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    • Every bobbin tells a story
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The Lace Notes

16/11/2022 0 Comments

To film or not to film, a brief history of pricking making

Why do we prick out patterns?
Pre-pricking a pattern ensures that your lines are clean and straight.  It is easier to get accurate holes for your pins, when you pre-prick.  So, if your lines aren't as smooth as you would like, think about pre-pricking.
PictureTraditional parchment pricking dating from the late 18th Century / early 19th
Traditionally lace patterns or prickings were made onto parchment and I have a number of these dating from the end of the 1800s / start of the 1900s.

During the lace revival starting in the 1970s, people would take rubbings of older prickings then true them up - because you put pins in the holes, the holes can get enlarged or because they were copies of copies then the lines were not straight. Truing meant that the lines were straightened and the pattern 'restored'.

​Before photocopies and home printers were the thing, most books of lacemaking suggested that you traced the pattern from the book then made the pricking. Glazed card was (and still is) sold as pricking card. The idea is that this is heavy enough to hold the pin hole and not deform with usage.

PicturePhotocopy with blue film over it
As tech has advanced, we now can use self adhesive film to cover a photocopy or laminate.

For me, a one off pattern that I'll not make again, I may well cover with film. Just as for extremely complicated patterns that are hard to draw the lines in after pricking, then I'll photocopy and cover with film.


However, my preferred way of creating a pricking is to take a photocopy and prick through the pattern onto the card, then draw in the lines with a fine line permanent marker. I have patterns that I made when I started, back in the 1980s, that I still use because they are robust.  

I often use foolscap manilla folders for my pricking card as these are easy to come by and fold out to a large area.

The other advantage of pricking through the pattern, directly onto the card is that you can make multiple copies of a pattern, at the same time.  Layer up the card stock, pin the pattern onto the top and prick through.  Then you draw the lines on to each pricking.  This is useful when making a pattern for yardage (or a repeating pattern) such as a garter, or if you are creating multiple patterns for teaching or 'have a go' pillows.  


PictureA Spanish pricking that was supplied on orange card
The use of coloured film is supposed to help ease the eyes however, it's worth thinking about printing onto colour card or using coloured film as different coloured threads can work better or worse depending on the backing colour.

​Black thread on blue or green can disappear, which is why Spanish lacemakers often use an orange card.


​You can print directly, these days, onto card. If your printer will take the heavier pricking card, this can be a godsend. 

Louise West has developed a laser pricker which she uses after first laser printing the lines of the pattern onto card.
PictureChristine Springett's snake pattern, traditionally pricked with the details of the pattern marked on with permanent fineliner
However, before you start printing every pattern in your collection out on card, check that your printer ink is waterproof by rubbing a damp finger over it. 

If the ink comes off, then it is likely that it will leech onto your work and discolour it.  


This is why traditionally, mapping ink or permanent markers were used to add in the lines.

Going back to a more traditional way, taking a photocopy of the pattern, rubbing beeswax over it to ease the pricking, then pricking through onto your card and adding in the lines with a fine liner is still one of the better ways to learn a pattern whilst being more ecologically minded.  ​Then you can take the photocopy and compost it.

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30/10/2022 0 Comments

To pair or not to pair ... now that is a question

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Two Janet Retter Reindeer bobbins with jingle spangles
Although bobbins sit on your pillow in pairs, I often see newbie lacemakers asking whether or not they need to have identical bobbins to make up that pair.

It may seem like a simple question, but behind it are many more things to be considered.

Bobbins tell a story about your life.  When many of us start to make lace, it's quantity of bobbins that we need so you will see a pillow with all the bobbin the same.  Then you begin to be bought a bobbin for a birthday or you buy one because you attended a lace day.

I have, on occasion bought two bobbins that are the same, such as these Janet Retter Reindeer bobbins.  Often because the design on the bobbin looks good as a pair.
As you start to try out different styles of lace, you will find a size and weight of bobbin that you like.  If one bobbin is a little lighter in weight then, with your East Mids bobbins, you might add in a slightly heavier spangle to make the over all weight match.

Choosing bobbins from a maker where they produce same size bobbins but with different illustrations is a great way of bringing difference onto your pillow whilst still being the same.

