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The Lace Notes

Bobbin & spangle sizes

8/5/2025

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PictureSally Reason bobbins with 7 main beads, including the crystal rondells.
When I first started to make lace in the heady days of the late 1980s I was obsessed with buying big, bulky east midlands bobbins and having heavy spangles with 7 main beads on them.

It was as though I needed something heavy duty to grab as I learned to make lace.

Within a year or so I stared to buy slimmer bobbins and moved to five main beads in the spangle, with small seed beads between the main beads to stop them rubbing.  It was as though as my speed increased I moved from grabbing at the bobbins to 'throwing' them.  This change in technique is somewhat aligned to how when you start to drive you say out loud 'Mirror, sigal, manouver', then after a while you just do that without having to say it.

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Gradually I respangled all of my bobbins to match my preferred style and started to move to buying bone bobbins as I could afford them.  

The move to bone bobbins was for a number of reasons:
  • When I started lacemaking, quantity of bobbins was more important than expansive bobbins.
  • There is something romantic about using bone bobbins on a straw pillow that links you to lacemakers from the past
  • Bone bobbins are naturally heavier than wood which means that they can thinnner than wood allowing you to wrangle more bobbins in the same space on your pillow which is perfect for larger and/or more complex pieces.

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I usually buy new bobbins unspangled but sometimes this isn't an option and with secondhand, you get what you get.  

I'm always torn as to whether or not to change the spangles on preloved / secondhand bobbins.  They are show you part of the character and personality of the last owner but other times they can be impractical.  ​Often you realise from it's condition that a bobbin has not been used and it's obvious becuase of the spangle. 

They can be unwealdy due to dangling bits or just too heavy or too light.

With bobbins to the right, the one in the middle has 7 beads on it but is of a good weight.  The one to it's left, well, I tried but that dangle just keeps getting in the way.  To it's right is a hinged bobbin whcih I have to say, is perfectly balanced.

So, is there a rule as to how many beads you should have on an East Midland's bobbin?
Nope - none at all.
What I will say is that you are going to find your perfect weight and it may be quickly after you start or much later.  But at some point, you are going to embrace the fact that you need to respangle ALL of your bobbins.

It's inevitable.  Just go with it and enjoy the fun.
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To film or not to film, a brief history of pricking making

16/11/2022

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

30/10/2022

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

19/7/2022

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

12/7/2022

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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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  • Home
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