Iâve been making lace since 1980, but Iâve never made much. School,
children, work, all interfered with my lacemaking. Took my first lace course
in 2004, and my coursework has increased since then. My lacemaking
experience is limited to small pieces. But for the past few years Iâve been
thinking about lace from an historical and sociological point of view. We are
so very different from the ârealâ lacemakers of centuries past, when
lacemakers were from the lower orders, making lace in order to make ends meet.
Except for the lacemakers in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, when it flourished, who,
I am convinced, used lacemaking as a form of conspicuous consumption, since if
you were making lace, you didnât have to cook, bake, clean, wash, spin,
weave, care for babies/children, garden, work in the fields, sew, knit. You
were making something that served no utilitarian purpose, as I doubt these
ladies sold their lace, although itâs all conjecture on my part.
Anyhow, in preparation for making Bucks Point with Alex Stillwell at the
IOLI Convention, I decided to make 2 yards/meters of her edging found on p 64,
or thereabout, of her Geometric Bucks Point Lace book, the narrower one. I
have almost 3 feet done, and I want to tell you about it. For those of you
who do this on a regular basis you may find it tedious. Iâd really
appreciate you reading on, as Iâd value your response very much.
First, lacemaking can make your back hurt. Making yardage, after the
first foot, when youâre learning the pattern thoroughly, is rather dull. On
the other hand, you can usually listen to a book, or a continuing professional
education seminar, without making mistakes. Being tired, like after lunch at
said continuing professional education seminar, results in MANY more mistakes.
Caffeine helps. After the first foot you can talk and make the lace, at least
make statements, not necessarily carry on a conversation. I wonder how much
yardage I can make in an hour, and how many hours a day the lacemakers worked
on the pattern they were given to work for at least a year. How many yards
were cut off their pillow on that saintâs day in the fall? Making yardage
in a public place can result in a gathering, almost constant, and thwart the
making of lace. A rock and a hard place.
I also discovered that said professionals werenât interested in what I
was doing, and there were about 1/3 women there. Not that they were paying
attention, either. Many were reading the paper, some texting, some on their
laptops. When I make lace outside Central Market on a market day, with
tourists and locals passing by, I always get people who are interested and who
sometimes ask questions.
I wonder about the âoriginalâ lacemakers. They certainly werenât as
educated as we tend to be. That doesnât mean they werenât smart. I am
still convinced that you need more than average intelligence, a mathematical
bent being a very useful trait, in order to make lace. Did they think about
things, or were they just glad to have another way to make ends meet? How did
they feel about making lace. How much time did they spend in a day/week
making lace? How long was their learning curve? When and if they were given
a new pattern, how did they learn it? Was precision important to some? Were
there grades of lace?
Until this exercise, the only âlargeâ piece I did was the lovely
asymmetrical collar in Ulrike Lohr Voelkerâs Kloppel Kurs book. Itâs the
reason I bought the book. I think we usually make a small piece, perhaps
finish a length begun in a class, then set it aside. Perhaps make a small
piece, but nothing major. Tackling something repetitious is worthwhile in and
of itself, for the experience. I think that once I finish this lace, whether
or not it is before my class, will be a very useful exercise.
One of the things I am doing is trying to figure out how to make lace
faster. Someone said she doesnât use her thumbs, but I find I must on a
cross (C). Is that right? Is it just practice that makes you faster? I have
a small video I took of the lady in her 70âs at Kantcentrum in Bruges from
2009, making Binche I believe. DH thought Iâd speeded up the video. I
doubt Iâll ever get there, as I didnât, as she did, start when I was 7. I
would appreciate any assistance from all you experienced people on how to make
lace accurately and quickly. First, of course, is REALLY learning the
pattern, but after that, what?
Lyn in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, where itâs to be cloudy with maybe some
thunderstorms. Right now, 8 a.m., itâs 68F, 18C.
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