​These tulip bobbins, painted by Sarah Jones, work well with the other bobbins that I have by Sarah as she uses similar sized bobbins for her work.
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Sarah Jones tulip painted ebony bobbins
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Many lacemakers use bone bobbins, whether modern or antique. 

When I started to get into Bucks Point lace and was looking at having a large number of bobbins on my pillow, it was suggested to me that bone was a good choice because it is more dense than wood, and so weighs more. 

This means it can be turned to a finer bobbin for the same weight and take up less space on your pillow.

This started a move for me from wood to bone.  I still use wooden bobbins but there is a connection to lacemakers of the past when you use bone bobbins on a straw pillow.

So, pick up that bobbin, hold it in your hand and see if it speaks to you. Accept a single bobbin as a gift.  It doesn't matter if your bobbins match. 
And just like that, your pillow becomes a harlequin dressed in magical bobbins, creating the most beautiful lace.
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19/7/2022 0 Comments

Tess & The Professor - the online digital archive of weaving and lacemaking

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Back in May 1999, Professor Ralph E Griswold began a project to create a home for scanned documents relating to weaving, including lacemaking.  This came about due to his retirement.  He started to research the mathematical aspects of weaving and through this the on-line database was launched. 

Professor Griswold was part of the computing team at the University of Arizona.  The on-line Digital Archive was housed on the UAZ servers.

The first document added was Cyrus Uhler's Draught and Cording, made from scans done at Lebanon Valley College Library. The first document scanned locally was de Lantsheere's Trésor de L'Art Dentellier from a dilapidated original purchased at a sale at the University of Arizona Library.

The key requirement was for the material to be either out of copyright or for the author to have given permission for the work to be added.

As of today, there are over 9k pdfs available, including 4.7k articles and 9.1k pdf documents, of which over 470 are books that you can download.
The lace world came to know of this project and help with it through the work of Tess Palmer on the Arachne mail lists. 

Tess began her partnership with the Professor as a willing partner to scan lace documents and a great partnership began.

She would keep us informed on how the work was going, seek out contributors and put translators in touch with the Professor.   Over the next few years, we became used to seeing emails about Tess & the Professor in our feeds telling us about new uploads and searches for out of copyright material to be added.
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As lacemaking became a major focus in the archive, it was promoted to it's own section.

In order to make choosing a document to download easier, low res sample pages were added to many of the documents so you could 'try before you buy'.

These days, that seems a strange thing to do but when the archive was created, many were still on dial up so downloading a pdf could take 15 - 30 minutes and then to find out it didn't contain what you were looking for was a shock.
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Sadly, Professor Griswold passed away on 4th October, 2006.  His pioneering work in computer science reached out far further than Arizona.  His impact for lacemakers through the archive has been a wonderful memorial to this great man.
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12/7/2022 0 Comments

When a lacemaker's thoughts turn to weddings ...

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There comes a point in most lacemaker's lives when someone they love wants to get married.  

​And what could be more natural than to offer to make a garter for the bride.

Whatever you decide to make, as a gift to the bride, you are placing each and every pin with love and care.

You get to add a touch of colour for the 'something blue' and as an item you have created it is the 'something new' for the bride.

So, what do you need to think about?
How long do you have?
If the wedding is two months away and you work full time, then deciding on making a piece that is 6" wide and needs to be a over a yard long may not be the best idea.
What type of things does the bride like?
If your bride is non traditional, would they really want a garter?  There are other things you could make that may be more to their liking.
Where are you on your lacemaking journey?
A year into learning to make lace I thought it would be a really good idea to make a garter.  It was a hell of a learning curve.  I chose a pricking with just a photo attached to it.  Yep, I got there in the end, but boy was it a ride.
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So, what are your options?
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​Bookmark
For a bride planning on getting married in a church, with a traditional service, such as having a mass or communion, a bookmark to go in their order of service is a lovely personal gift.

This is a great choice for the beginner lacemaker as it's not a big project, there are lots of different patterns out there and you can often use a blue gimp thread to outline, which lets you add in your 'something blue'
Bracelet and other jewelry
​A lace bracelet is a very personal gift between a lacemaker and a bride. 

It is important to speak with the bride, before the wedding, to ensure that what you are creating will work with their dress and accessories.

A headdress, fascinator, necklace, these are all great options to explore.
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Handkerchief
When I got married, my mum lent me a handkerchief that I had given her as my 'something borrowed'.

