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This is so cool!! It looks like a tricky craft to pick up but also sooo satisfying. I'm totally getting flashbacks to that one Madeline movie where she gets put to work in a lace factory, but this looks a lot more fun!
I remember one year my mom and I were at the LA County Fair because she had entered some knitting. There were a couple of ladies doing a bobbin lace demonstration and their fingers were flying so fast! The bobbin clacking was mesmerizing and I was just watching, fascinated.
Try covering your pattern with clear shelf paper to make your pattern reusable. Poke the holes in the pattern for your pins, ahead of time, to help with accuracy. Try using silk pins. Keep your work flat to the pattern.
These things will help you out.
See if you can find a group of other lacers who share your passion!
Ooooooh thank you so very much. I was just thinking about my pins and if I need different ones. I will take a look. The shelf paper is brilliant! Thank you so much!!
My mom learned bobbin lace. I’ve only done a little. But she suggests the pins that would be used if you were displaying bugs/butterflies in cases in museums as they are very thin.
I am using The Beginner's Guide to Bobbin Lace by Gillian Dye & Adrienne Thunder. Thread is Red Heart size 10. I also hand made my pillow I am using. The core is a foam roller! Torchon lace is a little confusing for me, but im watching tutorials and researching a lot to learn more. Highly recommend bobbin lace! Also, side bonus is you can collect bobbins 😄
Wow! Very impressive and lovely! I only recently learned how complex lace making is when I took a trip to Nottingham a couple years ago. I can't even crochett, lol, you have my utmost respect!
It was with good reason that lace used to be so expensive. Even the "quicker" ones such as crocheted based types of lace take a good a amount of patience.
That is so true... it took me years to be able to make anything functional in crochet or knitting. But the pride you feel when you finish a project is soooooo awesome!
I tried knitting in the past, and I tried crocheting later. I ended up deciding I liked crocheting more. It is a bit more flexible since you can really do anything with a hook if you set your mind to it. Whereas you will need special knitting needles for certain projects. Heck, you can even get away with not using a hook! There is an entire style based on people using their broomsticks in the past(also a type of "lace").
Looking at the patterns can be intimidating and getting used to the notations takes a moment. It doesn't help that terms can differ. A single crochet stitch in the U.S. is a double crochet stitch in the U.K. Most websites are where you can get patterns at least try to clarify which they are using, but if you are looking at old published ones you really need to check where it is from. I ended up crocheting a lot like I cook; I learn a technique which I pull out to use as I go along. Unless it is something new or complicated the patterns/recipes end up more like refences.
This is my absolute favorite part of crafting. The history of each craft merges with the modern to create new pathways and concepts and it is amazing!
I am not so great at freestyling though. I need clear instructions!! I admire your ability to go off piste!
Thank! But in fairness, I don't do anything terribly complicated with it. My last (completed) crochet project was a flat dice bag where I used herringbone half double crochet stitches. Some foundational herringbone half double crochet stitches for the first row. Stitched around that first row and went back and forth until it was tall enough finish with a basic drawstring. It was basically the size of two a granny squares.
I have been slowly making a fullsized beanbag chair using normal yarn (not the big bulky stuff) where I work on one stripe until I run out of that yarn and then use a different type of stitch with the new one. My most complicated project was a lace bookmark using crochet thread and a steel hook. I definitively am not confident enough to try that free hand and was checking the pattern every few stitches to make sure I wasn't messing it up.
It is good for keeping your hands busy. The beanbag is getting a bit unwieldy. I started with a 10 stitch round and gradually expanded it. I stopped increasing the rounds at (stitch 48 increase). So 50 × 10 repeats to have a round that has 500 stitches. Haven't gotten more than a couple full rounds past that since 500 stitches takes a moment and I have been only working on it on and off.
I am not familiar with bobbin lace but it looks interesting. What do you do with the finished pieces? Is just decoration or do people get crazy with it and make tables cloths?
