Some lace bobbins
- Thread starter Tengu
- Start date
Do you make lace ?
Those look in need of a little tlc, but are otherwise sound. The pressed green glass spangles suggest at least pre war.
I do make lace and I can send you some brass wire to re-spangle them if you would like it ?
cheers,
Mary
Those look in need of a little tlc, but are otherwise sound. The pressed green glass spangles suggest at least pre war.
I do make lace and I can send you some brass wire to re-spangle them if you would like it ?
cheers,
Mary
No, lace is woven.
Imagine plaiting fine, fine threads, over, under, across and around each other, then trying to keep every thread unfankled.....and they can be 20 or 30 metres long.
We wind the threads onto the lace bobbins, and hitch them, to allow them to be pulled to give more thread, but grip so that the bobbin can be worked.
The spangles provide enough weight to keep the bobbins in place but not to pull on the lace and they stop the bobbins rolling around on the pillow.
Some lacemakers work with hundreds of such bobbins per piece. The most I've worked with on any lace is about 120 or so on my pillow.
Lace is worked over a pricking, a pattern with the pin holes marked. Old ones were done on real parchment, nowadays many use the card used for stencilling. Brass wire for spangles, and brass pins for the lace means that there's no rust to stain the piece while it's being worked. Commercial lace is usually cotton, handmade is more usually linen, sometimes silk.
Look up Torchon, it's very geometrical but quite lovely in it's simplicity, and a good lace to start from
When I started I used dolly pegs pined onto the arm of the couch HWMBLT bought some small wooden beads from a craft shop that was closing down, drilled them out a little and handed me a bundle of bamboo skewers. He said, "Arrange them, and I'll glue them into place and drill the hole for the spangles." So I did, and he did, and I have some very beautiful and very unique bobbins
My cousin gave me some very old family bobbins, my brother turned me some more, but I have bought some beautiful craftsman turned ones over the years too
Now I'm in the notion to make lace again, and I have no time just now
atb,
M
Imagine plaiting fine, fine threads, over, under, across and around each other, then trying to keep every thread unfankled.....and they can be 20 or 30 metres long.
We wind the threads onto the lace bobbins, and hitch them, to allow them to be pulled to give more thread, but grip so that the bobbin can be worked.
The spangles provide enough weight to keep the bobbins in place but not to pull on the lace and they stop the bobbins rolling around on the pillow.
Some lacemakers work with hundreds of such bobbins per piece. The most I've worked with on any lace is about 120 or so on my pillow.
Lace is worked over a pricking, a pattern with the pin holes marked. Old ones were done on real parchment, nowadays many use the card used for stencilling. Brass wire for spangles, and brass pins for the lace means that there's no rust to stain the piece while it's being worked. Commercial lace is usually cotton, handmade is more usually linen, sometimes silk.
Look up Torchon, it's very geometrical but quite lovely in it's simplicity, and a good lace to start from
When I started I used dolly pegs pined onto the arm of the couch
HWMBLT bought some small wooden beads from a craft shop that was closing down, drilled them out a little and handed me a bundle of bamboo skewers. He said, "Arrange them, and I'll glue them into place and drill the hole for the spangles." So I did, and he did, and I have some very beautiful and very unique bobbins My cousin gave me some very old family bobbins, my brother turned me some more, but I have bought some beautiful craftsman turned ones over the years too
Now I'm in the notion to make lace again, and I have no time just now
atb,
M
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Lace is time consuming, but it's like doing a good crossword, it's kind of satisfying
Hugo, if no one asks, often folks don't think to explain
joejoe, the lace christening gown....do you know what it's made of ? is it silk, linen, cotton ? Just how old is it ? (generally these gowns are 1850's onwards, so Victorian/Edwardian) is it fragile or sound, and is it stained, or just grubby with age ?
If it's fine cotton 'lawn' as most were, (the cotton cloth is actually called nainsook, a Hindi word, meaning something like beautiful to the eye), and it's sound, then just soaked overnight in soft water with a little pure soap added. Don't scrub, just sapple it. Rinse, rinse, and onto a big bath towel to dry, gently moving it back into shape as it does so.
If the cotton is sound it'll iron easily, do it under a clean, smooth, linen teatowel though.
I make up lavender cushions to be folded inside such items, but not everyone likes lavender these days. I think it and fresh air a much more pleasant and natural scent on clothing and bedding than all the weird chemical mixes of fabric conditioner scents, but each to their own
The amount of work and the skill involved in making these tiny little gowns is inspiring
atb,
M
Hugo, if no one asks, often folks don't think to explain
joejoe, the lace christening gown....do you know what it's made of ? is it silk, linen, cotton ? Just how old is it ? (generally these gowns are 1850's onwards, so Victorian/Edwardian) is it fragile or sound, and is it stained, or just grubby with age ?
If it's fine cotton 'lawn' as most were, (the cotton cloth is actually called nainsook, a Hindi word, meaning something like beautiful to the eye), and it's sound, then just soaked overnight in soft water with a little pure soap added. Don't scrub, just sapple it. Rinse, rinse, and onto a big bath towel to dry, gently moving it back into shape as it does so.
If the cotton is sound it'll iron easily, do it under a clean, smooth, linen teatowel though.
I make up lavender cushions to be folded inside such items, but not everyone likes lavender these days. I think it and fresh air a much more pleasant and natural scent on clothing and bedding than all the weird chemical mixes of fabric conditioner scents, but each to their own
The amount of work and the skill involved in making these tiny little gowns is inspiring
atb,
M
sorry the only thing i know is it was made by my grandmothers neughdors in in cardifb in 1923Lace is time consuming, but it's like doing a good crossword, it's kind of satisfying
Hugo, if no one asks, often folks don't think to explain
joejoe, the lace christening gown....do you know what it's made of ? is it silk, linen, cotton ? Just how old is it ? (generally these gowns are 1850's onwards, so Victorian/Edwardian) is it fragile or sound, and is it stained, or just grubby with age ?
If it's fine cotton 'lawn' as most were, (the cotton cloth is actually called nainsook, a Hindi word, meaning something like beautiful to the eye), and it's sound, then just soaked overnight in soft water with a little pure soap added. Don't scrub, just sapple it. Rinse, rinse, and onto a big bath towel to dry, gently moving it back into shape as it does so.
If the cotton is sound it'll iron easily, do it under a clean, smooth, linen teatowel though.
I make up lavender cushions to be folded inside such items, but not everyone likes lavender these days. I think it and fresh air a much more pleasant and natural scent on clothing and bedding than all the weird chemical mixes of fabric conditioner scents, but each to their own
The amount of work and the skill involved in making these tiny little gowns is inspiring
atb,
M
Well, it's natural fibres then. Still at a time when fine handwork was not only expected, but appreciated
Without seeing it, or you knowing any more detail, I don't think there's much else I can tell you about it.
You could try a good dry cleaners and see if they have any suggestions ? or if you have a good alterations/repair shop nearby, where someone actually knows about old clothing such as wedding gowns and heirloom lace and embroidery, perhaps they might be able to advise you ?
Sorry joejoe, I don't think I'm being much help
atb,
M
Without seeing it, or you knowing any more detail, I don't think there's much else I can tell you about it.
You could try a good dry cleaners and see if they have any suggestions ? or if you have a good alterations/repair shop nearby, where someone actually knows about old clothing such as wedding gowns and heirloom lace and embroidery, perhaps they might be able to advise you ?
Sorry joejoe, I don't think I'm being much help
atb,
M
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