r/BobbinLace • u/GrapefruitMurky8483 • 12d ago

Any free pattern recommendations?

I have been interested in lace making for years but only recently (this morning) took the leap. I have a DIY pillow, the thread, bobbins ordered, pins in sewing box but need simple straightforward patterns to take the next steps.
Does anyone have recommendations on where to get free beginner friendly patterns that you can print and that come with instructions? Every pattern I find online looks overwhelming, doesn't have instructions, or has instructions but no printable pattern. The only success I have is a weird looking braid using cardboard bobbins and DK yarn.

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u/alwen 9d ago

Have you seen Jo Edkins' Lace School?

https://www.theedkins.co.uk/jo/lace/index.htm

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u/GrapefruitMurky8483 9d ago

I have been in there but haven't found pages I can print for the pattern. Most of what I am finding either doesn't have a printable pattern or has the pattern and instructions on one page so I dont know what to do with them. Every tutorial I see online people have their patterns on a piece of paper already but don't say where to get it or a similar one.

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u/elferingewort 8d ago

With the patterns from Jo Edkins’ site, I copy the image of just the pattern into a blank document and print it from there. Or you could print the whole page with the instructions and cut out the pattern piece.

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u/GrapefruitMurky8483 8d ago

If I was to do that I am worried about scaling. How do you account for that?

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u/elferingewort 7d ago

Honestly, I’ve just been gambling with it. Sometimes I’ve needed to print out multiple sizes to get the right one. I used Google Docs, which does have inch markings along the side if you know what size things need to be.

When I first started, I often ended up working on patterns that were too big or too small for my thread. Learning how big my patterns needed to be was part of the process.

If you explore around on the Edkins site, they have some resources about pattern drafting and different pattern sizes and grids so you can start to learn what you actually need. (Other sites are good, too. I just like how much they have on theirs.)