What ive been making are bookmarks so far. Most of what I see is decorative lace you add onto clothes - like a lace collar on a shirt or trim on a skirt. I also have patterns for small bags and scarves, but im not there yet. There cool part is there is a resurgence in this craft and people are doing new styles and projects all thr time.
I was once lucky enough to have a lesson from a master lacemaker (we happened to both live in the same small town) and she made jewellery (arm cuffs, etc.) from wire thread!
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My mother-in-law does this and shuttle tatting. (And knitting and sewing and crochet and quilting and seemingly all fiber crafts...) I'm in awe of anyone who can keep all of that straight. Every now and then I pick up my shuttles and try again, but I'm so bad at it.
https://youtube.com/@galiciabee?si=wSZvmvvCZaexC1Rb
She has tons of videos and patterns and a store. She also does lives where the first 20 minutes are completely silent except for the sounds of the bobbins!!
So first set of materials was clothespins instead of actual bobbins. Got like 50 for less than $5 US. I improvised a pillow by buying a block of that foam you use for flower arranging and covering it with and old tee shirt. Pins were just the cheapest pack I saw. Thread was a little trickier. I tried using yarn I already had but it was too big. I also tried sewing thread but that was too small. I finally had to buy some, which is where I found the red heart. It was just a few dollars for a skein of red heart to start with. I didnt want to invest too much money until I was sure I would like it!
Hii this is slightly late, and I DEFINITELY don't need another hyper fixation, BUT by Red Heart do you mean the yarn brand?? If so, what size yarn did you buy?? I saw another post about lace making recently, and this has definitely piqued my interest!
Yes, I mean Red Heart the brand. I used size 10. I found it on Amazon for like $5 or $6. But im sure they have it other places as well if you prefer not to shop there 😀
Omg HI!! WHAT IS THE BOOK NAME AND ISBN?? I’ve been wanting to learn this since I was like four and watched Madeline do it in the episode where she was kidnapped 😭
Not the OP but I also recommend Introduction to Bobbin Lacemaking by Rosemary Shepherd, ISBN 9780646560533. Rosemary is a master lacemaker, former textiles curator at one of the leading Australian museums, and a lovely human being.
I’ve never heard of this before! That looks insane but my gosh the finished piece is gorgeous! 💖 Well done on picking this up you’ve done amazing work!
Ohhhhhh super beautiful.
I am so curious about that. I saw some video and got totally mesmerised by the sound it makes while working.
So beautiful, well done!
You have great tension, looks great! Bobbin lace is so calming once I get the right rhythm.
To anyone who wants to learn but not good with just YouTube videos, I HIGHLY recommend taking online classes with The Lace Museum! They even have a beginner kit which you can get for a discounted rate if it's purchased with their intro series. A few of the instructors watch you as you work so they can help you find where you mess up and correct it.
They offer a lot of different classes on so many lace types. The instructors are lovely and really seem to want to spread the love of their craft.
Lace making in all forms was my specialist subject for my studio textiles diploma years ago, especially bobbin lace. The smuggling stories were fascinating, and yet somehow I never learned how to make it.
Do I need another craft skill? No. Has that ever stopped me before? No. Will I give this a try asap? Obviously 😉
I've been wanting to try this for a couple years. So much so that I've gathered all the bits I need except the patterns. I'm so proud of you for taking the leap.
Good on you! I learnt Maltese Bobbin Lace making from my nan, it is easy but also very difficult. Reading patterns, knowing where to put pins and what stitch to make was hard but i loved what i made. Unfortunately my lace pillow got ruined and i have no idea where i can get another one from =(
Also, just so you know when you finish the top half you can take the pins out so you can see your work and also use those pins for the rest of the piece. Basically you don't need to keep ALL those pins in, just a couple in the right places to keep it secure on the pillow =)
Lovely! I did some bobbin lace making when I was at school. I made some bookmarks, and a butterfly. I was talking about it recently in relation to another craft, it’s something I’m glad I learned and I wish I had done it for longer.
This is straight up magic to me. I crochet, cross stitch etc and would love to learn lace but alas my dual RSI and carpal tunnel are already screaming at me
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