photo of Catherine with her mug of tea was caught over tea and cake - a very important part of the weekend!! My lace motif is top right. A robin redbreast is emerging from that forest of pins! The bits of thread ends will eventually be trimmed - my motif will get a 'haircut'. Pat's beautiful piece of Continental lace - I'm not sure which type - is on her pillow, bottom left, and close-up in the centre. That is hours and hours worth of work! This is not a hobby that can be rushed!!!

I decided to do layouts of a couple of the lacemakers as well. First, here is Noreen, and her piece of Bruges flower lace. This kind of lace is worked in sections so there are always lots of threads to be trimmed at the end when the pins come out and the completed lace is lifted off the pillow.

In contrast, Ann's lace is continuous, in that the pattern is worked continuously from beginning to end. If you wind enough thread onto the bobbins to begin with you may not need to add in new threads but if a bobbin runs out you can wind more thread on and join it into the work!

I really must finish my robin motif soon. It has been on the pillow for ages. Kitty took one look at what I'd brought to the weekend and said "Oh, have I seen this one before!" I almost took her seriously! However just in time I realised she was teasing me. I must have started it several courses ago, but then I haven't been doing too much lacemaking recently. Scrapbooking has taken me over!

So, with that, I must bid you goodnight!

Talk again soon.