Lace

Day 101: Given that I had just shipped off two of my last three bobbin lace bookmarks recently, I decided it was time to make more. I try to keep several on hand for get-well wishes, weddings, condolences and the like, and generally work them up in batches of two per color, using sewing thread for the body of the lace and perle cotton for the gimp along the border. Although sewing thread is considered a heavyweight material for this type of lace-making, the finer threads are generally only available in white and cream.

The card beneath the lace is called a pricking. It shows where each element of the design is to be placed, and is perforated before mounting on the bolster so that pins may be inserted to stabilize the lace during construction. Sometimes a pricking allows for a variation of motifs. The pins used in bobbin lace are finer and shorter than standard sewing pins. As threads are crossed or twisted (passed over an adjacent thread from left to right, or from right to left), a pin is put into place at the junction of the threads and then "closed" with a similar action of the threads. Additional twists may be added to make a more rigid lace. Bobbins are generally worked in pairs and are often weighted with beads at the end of each bobbin shank which not only prevent them from rolling around on the bolster but also help the lacemaker to identify their position. When you have several dozen bobbins in play, it's easy to lose track!

These little bookmarks take about an hour and a half to complete. They require 14 pair of bobbins, two pair carrying the gimp threads and twelve for the working threads. I've completed one since loading the bolster yesterday, and have just begun the one shown here.