Re: [lace] Wedding lace

Hankies were certainly bigger in the past, twelve inches or more was common, whether they were carried by men or women. But I think a hanky would have a solid centre of fabric rather than lace. A chalice cover might be all lace. Sent from my iPad > On 24 Jun 2019, at 05:55, H M Clarke wrote:

Re: [lace] Lassen question

The stitching is very close and tight, so I think there is no chance of fraying over time, as long as the treatment of the lace is reasonably gentle as it always should be. Kathleen, in a hot and humid Berkshire, UK, expecting thunder any minute! Sent from my iPad > On 23 Jun 2019, at 12:32,

[lace] Lassen

When I was learning Flanders and Binche in Bruges, 30years ago, I was taught by Anne-Marie Verbeke-Billiet. She taught her students to start at a point in the lace where a join could be most invisibly placed. The first repeat of the pattern was to practise and learn the pattern, and the last

Re: [lace] Threads

Alix, I have never heard that before so thank you for the information. Lead would certainly damage the silk, and probably intensify the black colour too! Kathleen Sent from my iPad - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here.

Re: [lace] Thresds

I visited Grammont many years ago to see Chantilly lace in the museum there - at least I think it was a museum, I do not remember clearly. But I do remember that we were told that the lace was made with black silk thread, and that the silk reacted badly to the dye, therefore the lace did not

Re: [lace] Lace Guild Artefact of the month

I seem to have dropped off the list of recipients of the artefact of the month. I haven’t had one for a while. Sent from my iPad > On 1 Jul 2018, at 10:00, Diana Smith wrote: > > Has anyone else received the new look Artefact of the Month page from the > English Lace Guild? > It has been

Re: [lace] The archetype of the lacemaker - books

And for a fictional account of the life of one of the lacemakers involved in the making of the lace for Victoria’s wedding dress read “The Royal Lacemaker” by Linda Finlay. It is a good read and, as far as I can tell, an accurate account. Sent from my iPad > On 25 May 2018, at 18:10, Jeri

[lace] Lace and maths

I wonder if it is simply that bobbin lace appeals particularly to scientists and especially mathematicians. Moving on from this, is it the more “regular” laces which appeal, I.e. Torchon, Bucks and Flanders, rather than Bedfordshire for instance? Sent from my iPad - To unsubscribe send email

Re: [lace] mathematicians, IT engineers and lacemaking

Marjory Carter, who I mentioned as my Bucks point tutor, had been a maths teacher in a grammar school, until she retired. She learned her lace from a lady with whom she lodged when she was training as a teacher. I started to take courses with her in 1980, so I guess she would have retired in

[lace] Traditional and modern lace.

I started making lace in 1970, and in 1980 I started to learn Bucks point lace from Marjory Carter. I joined a week long course with her for several years. She was a wonderful teacher, and I enjoyed every minute. She certainly believed that Bucks point should always be traditional in design and

[lace] Colour in lace

Some years ago I visited a village in southern Belgium which had specialised in making black Chantilly lace. It’s name escapes me. The lace we saw was fantastic, but we were told that there was little of it left, because the black dye used to colour the thread, (or maybe the process used)

Re: [lace] Nenia Lovesey

I think Nena wrote the needlelace books because she wanted the lace revival to include needlelace. There were already several bobbin lace books around, but none on needlelace at that time. I think that needlelace was her favourite craft! Sent from my iPad > On 27 Mar 2018, at 16:47, Jeri Ames

Re: [lace] Lace Revival

Certainly the craft centre which Nena Lovesey ran received advice from the CAC, but I don’t think they supplied funding, although they may have done. The committee which was formed to oversee the centre was chaired by my husband, and I know he was in correspondence with the CAD, but the centre

[lace] Lace revival - bobbins

Strange how this thread has revived so many memories! When I started making lace with Nena Lovesey in 1970, with my Belgian bobbins, she not only taught me to make lace, she taught me all sorts of things about lace. This continued with talks which she gave to emerging lace groups. So I learned

[lace] Lace revival

I started to make bobbin lace in 1970. Nena Lovesey started me off with a simple pillow, some Belgian bobbins, and excellent basic instruction! I loved it! When she thought I was able enough, she introduced me to the Swedish Knipplerscan books. There were two paperback books of patterns,

[lace] Arachne list

I too am guilty of enjoying the list, but not responding to messages. I always enjoy Jeri's historical messages, and have learned from them. I enjoyed the discussion about lace tells, but have not yet looked up my own notes to see if I can add anything to it. Many years ago, when I was

