I’d just like to add to Diana’s posting on the above. I managed to get the
slide show of David’s Chantillymat up on the Knuston computer for the 90-year
old lady, Joyce, who was delighted by it, and determined to get her daughter to
fix her (Joyce’s) computer so she can follow its progress. The first time she
worked the mat she followed a Beds version, but felt she’d like to do the Bucks
one as well – or rather, one of them. I think there are at least two out
there, and I think Jackie Poulter, who takes the Bucks classes at Knuston, was
working on another. Tempering with existing patterns from elsewhere is I think
the authentic East Midlandsmethod; don’t forget that the beautiful Bucks point
fan on the cover of the Springetts’ book of Pope Sivewright patterns is made up
from Mechlindesigns.
I must admit I say that for personal reasons – I spent most of my weekend
adding another version to a design already well-worked over. The published
version, which seems to me the furthest from the original, is Mrs millar’s
handkerchief on p.42 of “Bedfordshire Lace Patterns” selected by Margaret
Turner, published by Ruth Bean. This is the most Bedfordversion, with no point
ground at all, and leaves on the fern fronds. Interestingly, while Mrs Millar
was one of the main lace teachers at Knuston, she specialised more in Bucks
than Beds. The other pricking I have is from the Pope Sivewright collection of
the Lace Guild, not published. This has gimped veins instead of the leaves,
and point ground round the thistle things and in the doughnut things which were
missed out of Mrs Millar’s version. An edging from the same stable is on
www.lacefairy.com/International/BPengland.html with the doughnut things in what
I presume is an earlier
stage, as a paisley shape. The thistle thing however did not appeal to me! I
also had a few other photos of handkerchiefs and borders “from the same stable”
all different, so picked the points I liked from them all and cobbled them
together. We shall see!
I should add that East Midlands lace was made not just in Buckinghamshire and
Bedfordshire, but also Northamptonshire – it was considered sufficiently a main
industry of the county for Northampton town hall to have a mural of a lacemaker
balancing the one of a shoemaker (thought of as the county’s main source of
employment until recently). Miss Channer of course came from Northampton.
Those were the main three, but the Misses Pope and Sivewright were based in
Oxford.
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