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The Lace Notes

18/8/2021 1 Comment

What should I get when I buy a pattern or why you should not expect instructions with every pattern

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I've had a number of conversations with people both in person or on line about what to expect when you buy a lace pattern.

There has been a recent trend with designers providing explicit instructions with their patterns and some even provide YouTube videos to help with key parts of the pattern.

This is great, but it has a number of issues.

Testing
If the instructions are not tested properly, then the inexperienced lacemaker will become disheartened and at best, not make the pattern, at worst, be put off lacemaking
Understanding Prickings / Reliance on Instructions
Learning to read a pattern should be a key part of every lacemaker's evolution.

It gives confidence, speeds up your lacemaking and opens up many patterns where no instructions are offered. However, being reliant on instructions stops you from embedding the techniques in your mind. 

If you make a mistake reading the instructions it is harder to read the lace back to see where the mistake was because you don't have the understanding of what you have done.  
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Think of it as the difference between trying to read a newspaper in another language and having to use either a dictionary or google translate compared to being fluent in that language.

One of the key things that, as a teacher, I have experienced, is that it gives false confidence.  I have had people come to me who have made an intermediate piece that came with instructions and now want to try a similar piece that has none and it is a real shock that they have no understanding on how to make the lace.

I will break down the techniques in the pattern they want to make and together we will choose 3 or 4 pieces that will them them the knowledge and confidence to attempt the piece they want to make.  I will never tell a student that they can't make a piece, I will always show them how to gain the skills to make it.
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Providing instructions is not a global thing
If you limit yourself to only making lace where you have instructions then you are restricting what patterns you can access.

Most continental designers do not provide instructions, in fact, many don't even provide a photograph of the finished item.

If you look at my book blog, only a quarter of the books that have patterns, that I have logged, have any form of instruction with them and most of those are beginner instruction books.

Where designers created during the 80s through to the turn of the century, most did not provide instructions and a number of these designers are now dead.  If you rely on  instructions you are closing down your access to these amazing patterns.
So why are these patterns without instructions 'so expensive'?
That is an easy answer. 
You are relating cost to the number of pages that you get. 

​Whereas, for most designers, the price reflects the time and knowledge it took to create the design.

So, what should I get when I buy a pattern?
Simple answer - the pattern.  Anything else is a bonus.
1 Comment

17/8/2021 0 Comments

How much should I really pay for a second hand lace book

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As I work through my books and add them to the book blog, I have been amazed at the different prices I've paid for my books, over the years.
In my blog about Adult Education, I covered how in real terms, how lace equipment has become more affordable.
​If I compare what I was earning in 1988 with a similar role today and its wage basically the take home in 2021 is three times that of 1988.  A bobbin from a person still creating today, is 2/3 more.  My first pillow cost £9 for a polystyrene 18" pillow, a similar one £20.
  • 2021 wage = 300% 1988 wage
  • 2021 bobbin = 160% cost of 1988 bobbin
  • 2021 pillow = 220% cost of a 1988 pillow
Even allowing for food and bills, the cost of lace equipment has not risen at the same rate as other things.  It has become more affordable.
I'm at a point in my book buying that I'm selective about which books I buy, but this is simply because of the number of books in my library.  You know you have an issue when you measure your books, not by number but by the length of the bookshelf.  

However, because I teach, I am often on the look out for books to recommend to my students.
Buying a second hand book is very similar to buying a second hand bobbin and many of the suggestions that I made in my blog on bobbins apply here too.
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The top half of one of my lace bookcases
So, down to the nitty gritty ...
1)   Is this book 'desirable'?
  • If the book is still in print, then the worth of the book should not exceed the cover price.  
  • For books that are out of print, it comes down to two things
    • How rare is it?
    • How many other people want it?
Often booklets or self published books were limited print runs.  But, if no one wants the book then just because a book was a limited run, doesn't make it worth a vast amount of money.

