Thank you for the explanation of the maker of the Honiton picture on eBay, Jean.
I wish someone could give us information here in Cooma, Australia, about the previous owner of some bobbins and shuttles we've recently acquired. They were sent to our local tip as landfill when the rent on a storage unit hadn't been paid for some time, but luckily our tip has a Recycle Shop and the stuff was inspected (and rescued) before it was dumped. The consignment included over 35 pair of Malcolm Fielding bobbins in Australian hardwoods (never used, still with their labels and some with certificates), other collections of bobbins all with the Australian wood inscribed on the body, some threads, and two hand carved shuttles from a Tasmanian artist who describes herself as a "Scrimshaw and carving artist, which had cost the original owner a great deal of money, and which were hidden in a fabric purse in a bag of thread! But no lacemaking pillows whatsoever. There was an enormous quantity of other stuff - cartons and cartons of craft books (including lace books from the 1980s and 1990s), knitting wool, wool and silk ready for spinning, fabrics, and so on. We assume the previous owner had passed away, and the executor of her estate had no idea these things had value! All we can find out is that she was a doctor, her name, and that she had lived in the small town of Tumut, but no-one seems to know anything about her. The bobbins are now sold - we were able to offer the Recycle Shop a lump sum for the whole box, then resell them among our local group of lacemakers. Noelene in Cooma [email protected] Bill Blake was an ex-miner who learnt to make Honiton lace with Elsie Luxton after he retired. Back in the 1990s he was teaching Honiton lace in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. Somewhere I have a photo of him at his lace pillow. Sadly he is no longer with us and I wonder if whoever is selling his lace realises how much work was involved. Jean in wet, grey Glasgow - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
