Looking back.......have you noticed that Face Book will from time to time, unearth photos that you posted ages ago? Well this one below popped up this week. I posted this series of pictures because my niece, Gemma was getting married.
I love making bobbin lace but it is a very slow craft indeed. The picture above shows my lace pillow with the lace edging three quarters finished. Some of my favourite bone bobbins feature at the bottom.
There are many different types or variations of bobbin lace. I began, many years ago, with the basic torchon lace. This lace is made at an angle of 45 degrees and is relatively easy.
I tried many different laces over the years; Bedfordfordshire, Binche, Russian lace, Honiton, Bruges, Schneeburg to name but a few. Nothing captivated me more than Buckingham Point lace or more commonly called 'Bucks Point'.
This lace is made at an angle of 60 degrees and has a floral character to it. A design feature will be surrounded by a thicker thread or gimp and the edge will usually have tiny picots or loops. It has a 'ground' stitch called 'point ground' and a 'honeycomb ground' which makes the more open areas.
Bucks Point lace is really slow. This whole piece took me about 100 hours including the setting up and stitching it onto some silk. I added The word 'Gemma' in the centre using a computerized sewing machine.
Bucks point is a type of bobbin lace from the East Midlands in England. it was also made in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. Apparently it is similar to the French Lille lace. At one time Buckinghamshire was the centre of English lacemaking from as early as the 16th century, its style changed and evolved depending on the fashion of the time. What we know as Bucks Point only appeared at the end of the 18th century and was possibly inspired by Mechlin lace.
So, you might ask, what am I looking forward to? The Festival of Quilts starts next Thursday and I am going on Friday with my friends from Cambridge Quilters. We will set off early in the morning to see this wonderful exhibition and huge selection of traders. I don't need anything of course but I expect I will find some things I want. I expect we will stagger back on the coach loaded up with goodies. Will report back next weekend.
Visit the website Festival of Quilts NEC
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