In the book blog, I've annotated each entry as to whether or not it's still in print.  If you can't find the book that you are looking for then remember, it's a work in progress.  Fill out my contact form with details of the book and if I have it in the library I'll push the entry to the top of the list for you.
2)   Is this book still in print?
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It tickles me when I see a book that is still in print being offered for more than you can currently buy it.

Having spoken with a number of authors, it is heart breaking to see how much of their profit is taken if you buy from big sellers. 

Where possible, try to buy direct from the author as your money will help them publish their next book and keep new books coming.

If the book is in print, I have annotated the book blog to show this and help you buy direct.
3)   What is this book worth?
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Lace types come and go into fashion. 

Back in the early 90s Honiton was the in lace to make and the standard books on this lace were published in large numbers. 

​Having fallen out of fashion in recent years, Honiton books such as Suzanne Thompson's Introduction book now goes for a few pounds whilst her 'further steps' was a very small run and when it does appear, second hand, goes for an awful lot more.
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Some books though, remain very highly priced regardless of trends.
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Both of Briget Cook's Russian lace books go for higher than their original jacket price, with Russian lace patterns, at the time of writing (Jul 2022) being in the region of over £60

Of interest is that any of Pat Read's 90s books on Milanese Lace, command equally high prices, which has been consistent since the books went out of print, just before the millenium.
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And finally ...
If the book has prickings in it on a separate sheet, always confirm whether or not that sheet is included.  Nothing worse than buying a book to find out you can't make the patterns because they are missing.
0 Comments

8/8/2021 2 Comments

Why do lacemakers use brass pins or what I've learnt from being given pillows with stainless steel pins in them.

Over the past couple of weeks I've been dealing with a large donation of lace equipment.  

A few of the pillows had half finished work on them, which I was assessing to see if the projects could be finished.  Some were ok, but others, the thread were too degraded.

When I started making lace, in the 1980s, I, like many lacemakers, bought brass pins because these were what, traditionally, lacemakers had use.
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Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain good quality brass pins.  As the industry declined, many lacemakers have moved to using stainless steel or nickel plated brass
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Brass is a mixture of copper and tin.  

On its own, copper if very bendy so the tin helps to strengthen it.  The tin also stops copper from oxidising to a green colour - verdigris.

This doesn't mean that brass doesn't discolour - it can turn dark from usage.  Traditionally lacemakers would have a pin cushion with untreated wool in it so that the lanolin in the wool would make the pins slip into the pillow easily, however the lanolin also caused the pins to discolour.

If you put a magnet to your brass pins, and they are not attracted to the magnet then they are pure brass.

Nickel should not discolour nor should it react to a magnet

Stainless steel is a cost efficient alternative to brass but rusts.

Stainless steel stays sharp, it is incredibly sharp and is a cheaper material to manufacturer.

It's stainless because it does not pick up stains from being in contact with other things, however it is susceptible to moisture and can rust.

Steel is made up of iron and carbon, often with some Chromium in it to help minimise rusting.
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You can tell that a pin has steel in it because it can be picked up by a magnet (that is the iron that the magnet is reacting to).

Our hands, the air, even straw or sawdust pillows naturally have moisture in them.  For short periods of time, a few weeks or so, the pins will be fine in the pillow.  However, the issue starts when the pins are left in the pillow for extended periods of time.

The first indication will be that the pins don't want to come out of the pillow easily, then you start to see spots on the pins finally, spotting on the lace.
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What can you do?

The obvious solution is to not leave your lace on your pillow for extended periods of time.

The next solution is to move to using brass pins.

If that isn't an option, look for nickel plated steel as the nickel will protect the pins.

​For my finer laces, I use entomology pins (the ones people use for putting bugs in a frame) which are enamel coated, this gives me the strength from steel but the anti rust properties of the enamel.  Oh, as they are black with a gold head, they also look cool!
Want to know about pins?
If you are in the UK, then plan a visit to the Forge Needle Museum or read about pins at Brian Lemin's website
2 Comments
    Back to The Lace Notes
    From time to time I post on different groups and wanted to collect some of the advice that I give in one places.

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