Re: [lace] Colour Coding

I can't remember when I first used a 'ghost pillow', or where the idea came from. I think it was when I made Binche, so maybe it was Anne-Marie in Bruges. I certainly didn't use it when I started making Bucks point- I don't think Margery Carted would have approved! But I could have found it

Re: [lace] Lace samples

I am afraid mine go into a folder and probably never see the light again! Kathleen In an unseasonably cold Berkshire, UK Sent from my iPad > On 13 Sep 2017, at 22:10, H M Clarke wrote: > > I'm wondering what you all do with your lace samples? I'm thinking of > segments of a

Re: [lace] Ghost pillow

Hi Joepie, I have used this method on both Flanders and Binche, which often have such excellent enlarged working diagrams. I imagine it could be used for other laces which have detailed diagrams, which could perhaps be enlarged if necessary. It certainly helps a great deal! Kathleen In an

[lace] Exchanges

This list is so valuable to so many people, please do not let this problem destroy it. I do hope that no one will leave the list because of it. Please, Jenny, do not leave us - you are so necessary to the list. This problem has grown out of proportion, and hurt some of us very much, I would

[lace] Bookmark exchange 2017

I have received a most beautiful bookmark from Susan Brooks - it is the one with the swans, which someone has already mentioned from its picture on the web site. Thank you very much, Susan, I shall treasure it! It obviously got delayed in the post, but I am so glad it wasn't lost! Kathleen,

[lace] Bookmarks.

I have received two lovely Torchon bookmarks. The first is from Robyn Denny in New Zealand and the second from Sue Vossier in France, her own design. They are so different, which shows how versatile Torchon lace can be. Many thanks to you both. Kathleen Sent from my iPad - To unsubscribe send

[lace] Bookmark exchange

I have received a lovely "spidery" Torchon bookmark from Gail Parish. Thank you Gail, and for the pretty card which accompanied it. Sent from my iPad - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to

Re: [lace] Lace in India

I think it was Sulachona who was on the trip from UK to the OIDFA congress in Finland, some years ago now though. If so, she was a keen lacemaker and a lovely lady. Sent from my iPad > > - > To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: > unsubscribe lace

Re: [lace] Linen thread

I have spun flax into linen thread, fine enough to make lace, but only just! I made a small owl with it (Gill Dye's design?). I have discussed linen thread with tutors from the Kantcentrum in Bruges. They told me that the old varieties of flax, which were used to produce linen thread fine

[lace] Quiet list.

Hello everyone, I have been busy too! I have just been to Bruges for a week, making lace. There were twenty of us, staying in the Beguinhof, with Anne-Marie Verbeke-Billiet as our tutor. There were six types of lace being worked, and plenty of fun and friendship in between times. This

Re: [lace] Hermitage Russia

I seem to remember that there was quite a bit of lace on display in the ethnographic museum. Can anyone confirm this? It is a few years since I was there! Best wishes Kathleen In Berkshire, UK, where we have summer at last! Sent from my iPad > On 14 Aug 2016, at 13:04, Nathalie

Re: [lace] Survey Request

Helen, This is interesting! I am 1D, and 2B. Best wishes Kathleen - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/

[lace] Idrija lace pillows

Thank you Sue and Cynthia for your replies. I am working on a small flat pillow, and managing quite well. I don't have a problem with the sewings, though I can see that they would be easier on the curved pillow. I would love to see a Slovenian pillow being used to see how it is moved about.

[lace] Idrija lace, etc.

I have been inspired by the pictures of lacemakers in Slovenia to start on a new piece of Idrija lace. I haven't made any for a while! It struck me once again, how different the way of working is on a Slovenian cylindrical pillow in a basket. Has anyone, used to working on a flat pillow, tried

[lace] Bookmark exchange

I have received a beautiful and delicate point ground bookmark from Lorri Ferguson. Thank you very much, Lorri, and thank you Lin for the organising! Kathleen In a warm, wet and humid Berkshire, UK Sent from my iPad - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line:

[lace] Aurifil thread

I have used Aurifil 28 and like it very much. It does have a silky sheen to it. I would have no hesitation in using the other thicknesses. I particularly like the variegated colours, one of which I have used for one of my exchange bookmarks. Kathleen In a dull, damp Berkshire, UK Sent from my

[lace] Bookmark exchange

I have received a beautiful tatted bookmark from Lin Hudren. It is red and purple, with added sparkle! Thank you Lin, and for organising the exchange, which I am enjoying so much. Kathleen Berkshire, UK Sent from my iPad - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the

[lace] Bookmark exchange

I have received a lovely bookmark from Sue T! It is very fine Torchon, mounted on red, very delicate. I am just about to package my four, ready for the post on Tuesday. Kathleen Berkshire, UK Sent from my iPad - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line:

Re: [lace] OIDFA Congress

Dear Jeri, How I wish I could be in Slovenia attending the congress and meeting you and other Arachne members. I have made some Idrija lace and want to do more and would love to have learned more about it and the lacemakers who make it. But I am a few years ahead of you in age and not an

Re: [lace] lace photos

Some of the patterns are lovely, and I noticed that some prickings are marked ROK. I think that is a Spanish lace organisation or is it a pattern producer? Are these patterns available in the UK? Maybe they belong to a Spanish lace organisation. Kathleen, in sunny Berkshire, UK Sent from my

Re: [lace] Sukanec za Klekljanje thread for Idrija lace

Sue, Sukanec za Klekljanje Idrija is in Brenda Paternoster's book as Textil za Turizem, Sukanec za Klekljanje Idrija No 60 and is 25 w/cm. so, I think your Idrija thread would be suitable for any lace that requires a thread of about 25 w/cm. For Idrija lace, I am using Filato per Tombola di

Re: [lace] Torchon and direction

I think that many laces are worked with the back uppermost, so that swings etc are on the back when the lace is complete. With Torchon, it makes sense, as Jean says, to work it in this way, if you are making a square mat, for instance, which will have a long join across a corner. But for many

[lace] Pins

I was sitting at my lace pillow, moving pins from the back of my lace to my pincushion, when I started wondering. How long do other lacemakers leave the pins in their work? When making Torchon or Flanders lace, I leave the pins round the edge, and push them right down. I start to remove pins

Re: [lace] Pins

Hi Sue, I don't belong to a class or group, so I have developed my own way of working over the years. I was curious about how other lacemakers worked. The pin question isn't the sort of thing that is taught - except that I was told always to leave pins in for 24 hours, to allow the thread

Re: [lace] Pins

I agree that you cannot always leave the pins in if working a narrow edging on a roller pillow. For that reason, I changed to a block pillow. But I do think that thread sets in its position in lace. If you come to your lace one morning, and find that you made a mistake the previous day, and

Re: [lace] Question

I was in Bruges last October, and can confirm what Achim says. The Kantcentrum and its museum have indeed moved, because the owners of the property, in which it used to be, wanted to sell the building. The new centre is modern, light and friendly, and the museum is excellent. There is modern

Re: [lace] Question about beads

It would certainly happen both while you were making the lace and later, when it was being used, if you used sharp bugle beads. With the metal ones, I am not so sure. It would probably be fine in the making, but wear through the thread later. I don't think it would matter what thread you used -

RE: [lace] Question about beads

I have not used beads in my lace very often, but I find that bugle beads - the long slim ones - often cut the thread when I am beading! And that is nylon beading thread. I think that bugle beads are cut from a tube and, unless they are very good quality, have sharp edges. It doesn't seem to happen

Re: [lace] 1931 lace making clip

I am sure it is Bedfordshire, because of the pattern, the pillow ( an East Midlands bolster) and because of the bobbins which are Bedfordshire thumpers. Kathleen In a dull but unfortunately still dry ( for the gardens) Berkshire. Sent from my iPad On 25 May 2015, at 17:02,

Re: [lace] 1931 lace making clip

Yes, there are two pieces of lace being made, and, presumably, two lace makers. The patterns are similar, but one has tallies and one doesn't, and it is the different pillow covers which give the game away, as well as the fact that one lace maker puts her pins in more tidily than the other!

Re: [lace] Trip to Europe - lace museums/centers to visit?

The Kantcentrum museum in Bruges has been moved (only a little way) and remodelled . It opened last year and I visited last October. I was very impressed. It is modern, with exhibits of fantastic lace, and interactive displays of how lace, both bobbin and needle, is made. Well worth a visit.

RE: [lace] Lace society

I received my copy on Saturday. Kathleen, in equally dreary Berkshire. -Original Message- From: owner-l...@arachne.com [mailto:owner-l...@arachne.com] On Behalf Of Diana Smith Sent: 01 December 2014 09:45 To: Arachne Subject: [lace] Lace society Is it just me or has anyone received

[lace] Teaching lace.