A lace corner is a great choice for a simple handkerchief adornment rather than a full lace edging.  

And remember, bucks point corners are a more modern invention, previously the lace was made in a length and ruffled round the edges so if you are not so confident with corners this could be the solution for you.
Sixpence Keepers
​The idea of giving a sixpence to the bride was to ensure prosperity in the marriage.

When my grandfather was courting my grandmother, he didn't have that much money (it was the 1920s) so, being a blacksmith and farrier, he took some threepenny bits and drill holes at the edge. 

He then joined them to make a bracelet for my grandmother.

 I inherited a couple of these, so when my nephew got married, I chose to make a sixpence keeper from A Simply Sparkle Wedding and place one of the threepenny bits there.

The bucks point took me two weeks of evenings and the weekend in-between (around 65 hours).  I knew about the wedding a year out. 
​
Naturally, I started making the lace 10 days before the wedding.  Procrastination you are my god.
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Garters
The garter tradition means that you are giving a very intimate gift to someone that has a large amount of work in it.  

When thinking about how much time you will need to make a garter, think of the traditional garter as like making two strips of lace that happen to be joined in the middle.  This means that you aren't just making the length needed for the garter, but making twice as much because you need a left and right side to be made at the same time.

The garter that I made took around 200 hours work.  Today, 30 years later, I would estimate that I could have made this torchon garter in around 150-160 hours.
Options
  1. Make a traditional, double-sided garter
  2. Make a single sided garter where the lace is attached to an elasticated ribbon at the top and the lace drops down below
  3. Make a double sided garter, but using two strips of narrow lace that you attach to the elasticated ribbon - this is an excellent option for the newer lacemaker.
​To make an elasticated ribbon, you sew two pieces of ribbon together, to make a channel, then put the elastic inside.  The lace can then be sewn onto the channel.
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Fans
An alternative to a garter is a fan.  These can be full size or miniature.  Overall, a fan is going to take far more hours to create than a garter and you will need to bear in mind that it will need to be mounted onto fan sticks. 

​If these are bespoke, then also budget time for them to be created.
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Where next?
Why not try out the book blog for some inspiration.  I've even added in a wedding category.  Just click on the button below.
Weddings - Book Blog
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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.
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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

13/6/2021 3 Comments

Cloth Stitch / Whole Stitch / and I'm so confused

When I learnt to make lace, in the 80s, cloth stitch and whole stitch were the same and are described that way in many of the UK published books. 

Then, in the 90s, we went international and had access to books from around the world and we discovered that, gasp, not everyone described the bobbin movements the way we did.
This is when people started to use the terms C & T so that they could talk to each other and mean the same.
It then came as a shock to many people that Belgium had anticipated this many, many years ago and infact, had established the 'Bruges colour code' for lace back before WWI.  
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Simple explanation © Lorelei Halley Laceiloi
I teach using the numbers and then when my classes get used to that I introduce terminology.
So I teach the following where you number the two pairs of bobbins from left to right; 1 - 4 and always renumber after each move:
  • Half Stitch is - CT made by 2 over 3 (Cross / C), then 2 over 4 back (Twist / T) 
  • Cloth Stitch is - CTC made by 2 over 3 (C), 2 over 4 back (T) then 2 over 3 (C)
  • Cloth Stitch and Twist is CTCT (aka whole stitch) made by 2 over 3 (C), 2 over 4 back (T), 2 over 3 (C) then 2 and 4 back (T)
So far, so good?

Not really, because when I learnt, cloth and whole stitch were interchangable as terms and Cloth Stich & Twist was described as Cloth Stitch & Twist or Whole Stitch and Twist.
And it gets worse because some books teach it the other way, in particular, Doris Southand, in her book, teaches half stitch differently as Twist and Cross - TC rather than CT.

As Doris is very popular in the USA this can cause confusion between lacemakers who have learnt using her system, either from her books or from followers of her methods, when they move to books from the UK and Europe.

But it doesn't stop there.

Although the 'International System' was developed in Bruges in the early 20th Century, it was not internationally taken up worldwide.   
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Simple explanation © Lorelei Halley Laceiloi
Now, there were a number of reasons that the International System didn't take off and the main one was limitations on printing.  

