Hello all,

I just wanted to share a link to the internet archive, a nonprofit online library-like resource that has a lot of old books and manuals scanned and available for free. They have a lot of cool older sewing/knitting/etc. materials, and also a collection of bobbin lace books. I am not affiliated with them, just wanted to share in case it is helpful for anyone else who struggles to find/afford physical copies of so many hobby books. If this is an inappropriate place to post this, please let me know and I am happy to remove the post.

Happy crafting to you all!

Hello!! I am so lucky to have plans to travel to Scotland in October for a fiber art retreat. Part of the retreat is learning bobbin lace. I need to bring my own supplies, and I’m trying to figure out which option is going to be best for my set of circumstances.

I’m trying to save money for right now, because I have a whole plethora of expenses related to this trip. I can buy a better pillow when I’m back home and know more about lace making and have a chance for my finances to recover.

I’m also trying to (insane, I know) travel with only a carry on. Which significantly limits my space and weight limits.

The instructions for the class say to get 24 bobbins, so I guess I need something big enough to use them all?

A 16 inch pillow from SnowGooseLace is going to be $42 plus shipping. A 15x12 wool pressing mat is $10 from Amazon. It would hold pins well and probably fit in my suitcase easier. But I don’t know enough (because I don’t know anything) about lace making to know if that’s something I can realistically use for a couple days while I’m in Scotland.

Does anyone have any feedback? Would a wool mat work for this situation?

Thanks all!!

This still has a couple mistakes but I really dont care, this is the most complicated yet and it wasnt as hard as I thought it would be.

And i have a while rainbow of silk now, I just bought a copper one to finish it, I'll have to post it somewhere.

i have absolutely no beginning idea on how to even start... this is from The Technique of Honiton Lace that everyone talks about but i just don't see how i can understand this. im more of a visual learner and can't seem to find any videos or photo-guides on honiton, thanks for any help

How does it look?

Just wondering, where do you get your pins, and what size do you usually get?

I was using dressmaker pins from Michaels. I thought they were nice and thin. But they get squished together when I need a lot of pins on a tight turn.

I found a set of 1000 25mm (2.5cm, 1”) pins on Ali Express.
Look at the size difference.
🤯

The heads are tiny and the pins are soooo thin. You can see the difference in the last picture. I have a mix of old and new. The most recent ones are all the new ones.

Where else can I get them this small?

Okay so I was supposed to receive some thread today

However this store forgot to put the thread in the package

And after checking my thread boxes I don't think it's the right size that they recommend it 🤔

So the store said that it was a 5 crochet thread

But I feel like that's really thick not only that I have a homemade "worksheet" that's suggest a whole different size of thread so is there maybe a Finnish person in here or someone else that has done a some of this persons patterns?

Thank you so much to everyone here who helped me work out where I was going wrong on my second lace project! I've just completed it and, although shes a little lumpy and bumpy, I'm very happy with it.

Thank you all :)

https://youtu.be/6iyk0ZHlbkA?is=AFr4kaW5tLP2lIbU

Hi

A relatively newbie lace maker here. I've worked my way through a pile of bookmark and sampler patterns, and learnt a nice little selection of stitches, but want to give myself a challenge or 3 to keep me busy on my summer break.

Can anyone recommend patterns or books please? I'd love to do a shaped piece, or really anything that develops a new skill/technique - I'm much more a "process" maker than searching for pretty outcomes, so all options considered!

Thanks 🙂

I'm following exercise two in Bridget Cooks book 'the Torchon Lace Workbook". This pattern is to learn to half stitch diamonds. I've come to the end of my first diamond and the book says all of my bobbins should have finished in their respective pairs. I hope you can see in the photo that they are definitely not in their pairs.

I've undone and redone the diamonds 4 times now and I can't ever get them to end in their pairs.

Can anyone offer any advise please?

This is my first piece after spending years learning crochet, i really did have fun doing and undoing the stitches to learn how to deal with tangled bobbins. But how does one come back from this kind of mistake😭 should i just start with a new piece and cut my losses?

