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WEST BERGHOLT PARISH WEBSITE |
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Lace Making in West Bergholt
Bobbin lace classes run weekly during term-time at St Mary's, New Church Road and are lead by Carol Maxwell. Watching a lacemaker at work with their bobbins is mesmerising. The uninitiated cannot understand how the lacemaker knows which bobbin to use next. Many people are surprised to learn that there are only a few basic stitches and that beautiful pieces of work can be created with quite a small number of bobbins on a pillow. Bobbin lace is a woven textile where the bobbins give you control over individual threads. As the threads are moved around, pins are put into the pillow to hold the threads in place and create the pattern. Our bobbin lace classes give you the opportunity to learn the basics. A beginner’s course introduces the basic stitches and uses them to create flower petals and leaves. It introduces the concept of lace grounds (or background stitches) using torchon lace. The name of this lace is derived from the French for duster or dish-cloth, because it was commonly used to decorate household linen. After this you can progress as you wish, choosing patterns that you like and going at your own pace.
A huge variety of laces have developed in which the basic stitches are combined in different ways. Lace can be made with either very fine or heavy thread. You can make small, fun projects such as bookmarks or larger pieces for mats or tablecloth edgings. Laces are often named after a particular place, such as Malta or Chantilly. The main laces associated with England are Torchon lace, Bedfordshire-Maltese lace, Buckinghamshire lace and Honiton lace. Each one has a different range of techniques, a different style of design and its own traditions. The local Essex lace is Coggeshall lace but this is not a bobbin lace. It is made using a tambour hook to decorate an existing net. About Carol MaxwellCarol can teach Torchon, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire laces to an intermediate level and can also teach Braid lace, Bruges flower lace, Flanders, Binche and modern free-style lace and give general help with other types of lace. Carol's experience is mainly in continental laces. She started making lace almost thirty years ago and learnt Torchon, Bedfordshire and Buckingham shire laces and has also done a little Honiton. For the last fifteen years Carol has made regular trips to Bruges to learn Belgian laces, starting with Bruges flower lace and moving on to Flanders and Binche. She has spent most of the last ten years designing patterns and recently re-visited the English laces while doing a City & Guilds course in lacemaking.
Getting StartedThe minimum equipment needed to start making bobbin lace is a pillow (made of polystyrene or stuffed with straw), bobbins (about 30), lace pins and card on which to mark the pattern. As you make more complex patterns you may need a larger pillow and more bobbins. Some threads are available from local shops but mostly the equipment and threads are available by mail order. Once a year there is a lace suppliers fair at Chelmsford organised by Essex Lacemakers. Carol can supply enough equipment and a small range of threads to get you started if you are a complete beginner. If you have no equipment at all, expect to spend about £20 to get you started. Lacemaking is a very sociable activity with regular events in the area with opportunities to enjoy doing a beautiful craft and meet like-minded people. Classes run every Mondays during term time, from 1 pm to 3 pm, at St Mary’s New Church Road and cost £65 for a course of 10 lessons. Contact Carol Maxwell if you would like to join the group on 07712 648468. |
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