During the resurgence of lacemaking in the 70s and 80s, colour printing was exceptionally expensive.  Most designers would only have a colour cover and maybe one or two colour plates in their books.  This wasn't an issue for looking at the lace patterns and finished articles because most, if not all the lace was made in the traditional white or black and the prickings were black dots.  

Around the mid 90s, dual colour because easier to do so we started to see the addition of blue into the printing of a number of books, most noticably Pamela Nottingham's later books.  This was followed by tri colour printing and we started to see red included in Geraldine Stott's and Bridget Cook's later books.

​With the opening of the EuroTunnel in 1990, it now became easy for lacemakers in the UK to take a train to Belgium and holiday in Bruges, giving access to the Kant Centrum and attend OIDFA events in Europe.

Towards the end of the 90s, access to international books was also becoming much easier in the UK due to international lace suppliers attending events like the National Lacemaker's Fair at the NEC and teaching at summer schools.

Interest in books from outside the UK grew and UK lace suppliers found it easier to obtain books from publishers such as Barbara Vey.  

It was around this time that multicoloured printing took off and we started to see the International Colour Code being used more and more in books and people started to realise that terminology isn't global.  So, the use of C and T became the international language on many of the newsgroups such as Arachne so that lacemakers could talk to each other and understand what was being discussed.
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Colour Code Key © Jenny Brandis
The wonderful Jenny Brandis adds colour working diagrams to her patterns which show the International Colours. 

​In there she uses the common names along with the CT notation.

​I particularly love how many times whole stitch and cloth stitch appear with different variations of CT.
What now?
​
My advice has always been to check the front of any book as in most cases, the author / designer will explain what they mean by half, cloth and whole stitch.  

Knowing when and where your book was published will give you a starting point as to what to expect.  Then look at the diagrams and check that you are using the same methods as the author.

​Jenny Brandis suggests making a note in pencil at the front of your book or pattern reminding you what the terminology for that book is.

​But most of all, make lace.
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3 Comments

10/6/2021 0 Comments

Buying bobbins on eBay

Having just picked up some lovely bone bobbins on ebay, I thought it might be time to offers some advice about buying second hand modern bobbins.
So here are my top tips on buying second hand on eBay (and elsewhere)
1)    Is this bobbin still available from the original turner / painter at a reasonable price? 
​
Supporting our artisans is good karma, but obviously if it's a bargain then you are going to buy the pre-loved bobbin. Don't forget to check out 'find the maker' if you want to identify the maker is
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2)    Is the bobbin good value? 
If you have a budget, then set your limit according when bidding. It's really easy to get carried away and bid way over the top
3)    Is this a private seller or a dealer? 
Always check out the other bobbins that the seller has on sale. There are starting to be a number of sellers who are effectively dealers, but pretending to be private sellers. They buy new bobbins from current artisans and then put them straight on to eBay with a markup. I don't believe in Caveat emptor - Buyer beware.

If you then unsure about a purchase talk with one of the most experience lacemakers in the lace Facebook groups.
You are more than welcome to message me.

4)    Take a good look at the photos. 
Fuzzy photos may be someone who isn't good at taking them or it may be an attempt to cover up a less than wonderful bobbin that has a fault.

​There is nothing stopping you contacting the seller to ask for more photos, or information, if you are really interested
0 Comments

4/6/2021 2 Comments

Copyright and why I don't offer to copy the patterns in my personal library

I've spent the past 30 years collecting lacemaking books and patterns.   There are over 200 books now and about the same number of patterns.
Every so often, I get asked if I can let someone borrow one of my books or provide a copy of a pattern, either from a book or a pattern itself.
The answer is always no.
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In the past, I have had people borrow a book and not return it.  So, I now simply say no.  Many of my books are out of print and irreplaceable.  I use them as a resource for my students to look through and loosing such books would impact them as much as me.
So, what about just copying a pattern from one of my books or single patterns?

​The answer is still no.
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Where a pattern is still in print, apart from them being covered by copyright, we owe it to the author / designer to pay for that pattern.  

Buying a pattern has never been cheaper, relatively speaking.  The cost of lacemaking has not risen in line with inflation.  It is cheaper now to start than ever before.  Patterns now cost from a couple of pounds to under a tenner for pre-pricked patterns.  Most second hand lace books sell for a fraction of what they cost originally.

