Bloemmotieven in kloskant by J J Vandenhorst
​This book covers lace in Honiton, Torchon, Swedish, Mechels, Valenciennes, Cluny, Lint and Free Lace.

The book is filled with clear black and white photography and many of the patterns have diagrams and information on how to make them (in Dutch)​

What works well?

• Each part of the flower has clear instructions in Dutch as to how many pairs should be used.

Anything that we need to take into consideration?

• The patterns for this book are supplied on perforated card pages in the book, do check that these are complete when buying.
• Although this pack is printed in Dutch, translating it should not be an issue - read my post on translations
• This book is currently out of print, it is occasionally available on eBay

Duchess by Jose van Pamelen-Hagenaars
20 Kantklospatronen
​Aimed at adventurous and advance lacemakers, this book has clear diagrams and explanations for many of the designs. 

What works well?

• Although in Dutch, there is a section in the book with translation of terms into English and French

Anything that we need to take into consideration?

• The pattern on the front is not included in the book
• Although this pack is printed in Dutch, translating it should not be an issue - read my post on translations
• ​This book is currently out of print, but occasionally appears on eBay.

Bloemenboeket by Kumiko Nakazaki
​This is a folder of 10 duchess / withof lace patterns.

Each pattern is provided in two ways - as a pricking and line version.  The finished lace is shown as a whole piece (with the size reduced) and a pa partial piece full size

What works well?

• The full scale photos are done with high definition and give exceptional clarity for the lace.

Anything that we need to take into consideration?

• These patterns are aimed at advanced lacemakers as there are no working diagrams or instructions included.
• ​This book is currently out of print.

Duchess Lace : An Introduction by Jane Newble-de Graaf
Often mentioned in the same breath as Withof, Duchess Lace is named after Marie Henriette, Duchess of Brabant, who married the future King Leopold III of Belgium in 1853. 

​As the author points out, because this lace was in vogue until the early 1900s, it often appears as antique pieces which makes it accessible to buy actual pieces for study and reproduction.

For me, Duchess lace makes a nice bridge between Bruges Flower Lace and Honiton / Withof as it has similar techniques to Bruges, but is more delicate, which can then be a gateway into the finer and smaller laces of Honiton and Withof.

Jane takes you through the history and techniques of the lace along with discussion and help on designing your own pieces.

Royal Honiton Lace by Elsie Luxton and Yusai Fukyama
With unprecedented access to the Royal Lace collection this book shows the history of Honiton lace through it's Royal connections and support.

Access was given to the Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace and also the Royal Archives. 

The cover shows the Honiton Lace covered Christening gown originally made for Queen Victoria and used up until Prince Williams christening.

Honiton Lace - A Practical Guide by Cynthia Voysey
When this book came out in 1991 it was exciting as it was only the third main stream Honiton teaching book published in 20 years.  

The first was Elsie Luxton's The Technique of Honiton Lace, followed by Suzanne Thompson's An Introduction to Honiton Lace.

This book could have been called 'a visual introduction' as it is full of clear black and white photos demonstrating each of the techniques, step by step

The two bobbins on the front were painted for Cynthia by Barry Biggins in his typical style.

The Technique of Honiton Lace by Elsie Luxton
For nearly a decade, this was the only modern book on Honiton and inspired many people to take up this fine lace.

Taking the lacemaker through beginner's pieces onto flat and raised & rolled work, this book also has a good collection of filling that can be used across the lace.

Elsie's writing style is easy to read and makes this book very accessible.

New Designs in Honiton Lace by Pat Perryman and Cynthia Voysey
Pat Perryman and Cynthia Voysey published this book with the view of offering a number of the patterns that they had designed, over the years.

They note in the frontispiece that they deliberately 'worked the patterns in a simple way to make them accessible to a large number of people.  They can, however, be made more intricate by interpreting them in a different way.'

Honiton Lace: The Visual Approach by Elsie Luxton and Yusai Fukuyama
When this book came out in 1988, it was considered a ground breaking book. 

Firstly, because it introduced Yusai's beautiful Japanese inspired patterns and secondly because each pattern was shown with a right side and a wrong side photo showing both the finished and the working side of the lace.

There are 40 patterns in the book; 22 by Elsie and 18 by Yusai.

New Patterns in Honiton Lace by Caroline and Barry Biggins
Caroline and Barry Biggins were both qualified art teachers and this comes through in both Barry's bobbin painting and their Honiton lace patterns.

The key look and feel of their designs were the fluidity of the designs.

This book is aimed at the intermediate and advanced Honiton lacemaker

What works well?

• The black and white photos of the finished lace are often much bigger than the actual patterns allowing you to see the pattern in greater detail

​ Anything that we need to take into consideration?

• This book is currently out of print, but is often available on from online booksellers and on eBay