Re: [lace] (progress report) and Malmsbury bobbins (Long)
I guess by now many people will have realised that I’m the shy bobbin collector! I’ve offered my help to many people who needed pictures of bobbins for various reasons - I’m always happy to help if I can. When 25+ years ago a chap from the other side of the world contacted me about old bobbin research I thought (sorry Brian!) - what a weirdo and that’s putting it nicely! But I thought I’d go along with him - chances to exchange news, views and info on old bobbins were few and far between. Then of all things he wanted to visit! I mean he was in Australia for heavens sake! Ok so I thought I’d still go along with it, I was just one of a number of contacts he had in this country. So while Jean was off doing her own thing my husband and I entertained Brian, I ’fed’ him bobbins by the score while he photographed them. Actually we had a great time. And as they say the rest is history, we’ve corresponded on and off now for many years collaborating on various projects on East Midlands bobbins - sometimes I despair at his typos but he’s so enthusiastic as I’m sure you're all aware!! Diana Smith in Northamptonshire - 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/
Re: [lace] (progress report) and Malmsbury bobbins (Long)
Actually, that was a wonderful post, one that I enjoyed reading from beginning to end! Ha ha, besides loving the results of your research, I also struggle to relearn violin and learn flute! Good luck with everything! Glad to here your health is good! Cearbhael (aka Angel) Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 13, 2020, at 12:10 AM, Brian Lemin wrote: > > Covid has a lot to answer for and this letter is one of them. I am often > asked about where my bobbin interest came from etc. The simple answer is I > started to make bobbins as result of seeing a church member's pillow at tea > one week end. Now here the rest of it. I hope the arachne editor will be > Covid-like lenient on me for this mostly off topic post. > > When i started all this bobbin stuff, some 25 years ago after i retired, I > had no idea this is where it would take me. I was just asking questions > about antique bobbins that few people could answer, so i started to research > the answers myself. > > Arachne has always been my greatest source of interest and help, and we (as a > group ) did 3 or 4 little bits of research ourselves which I wrote up and put > on my Angel-fire web page (now more or less defunct). I then started to find > books on bobbins or lace, that were very helpful. > > The of course then there was the Springetts revolution and that seemed to > change everything. More people began collecting, their work revealed the > importance of local history contained in or around bobbins. More importantly > it opened my eyes to what appeared to me was a whole field of investigation > of bobbins. > > I had a few mentors and one special bobbin friend, without whose help and > access to her wonderful collection of bobbins, very little of what is > published under my name could have been achieved. > > Even today she remains reluctant for her name to be mentioned, however I have > tried very hard to acknowledge her help as a knowledgeable collector, > restorer and curator. She is also a valued writer of local history on > bobbins and her work has appeared in many magazines local to her area of > living. However i am certain that her collection is the most complete and > best quality bobbin collection in private hands that is current in the UK. I > think it is fair to say that for different reasons, we are both slowing down, > but what a huge amount we have achieved. (and we are both fabulously rich as > the result of it! smile.) > > East midland bobbins took a long time for me (us) to get our heads around, > but that has culminated in the web publication of a bobbin dictionary > (shorthand title) ( www.brianlemin.com) together with a collectors guide for > East Midland bobbins which was an excellent showcase for her bobbins. > > It would be wrong for me to say that we then went our separate ways, far from > it, she is still trying to help me get my head around S Bucks bobbins, but it > is true that my East Devon and Downton project was a bit left field from her > collection. > > The East Devon part of that project has resulted in a Collectors Guide that > is in the hands of a volunteer arachne person editor. I feel desperate for > her! She told me of a typo in one of my webdocs publications and said that > she was an editor in her other life, "then" she received from me a 100 page > manuscript to edit! (Beware of what you write to me about!) > > The Downton part of that project is of necessity a long range project. Those > genres are hard to come by and a kind volunteer and museum curator are > working hard on my behalf to extend my Downton Bobbin database and "teach me" > about them. That is now a slow project because of Covid, but I hope there > will eventually be a "Collectors Guide to Downton lace-making bobbins" They > are fascinating, just you wait and see. [if you know why a number of then are > sequentially numbered please tell me!) > > I do not intend to "do" 20th century bobbins (see Springett) > > But there remains the Malmsbury bobbins, plain bobbins to almost boredom. > Then the "job" I started all that time ago will be complete. Sure there are > still pockets of research and sharing to do but I aim to slow down. Do a bit > more art patch-working, become a better guitar player (I am a wanna-be jazz > guitarist( which will never happen, I don't do the practice!) I am making a > clavichord and that will make me relearn to art of reading music. ( Love > classical music and Jazz and very little in between!)So I have plenty to do. > My heath is pretty good but i have few struggles resulting from cancer, but I > enjoy life with those minor handicaps. > > Help please? > > I am always asking you for something, this is to ask you if any of you can > tell me anything about Malmsbury bobbins that will help me fill up a couple > of paragraphs or it will be a very short "Collectors Guide". My apologies to > the Malmsbury lace makers and their museum staff who were