I feel I must stop lurking and pass on my opinions on this topic. The best teacher I ever had was the late Marjery Carter, who taught me Bucks point. She had been a maths teacher, and her opinion was that if you could teach one subject, then you could teach anything, because you had the

[lace] Jeri's posts

I do receive Jeri's posts, and they are all useful and informative, and always seem to teach me something new. So please do not stop sending them, Jeri. But not every message, which appears on my PC, appears on my iPad. I haven't yet worked out which one's don't come through because there seems

[lace] Lace patterns

Can anyone tell me whether the prickings for the patterns in the Knypplerskan books are still available, and, if so, from where? I have the books (parts I and II which were bound together and part III) and many of the prickings, which I purchased from Mace and Nairn in the seventies. Now I would

[lace] Care of fabrics - silk

I told my daughter about this discussion, and she immediately confirmed that lavender oil or eucalyptus oil will remove greasy stains from silk! Some years ago she had a lodger who leaned against a dirty chain and got a bad stain on the sleeve of a silk shirt. He told her to throw the shirt away

[lace] Care of fabrics

I too remember the bran treatment for tweeds and upholstery! I also know that talcum powder (powdered magnesium silicate) was recommended to clean lace and other delicate fabrics. I am sure that I have heard that recommendation a lot more recently than the 1940's. I believe it is also recommended

[lace] Prickings

I also started my lacemaking (in 1970) with pre-prepared prickings on glazed card. These were sometimes bought, or made by pricking very carefully and accurately through another pricking. The books I started with were Maidment, and Mincoff and Marriage. Then came new books by Doreen Wright and Pam

[lace] Prickings

Sorry - that should be linen ends, not line ends! Kathleen - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/

[lace] Teachers

I was lucky enough to start my lace-making life with Nena Lovesey. She lent me bobbins and a pillow and started me off on Torchon lace. I couldn't attend a regular class, but saw Nena quite often, and learned so much from her, not only about making lace but about its history. I carried on on my

[lace] Lace teachers

A couple of points have occurred to me while reading this subject. Firstly, not every teacher will click with every student. Some students will learn better from one teacher than from another. The second point is that some teachers are not so good at teaching the techniques of lace-making, but

[lace] Silver bobbins

Dear David and all, I have been in contact with Rhona, Frank Newborn's daughter. She and her mother have been delighted to hear how his work is valued by lacemakers and tatters. But she told me that she never made bobbins. Her contribution was to advise her father about lace and to test his

[lace] Lace and maths

Could I suggest that many lace makers are problem solvers. This would include mathematicians, and many scientists. I love puzzles of any kind but especially logic problems, and when I am making lace, I can see a problem-solving element in the process, even in a simple piece of Torchon. I can also

[lace] The difference between boys and girls in crafts

Tess's comments on the differences between boys and girls in making lace, and the differences between men and women watching lace being made prompt me to relate my experiences when demonstrating spinning. If a boy is interested, he wants to know first how the wheel works. Some boys work it out for

[lace] Silver bobbins

The correspondence about Frank Newborn inspired me to examine my two silver bobbins - I wondered if they had been made by him. They were given to me by my late husband to commemorate our silver wedding in 1985. One has an inscription, the other is turned and decorated. They both have birdcage

RE: [lace] Silver bobbins

by her initials. Kathleen -Original Message- From: David C COLLYER [mailto:dccoll...@ncable.net.au] Sent: 29 May 2013 15:56 To: Kathleen Harris; lace@arachne.com Subject: Re: [lace] Silver bobbins Dear Kathleen, Now, of course, I want to know who made my bobbins, who RKN is! I wonder

[lace] How many kinds od lace?

I make mainly bobbin lace, but I also tat and learned about 70 years ago, but tatting took a back seat when I discovered bobbin lace. I have made and enjoyed needlelace, and have always intended to do more, but again, I am afraid bobbin lace comes first. I can crochet and I do a lot of knitting,

[lace] Lurking, and enjoying.

I post very rarely. I am an experienced lacemaker (43 years) but I am not a teacher. I usually find that, by the time I have put my reply to a query into words, someone more used to teaching has replied to the query in a clearer way! But I do enjoy reading the list very much, and the last few

RE: [lace] Lurking, and enjoying.

Thank you Margery, I will try to remember that next time I think I may be able to offer some information. Kathleen - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site:

RE: [lace] washing silk

Some years ago, I used to dye silk scarves with acid dyes in a microwave. After dyeing, I washed them in a good quality washing up liquid, or a hand- wash liquid, rinsed once, and then rinsed again with a small quantity of vinegar in the water. I still have some of these scarves myself, and always

[lace] Nearly finished

I usually try to finish one piece at a time, but must admit to having two unfinished at the moment. One is a large Bruges flower lace mat, and I have just run out of team on that, and the other is a free lace piece that I know is going to be difficult to finish off - it is waiting for me to have

[lace] machine/handmade lace

I would think that the worst of the poverty happened at the period when machine made lace was taking over from most of the hand made lace, so that the lace workers were paid very little for a skill no longer of value to most people. The lace dealers must have gone out of business too. The