Veronica Sorenson - 75 Quick & Easy Bobbin Lace Patterns

This original and wide-ranging collection of lace designs brings together 75 new ideas for the lacemaker, with patterns for creating finished pieces that are both inspiring and easy-to-make.

With the emphasis on simplicity of technique and the use of a small number of bobbins, the techniques used are Bruges Flower, Schneeberg, Russian Tape, Free Laces and a selection of Torchon, Honiton and Bedfordshire patterns. The 75 designs are grouped in themed chapters which cover small motifs, mat edgings, picture frames and handkerchiefs, earrings and animals. The selection of lace designs includes a Butterfly, Angel Wings Bow, Summer Daisies, Toadstools, Cross for a Wedding Veil, Two Dinosaurs, Welsh Dragon, Fan for a Bride, Fleur-de-Lys Mat, Little Star Earrings and a Lucky Horseshoe.

Each design is complete with prickings, diagrams where necessary and a picture of the finished piece, and is graded so that you can pick the right design or adapt the design to your level of skill. With patterns for beginners and for those looking for new ideas, this four-language lace book is perfect for any lacemaker wanting to create beautiful results with ease.

Veronica Sorenson is a leading figure in the world of lace. An experienced lacemaker, tutor and author, she teaches extensively in UK and Europe. She is the author of several Batsford books and is the co-author of the hugely successful The Technique of Bruges Flower Lace.

75 QUICK & EASY

BOBBIN LACE PATTERNS

VERONICA SORENSON

Text, designs Veronica Sorenson

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

First published in 1998 by

Batsford

1 Gower Street

London WC1X 6HD

www.batsford.com

An imprint of Pavilion Books Group Ltd

Published as eBook in the United Kingdom in 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners.

The designs in this book may not be copied or adapted for commercial purposes.

eISBN 9781849942317

Designed by DWN Ltd London

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my long-suffering and patient husband, Dennis.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My thanks are given to all my family, students and friends for their uncomplaining support, but especially to my daughter Denise for her skills on the word processor; Dick Chenery whose photographic expertise is always gratefully appreciated; Hazel Holloway for checking the script; Marilyn Mowatt for her artistic grouping of lace for photographs; Judy Hemstead and Joan Underwood for their Honiton interpretations; and Kathleen Hillyer, Daphne Mullen and Karen Williams for allowing me to publish their designs.

INTRODUCTION

The industrial revolution of the 19th century and the invention of machines that made lace quickly and cheaply appeared to eradicate the hand-made lace industry, together with the lacemakers skills and expertise. However, the dedication and perseverance of a small number of lace schools and lacemakers led to the birth of a new era, in which the art of lacemaking began to emerge as a creative hobby. And now ever-increasing numbers of people are enjoying the click of bobbins between their fingers and the weaving of threads round pins. Indeed, industry has actually contributed to this revival by developing suitable threads in natural fibres, and in a greater range of colours, textures and thicknesses than ever before manufactured.

When lacemaking was their livelihood, lacemakers worked just a few designs in one type of lace. Now that it is a leisure occupation, they are free to enjoy working an unlimited range of techniques. Various lace types may sometimes be combined within one design, with striking effects even if the purist lacemaker shudders with horror. Modern lace designers have also adapted traditional techniques and created new laces such as Schneeberg and Bruges flower, laces that require fewer bobbins and thicker threads than were used in times gone by. Fortunately, however, traditional techniques such as Honiton, Bucks point and Beds laces have not been lost and are still used in contemporary designs.

This is a book of projects for all those lacemakers who need to make a little gift quickly or who find making a large, complicated piece of lace tedious. The emphasis is on simplicity of technique and the use of a small number of bobbins. This means that the sectional techniques of Bruges flower, Schneeberg, Russian tape and free laces predominate. There are torchon, Honiton and Beds patterns also, but most are not too complex. Nevertheless, there are projects that the advanced lacemaker will enjoy, and many seemingly difficult designs that can be adapted for the real beginner.

There is no Techniques section as such, but there is a list of recommended books on special techniques. Each pattern is starrated as a guide to indicate the general level of knowledge and ability needed to work the pattern (see ).

Modern photocopying machines can enlarge or reduce a design to any size. Many patterns can be simplified by omitting fillings or by mounting on netting. Filling stitches can be altered to achieve a particular effect or to provide a challenge to the more experienced lacemaker. The judicial use of coloured threads can enhance a design, while the colour and texture of backing material can also be used to good effect. Remember that a piece of lace does not have to be complicated or worked in extra fine thread to look beautiful. Often the shape, colour, backing and frame can turn a very simple piece into something quite stunning.

As mentioned above, more than one technique may be incorporated into a design for a special finish. And why not? It is an idea frequently spurned by purists, but put the word type after the lace title (e.g., Honiton type) and the adventurer will be absolved from censure!

An indication is given of the number of bobbins required for each project and the thread used. The number of pairs needed for fillings is not given, however, as there is usually room for flexibility here. Needless to say, different threads are available in different countries, and many patterns will be enhanced by using coloured and metallic threads either alone or in combination with white thread. The majority of projects in this book are worked in white simply because black-and-white photographs do not produce clearly defined results. As DMC cotton and BOUC linen threads are available in most countries, many of the designs have been made using these. Note that each thread manufacturer uses different numbering for an equivalent thickness of thread.

If you are unable to find the suggested make of thread, try a small area of cloth stitch in an alternative, using a pricked-out section of your chosen project. If this sample resembles a piece of fabric, that thread will produce good lace. If it is rather open- looking, you need a thicker thread, and if it is too bunched up, with a corrugated effect, you should try a thinner one.

Ideas for new designs come from numerous sources, but it must be remembered that there is nothing new under the sun. Torchon lace designs, for example, are particularly limited in the number of shapes that can be developed, and there is always the risk that two designers working independently and many miles apart might simultaneously arrive at almost identical patterns. I have never consciously plagiarized another designers work, even if the end results are similar. These things sometimes happen unintentionally, however, and apologies must be made in advance should anyone be distressed that a pattern in this book is similar to one of theirs.