[lace] (progress report) and Malmsbury bobbins (Long)
Covid has a lot to answer for and this letter is one of them. I am often asked about where my bobbin interest came from etc. The simple answer is I started to make bobbins as result of seeing a church member's pillow at tea one week end. Now here the rest of it. I hope the arachne editor will be Covid-like lenient on me for this mostly off topic post. When i started all this bobbin stuff, some 25 years ago after i retired, I had no idea this is where it would take me. I was just asking questions about antique bobbins that few people could answer, so i started to research the answers myself. Arachne has always been my greatest source of interest and help, and we (as a group ) did 3 or 4 little bits of research ourselves which I wrote up and put on my Angel-fire web page (now more or less defunct). I then started to find books on bobbins or lace, that were very helpful. The of course then there was the Springetts revolution and that seemed to change everything. More people began collecting, their work revealed the importance of local history contained in or around bobbins. More importantly it opened my eyes to what appeared to me was a whole field of investigation of bobbins. I had a few mentors and one special bobbin friend, without whose help and access to her wonderful collection of bobbins, very little of what is published under my name could have been achieved. Even today she remains reluctant for her name to be mentioned, however I have tried very hard to acknowledge her help as a knowledgeable collector, restorer and curator. She is also a valued writer of local history on bobbins and her work has appeared in many magazines local to her area of living. However i am certain that her collection is the most complete and best quality bobbin collection in private hands that is current in the UK. I think it is fair to say that for different reasons, we are both slowing down, but what a huge amount we have achieved. (and we are both fabulously rich as the result of it! smile.) East midland bobbins took a long time for me (us) to get our heads around, but that has culminated in the web publication of a bobbin dictionary (shorthand title) ( www.brianlemin.com) together with a collectors guide for East Midland bobbins which was an excellent showcase for her bobbins. It would be wrong for me to say that we then went our separate ways, far from it, she is still trying to help me get my head around S Bucks bobbins, but it is true that my East Devon and Downton project was a bit left field from her collection. The East Devon part of that project has resulted in a Collectors Guide that is in the hands of a volunteer arachne person editor. I feel desperate for her! She told me of a typo in one of my webdocs publications and said that she was an editor in her other life, "then" she received from me a 100 page manuscript to edit! (Beware of what you write to me about!) The Downton part of that project is of necessity a long range project. Those genres are hard to come by and a kind volunteer and museum curator are working hard on my behalf to extend my Downton Bobbin database and "teach me" about them. That is now a slow project because of Covid, but I hope there will eventually be a "Collectors Guide to Downton lace-making bobbins" They are fascinating, just you wait and see. [if you know why a number of then are sequentially numbered please tell me!) I do not intend to "do" 20th century bobbins (see Springett) But there remains the Malmsbury bobbins, plain bobbins to almost boredom. Then the "job" I started all that time ago will be complete. Sure there are still pockets of research and sharing to do but I aim to slow down. Do a bit more art patch-working, become a better guitar player (I am a wanna-be jazz guitarist( which will never happen, I don't do the practice!) I am making a clavichord and that will make me relearn to art of reading music. ( Love classical music and Jazz and very little in between!)So I have plenty to do. My heath is pretty good but i have few struggles resulting from cancer, but I enjoy life with those minor handicaps. Help please? I am always asking you for something, this is to ask you if any of you can tell me anything about Malmsbury bobbins that will help me fill up a couple of paragraphs or it will be a very short "Collectors Guide". My apologies to the Malmsbury lace makers and their museum staff who were very nice to me about 20 years ago but i will cover their bobbins in three paras and a picture and that is not fair. Thanks to you all take care, stay indoors, write long letters to arachne Bye Brian Cooranbong. Australia - 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/