I don’t work on my bobbin lace constantly and it lives in my living room someone touched it (didn’t mess it up) and rearranged the bobbins 😂😭 my
Child, nieces, boyfriends, nor guests say they’ve moved it 😂 not mad about it just find it amusing because the bobbins determined that was a lie

I'm wondering if anyone here might have any leads on a similar style of pillow to this. A member of my lace guild purchased this at a conference (I'm guessing IOLI) years ago from a Spanish maker who was going into retirement, so it sounds like this particular style is no longer made. I've been neglecting my bobbin lace in favor of more portable knitting/teneriffe projects, but I think something I could easily travel with and sit on my couch to work on would get me back into it

Hi! I've picked up bobbin lace and have a bolster pillow and hooded bobbins. The first online course I followed specifically used the open method (used in this case in the Erzgebirge region in Germany).

Do you know any book specifically writter for bolster pillows and open method?

Or can I just use books and techniques designed for flat pillows anyway?

Languages for the book can be: German, French or English

Thanks a lot!

Edit: I've found "Klöppelfibel" which was specifically written for bolster pillows in the Erzgebirge region but it has been out of print for a while...

https://youtu.be/_NGaLn9PISU?is=6GJl1oqBbOnQMrG0

Heading out to a cottage for a week with friends. Driving and don’t actually have a great deal of space for all the stuff I want to take. BUT!! I made myself a very small cookie pillow - 8” cork trivet topped with a round cotton pillow the same size stuffed with hay (no straw, but my bunnies were willing to share their hay with me), topped with a fleece cover.

I have the cutest little storage container from Michaels that holds all my bobbins and threads.

It fits into a reusable grocery bag and tucks neatly into the bottom corner of my trunk.

The box for the miniest baby pillow is a shoe box from when my teen was a toddler and wore shoes in size “omg tinyyyyy 😅☺️”. It has a handle so I couldn’t throw it away.

I’m super happy with the setup.

Christmas ornaments for everyone this week.

https://youtu.be/6dCwJgf_3XU?is=IqKZu3KusSnbS_ZX

Here are my humble first six tønder lace samplers (15cm/each). Made with Fresia 100/2 Egyptisch Katoen and DMC coton perlé 12

Version 1 vs version 2 I made it about 10-15% smaller, added another pair of bobbins to the edging to make it a better whole stitch and added an extra pair of bobbins to the silver in the fan laces In plain thread for sturdiness and am just doing whole stitches there. I also added picots at the tips of the fans for “oomph” I guess😅 it’s a mix of crochet thread, embroidery floss split apart and metallic sewing thread 💕

Book “Torchon Lace Making A step-by-step guide by Jan Tregidgo” constantly mentions/uses VENUS CROCHET 70 thread. Can I use the thread in the photo as a replacement?

A few days ago, I posted a question about joining techniques in the eye of a fish that I am making.
You were very helpful with some comments and ideas, so it is only reasonable to update you on the progress.

As it turns out, the only thing worse than my English is my ability to follow directions.
I ended up somewhere in-between the suggestions, and save for a few mistakes here and there, it seems to work. It would be possible to undo the entire thing to fix the mistakes, but I've done so twice already and I'd like to eventually finish it. No one is going to notice it once the music is playing anyway. :D

Thank you very much for your help!

I used this and the hole is small also it solves the sore finger issue! A big thank you to everyone who poured in their suggestions.

Last post: https://www.reddit.com/r/BobbinLace/s/pY20y3CB7h

I am using Pearl Cotton 8 thread, the other day someone said that I need to starch it for(it was a helpful comment 😊) for it to stay stiff and strong.

Then in some other post I saw someone said they “Hairspray” their work, 1) I want to know whether to hairspray right after finishing(when the work still has pins in it) or should I remove the pin and then hairspray it?

2) Also, when to remove the pin right after finishing it, or should I leave it for a day or two?

3) The removal of pins is from top to bottom or however one vibes?

Ok these are way too many questions kindly help me out 😊

TIA TIA TIA 🤍🤍🤍

I didn’t pre-prick my pattern which turned my finger RED and it hurts because of the constant pin pushing 😭😭

Is there any DIY/Makeshift pricker that I can make and use.

I tried using a Seam Ripper it makes unnecessarily big holes