Lacemaking

[Jilly]

Wow!! I am in total awe! so many bobbins, they are all incredible

[Angel]

Lacemaking looks really complicated but sooooo pretty!

[lacemaker2004]

The bobbins are the addictive part for me. I'll take pictures of them and post those if I can. I've got literally hundreds of handpainted and antiques. (of course Laura, my teacher, completely swamps me in the number of bobbins. She received a suitcase of them from her mother!) The antiques are so cool knowing that I'm continuing using what helped someone make a living. It's now like they are in retirement and just need to work when they want to. Many of them are on display in my living room. Since I'm one of the few lacemakers in the area that collects antique bobbins, the local antique dealers are on a look out for me.

[Angel]

Ooooh I wanna see!

[lacemaker2004]

Angel must be patient

[Angel]

So people keep telling her...Angel doesn't know how. Has Angel been patient yet?

[Mabel Figworthy]

Those pieces are mind-blowing, Alyson -- I suppose lacemakers get rather fed up with questions like 'how on earth do you know which thread goes where?' and 'How do you tell all your bobbins apart?' but for a complete lace-ignoramus like myself this looks suspiciously like magic.

The Milanese piece is lovely, so colourful and all those elegant sweeping lines; you're an amazingly talented lady!

[Serinde]

These are spectacular. I had never seen milanese lace. It looks so modern.

[lacemaker2004]

Here are the metal lace jewelry.

This one is sterling silver made by Lenka at Silver Pin Studios out of Canada. It's kind of big so you can see the detail.



This next one is by Susan Lambert in North Carolina. It's gold filled metal done in the buck point style. It was hard to get the detail because of the large bead in the middle.

[lacemaker2004]

Here are a few bucks point pieces. Most are just practice pieces from various classes and attempts that I've made.




This is the piece from this past weekend's class

[Angel]

Oh wow, they're beautiful! And even more princessy up close.

Is lace making hard?

[lacemaker2004]

It is at first until you get used to the techniques and such. Being in England though you have such great access to other lacemakers and classes that it would be easy for you to pick up. They start you off on larger scale and sturdier threads and that helps too.

Over the weekend I'll try to scan in some of my bobbins and that will really tempt you.

[carolyn61]

Oh my goodness. I am completely awestruck. Your work is amazing! I'm afraid if I could produce anything even resembling your talent, my pride would overwhelm me. I would be unbearable to live with and you know what they say about pride going before a fall....
Here's to you

[Angel]

Bobbins? ooooh!

I don't even know how you make lace in theory let alone practice.

[Rose]

Very beautiful pieces. I admire your talent. I am sure I don't have the patients.

[~threadbear~]

They are exquisite!

Absolutely beautiful.

I am in awe of the beautiful lace you make as well. It is such a talent to have.
How long does it take in comparison to cross stitch? Is it something that makes up quickly?
(I mean basic designs compared to basic and then more complicated to an intricate piece of cross stitch).

[Serinde]

What beautiful pieces of craft these are. On the metal lace, it's quite simple to see how it was crafted, and it's not unlike stumpwork. Just fantastic.

(Angel, bobbins are wonderful and beautiful and very collectable, stash-wise.)

[Mabel Figworthy]

'just practice pieces' she says
If those are just your 'attempts' I wonder what the perfected articles will look like

And i love the silver lace, so delicate and elegant! (Is it available in England? I've got an anniversary coming up )

[Unfinished]

Beautiful work - I would love to be able to do this but probably have enough unfinished projects to last me one lifetime with out trying to start any more. Besides it looks very complicated, but what lovely results

[agi]

Oh, that is simply gorgeous!
I have to show it to my daughter, she is doing silver jewellery.

Hats off.