Saturday 21 July 2012

Lace Making!

The amount of Bobbins we needed to use for one tiny piece  was daunting at first! We started with 10 pairs!


Yesterday my good friend Louisa and I were lucky enough to spend the day with a lovely patient lady who is teaching us to make lace! It's something I've always wanted to try but know very little about, so we jumped at the chance to have a go!

I love knitting and felting because I am excited by the idea of creating something from nothing- creating a whole new fabric from raw materials, and lace making ticks these boxes too. Although it took me a while to master the stitches and create a tiny section, it was very satisfying to watch this tiny piece of fabric take shape. Of course I'm already thinking of how I could make lace with wool, and I'm even thinking about blowing up a lace pattern to see if I could make giant lace! Much experimentation is needed and I'm excited to see how I can develop lace making into my work!


We punched holes in our pattern for the pins, which you then build the lace around using pairs of Bobbins with  fine cotton thread 

Although it required a lot of concentration, I also found it to be a very therapeutic process, and I imagine it was once a very social craft, in much the same way that knitting fashionably is today. I feel very privileged that we have the opportunity to learn this skill because unfortunately it's not a commonly practiced craft anymore. However I think now we've tried it we'll be hooked!


You don't need vast amounts of equipment to start lace making, just a  pattern, brass pins, bobbins, cotton thread and  a solid "cushion" to attach your work to- you could make one using polystyrene covered in fabric. Plenty of coffee and cake is also recommended!  
 I'll keep you updated on our lace making progress, there are so many exciting possibilities that I am really looking forward to learning more!

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