So, go buy the pattern, support the author.  Treat yourself to the out of print book.
What about out of print patterns and books that you can't get hold of?  Well, they are covered by copyright.
Now here is my disclaimer about what I'm going to say next.​

​NAL - I am 
Not A Lawyer.  I'm someone who respects UK copyright and am offering suggestions below as to resources that may help others.  I am specifically discussing UK law here, however, if the book or pattern was published in the UK, or you are based in the UK, then UK law takes precedent.  So, if your home country says that the law is more lax, unfortunately, the higher rules in the UK trump your home laws.  As with anything pertaining to the law, if in doubt, seek advices from a professional.
For any book or pattern published in the UK or sold in the UK, then copyright extends for the life of the author plus 75 years.
But I just want a copy of one pattern
​Doesn't matter.  If it's covered by copyright then making a copy and giving it you breaks copyright.  You are stealing the intellectual property of the person who designed it.
But you can copy up to 10% without breaking copyright
No you can't.  That is a common quote that people say that has no basis in copyright law.  If copying is permitted, it is stated in the UK and US for example as 'fair usage' which is commonly taken to mean no more than 10% but I fact this refers to quoting a book in academic work.
But you are allowed to copy the patterns from a book to make them yourself, why can't you make a copy for me?
The designer grants the book owner permission to copy the patterns for personal use, so that you can make the lace.  It would be rather difficult to buy a book of patterns and not be able to copy them and make prickings.

What the designer did not give permission for, is for you or me to copy the patterns and give them away to other people.
But you can buy the book second hand, in that case, the designer doesn't get any money for the patterns when the new owner makes lace
​You are right, that's how second hand books work.  The person who sells you the book, second hand, now passes on to you the right to copy the patterns for your personal use as they relinquish the right they had when they bought the book.  Your paying them for selling the book, to you, is the transaction where they passed on that right.

However, when a book become second hand it doesn't miraculously wipe out copyright laws, they still exist and apply to the book.  This means that any laws that apply to the new book, still apply to the second hand book in that you can't just go and photocopy the patterns and give them to your friends
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I'm not charging anyone for the copy so that's ok then?
No it's not.  Paying or not, it doesn't matter.  You are prohibited from passing on copies.  Just because you don't profit from the copy doesn't make it ok.  You are still effectively stealing someone else's intellectual property by passing on unlawful copies
I can't get the pattern I want, but I've got a great photograph of it so I'll just make my own pattern by working the photo or creating my own pricking and it will then be my pricking.
​You can and you can't.

Working from the design to learn the pattern .. That's ok, you are allowed to do that under educational purposes, however you cannot share the pattern you have created or sell the lace you have made because they are covered by the copyright of the original pattern.  The pattern and the images of that pattern are covered by copyright.  You can't just go and nick someone else's work.  It is stealing!
If I change 10% of the pattern, then I'm not breaking copyright and it's now my new pattern
That would be a nope, nope, nope.  This 10% thing is terrible and keeps being rolled out.  There is nothing that says changing a bit revokes copyright.
So, here is a quick summary of the top ten myths on copyright
  1. copyright doesn't affect me - nope, it does affect you.  It's real and it does exist
  2. Changing x% of a pattern mean it's ok - it's an old wives tale. Changing the pattern does not mean it's yours. It's still covered by copyright and intellectual property laws.
  3. Making the article from the pattern means I can sell it - nope it does not unless the designer has said that you can
  4. It's ok to copy a pattern that is out of print - no it isn't. Copyright lasts 75 years after the author dies. Just because you can't find the pattern easily doesn't mean it's ok to photocopy it
  5. The designer isn't from my country so I'm not covered by their law - you are. You are covered by both the laws of the country that the author is in and your country ... and the law which lasts the longest is the one that trumps the others
  6. It doesn't hurt anyone so I'm going to do it - yes it does hurt people. It hurts the designer. Really, when a pattern costs a couple of pounds why are you being so stingy
  7. I'm doing this to learn more about the pattern ... Actually, if you are recreating a piece of lace as a way of learning a technique, then you are ok to use a photo of a piece or draft your own pattern from a picture HOWEVER, you cannot sell the pattern you make or the item you have made and you have to give acknowledgement to the original designer.
Resources
  • UK Government site for knitting and sewing patterns copyright which most closely links to lace patterns
  • US Government site​

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    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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