Bobbin Lace
Bobbin lace uses
bobbins, a lace pillow, which is firm, a pattern with holes in and
pins. The lace is worked on the pattern which is attached to the
lace pillow, the threads are crossed and twisted following the design
on the pattern and the pins are put in place to hold the lace under
construction in place.
Torchon lace
A continuous lace
with a geometric ground with a grid of 45 degrees and is generally
used to teach beginners. Torchon is the French word for ‘duster’
which was considered to be a derogatory lace in the Eighteenth and
Nineteenth Centuries. Today there are many beautiful designs of this
lace.
Bedfordshire lace
A continuous lace
generally made in the East Midlands which was believed to have been
developed in the Nineteenth century but inspired by laces of the
Seventeenth century. It is made up of plaits, woven leaves and
solid areas in either cloth or half stitch.
Bucks Point lace
A continuous lace
made in the East Midlands with a mesh ground believed to have been
developed in the Eighteenth century. It is generally made with a
fairly fine thread and various parts of it are outlined with a
thicker ‘gimp’ thread.
Honiton lace
A pieced lace named
after a town in Devon. Honiton was the collection point for the
dealer to collect the lace for onward transmission to London and
other parts of the country. It is made with very fine thread and
each section is joined to another by way of a ‘sewing’.
Bruges lace
A pieced lace with a
scrolling character generally made with a linen thread. The lace
has a braid like appearance and is connected by means of a ‘sewing’
as it turns and touches other parts of itself.
Flanders lace
A continuous lace
which is generally used as a starting point for learning Belgian and
French laces. The lace is worked on a grid at an angle of 45
degrees. A characteristic of the lace is the ‘roseground’ ground
and the cloth stitch area is surrounded by a ‘gimp’ and outside
the ‘gimp’ is a line which is known as ‘the ring’.
Binche lace
A continuous lace
believed to have created in the Fifteenth century and named after a
town in Belgium. It is recognised by the traditional use of Paris
Stitch and snowflakes and is extremely fine. It has been named
‘point de fee’ (fairy stitch) because of its difficulty almost
extraordinary in its realisation. A good knowledge of Flanders lace
is recommended before working this lace.
Duchesse lace
A pieced lace named
after Marie Henriette, Duchess of Brabant, believed to have been
created during the second half of the Nineteenth century. A free
lace and often with a floral design and containing scrolls, each
section is attached to the other by the use of a ‘sewing’.
Milanese lace
This is a pieced
lace, originating from Italy . The lace is made in sections using
decorative braids, easy flowing curves and elegant scrolls in floral
and leaf forms which are then joined together by the use of a
‘sewing’. Often there are only between twelve and twenty pairs
of bobbins on the lace pillow at any one time.
