Lynn, Tallies are little woven "blobs" in lace that add interest (such as in Torchon lace or the 'spots' in point ground laces like bucks point), or are part of a filling or ground stitch (such as some of the grounds in Honiton or Bedfordshire lace) or can be raised to add depth to lace (such as flat overlaid or rolled tallies in beds), or can be used in a foot side (such as a cucumber foot or you see them in entredeux (? I think that's the term - it's the BL foot that is made separately and stitched on to needlelace pieces - I have some examples in my collection). They can even be used to create little "flowers" to help cross pairs (sort of) in the plaited laces such as Cluny, Beds, and Maltese.
Sometimes the shape of the tally can help one date a piece of lace or help you determine what type of lace it is - they're a little signature, as it were. Tallies came in a variety of shapes and sizes - they can be square, rectangular or elliptical. They can also be tulip shaped, and a variety of other shapes (see either Cook's book of Stitches or Practical skills - I don't remember which one they're in). Traditionally Beds lace tallies used to be the square ended variety (were rectangular) when in the lace, and they gradually became more elliptical over the years, so you can tell and OLD piece of beds by the shape of the tally. They also used to make the raised tallies differently, by just working a rectangular one and 'humping' it - now, most people roll them. Some people find them intimidating to make at first, and it can take a few attempts for you to find the method of making them that is most comfortable to you - some people make them with their bobbins laying on the pillow, some make them by holding 3 in handing, and weaving the 4th through (I'm a in the hand type of person). There is a saying that goes along the lines of you have to make 1000 to make your first perfect one. They do require some patience to make, but do add a certain interest to your lace, and you shouldn't let their appearance in a pattern stop you form making the pattern and learning to make them. Good luck with them. Cheers, Hop-a-long Helen, Aussie living in delightful Denver - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
