Crafty Monday

 I liked to have days when I craft and meet up with people. First stop today was Nero's where I chatted with a gentleman who I occasionally see there. He lives on a canal boat and has an interest in textiles and the arts. Our conversations are always enjoyable and pass the time as I knit or sew.

This morning I was working on the hem of the embroidery band .

Next stop will be at the Monday knit group that meets in the library, lovely people who are happy to share their knowledge. I have a hat to finish so hopefully I'll get that sorted this morning.

Job done, hat completed !!

Next challenge is to crack on with the lace trim  :-)

I had a voucher for Coffee#1, free coffee and half price cake so that sorted dinner out. Not healthy but I've been so good since last June that I decided that a treat wouldn't do too much damage.

Lace making followed for an hour whilst listening to my audio book. This is the trim for the band but I'm beginning to think that the thread is too thick so I may have another look in my thread stash.

Back home and it's chance to spend an hour working on the Fox and Rabbit 2026 Sal which is based  an antique band sampler. Each part is issued on the first of the month.

Busy Day !!

BAL 2026 (bucks point lace) and a lace gathering

We have a local bobbin lace society, Nottingham bobbin Lace Society (NBLS) I've been a member on and off since around 1989 and  re-joined (again) last year. We have four meetings a year with a supplier (s) present, monthly meetings with a second hand sales table and a small group  who meet weekly  to simply make lace.

Yesterday was one of the monthly meetings, usually I would walk over to the venue as its only a couple of miles from where I live but the ground was so slippery that I had to take two buses to get there ! I took my lace pillow with the Bucks Point Sampler on it and actually made a little progress on it.

There were 30 or so lace makers present, abilities ranging from a few months experience to those who were taught by their mothers and now teach their own classes.

We have three rooms of varying size which means that we all have space to work and chat, in our room I suspect it was more chat than work haha.

I always have a look at the sales table and this time I was in luck. There was a set of blocks for a lace pillow, I've had most of my pillows for 20 plus years and recently had to swop the blocks between two of them to make a decent one .

I checked the size and purchased this set. Bargain especially as I don.t have a roller block for either of my larger block pillows.

I also treated myself to a few second hand bobbins including a Christmas at the Lace Hall one ( many years ago I used to demonstrate lacemaking there )

There were a couple of lace pillows for sale and an lovely small travel pillow, you know me, always on the look out for small pillows to use in the van.

Yes, it came home with me ! its a good job that I have a craft budget ( which I may exceed this month as its the anniversary meeting in a couple of weeks time which, if we are not at the coast, I will be attending)

My challenge is to get a narrow edging on the go on this over the next few days just to see how useable it is.

BAL part ? (bucks point lace)

 Hi

As I said last time, I'm out of sequence with the bucks a long zoom group but I do now go to a weekly group here in Nottingham. This is not a teaching group, we are all members of the NBLS and simply hire a room for a couple of hours each week . This gives us space to make lace even if we don't do any lacemaking for the rest of the week.

For my Bucks point, I've gone back to the original book that we were working from and I'm slowly making the bucks point sampler. This is a really good challenge as you are given the pricking (pattern) but need to rely on your knowledge of the various techniques as there are no instructions .

This will keep me busy for some time !

 

BAL part 10 (bucks point lace)

 I've not been able to take part in the Bucks point zoom sessions for a while, mainly due to being away and campsite internet not always being the best. However, we have now moved on to another book.

To be honest, I'm not so keen on a lot of these patterns but I started at number 1. Busy bees.

This is as far as I got with it, I simply don't like it much. So , before starting the next one, I dug out Louise Wests book on Bucks Point and had a bash at this one.

A bit more my style, I plan to carry on until the threads on the bobbins start to run out then have a think about where I go next with this.

back to the lace

In early August I received a parcel in the post, gave it a shake then realised what it was.

measuring just 32cm x 23cm x16cm it is one of the smallest lace pillows that I have seen. 

I haven't really had chance to test it out yet but I will let you know when I have.

Meanwhile I have bobbins on two pillows, one with Downton lace on it which unfortunately had to be taken off once I discovered that the threads were week and several snapped without my help. A shame as I do like the pattern and was planning to make a longer strip.

I then sorted out my recent purchases, second hand bobbins and threads from a Lace pop in session.

                and set up a traditional pattern called sheeps head to use on the lace doll.

This is as far as I got with the Downton lace

more purchases, two new ebony bobbins and another antique bone bobbin.

I plan to get back to lace making in October and have a good play with the travel pillow.

a brief diversion into Downton Lace

 No, nothing to do with Downton abbey but a style of lace similar to Bucks point from the village of Downton near Salisbury. just a bit of fun before setting up the next piece of Bucks for the bobbin along.

Two more books have joined my original pattern book, one is a more detailed history of the lace and the other has patterns to work. This link will take you to a page on the fashioning the world web site.

My next piece of lace will be a small Bucks point medallion.

BAL part nine (bucks point lace)

 I started this piece before we went a away and finished it a month or so later.

Duke Garter, this time its a version from the Pamela Nottingham book and includes a corner where extra bobbins have been added and discarded.

compared with the last sample of this lace, you can see that this is a slightly different version with the pattern inverted.

We can select the next pattern from the Jean Leader book so I'll leave it as a surprise. In the mentime I have a couple of books on the way so I may see what's in them, watch this space.

Briefly back to lace. Nottingham Society of Artists exhibition featuring textiles and lace.

 I'm just adding this post as the exhibition motioned opened yesterday 27.5.25 and runs until the 31.5.25.

The current exhibition is called Found and I attended the launch party last night, rather last minute as I had been intending to go on Thursday. I may still go back then and take a closer look.

The three artists are very different, Christina Williams produced cards, hand made books and exhibited a collection of spoons made from found objects

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I apologise for the reflections, glass is always a little difficult.

Like many people, I was studying these hard, trying to identify what had been repurposed

Jackie Ward makes amazing figures of people being people, absolutely loved them.

However , I must admit that the main reason for going was to see the Suzanne's lace.

BAL part eight (bucks point lace) and recap

 This is a quick recap of where we are with the Bucks Point lace a long as I will now be missing the next couple of lessons due to commitments . I will however prep the pricking ( pattern) and wind he bobbins ready for when I can play catch up.

So far we have lessons one to four on strip one, reading right to left.

 Point ground, honeycomb ground, introduction of gimps (outline thread ) and traditional sheep head pattern.

Strip two 

Traditional pattern Plum Pudding, each pattern introduces new elements into the lace.

Strip three

Peacocks Eye from the Jean Leader book Introduction to Bucks Point Lace, pattern redrafted from a lace eding in the Guild Collection.

Strip four

Rings and Tallies from the Jean Leader book Introduction to Bucks Point Lace, pattern redrafted from a lace edging in the Guild Collection.

Strip five

Traditional pattern found in many lace books, this version is from the Jean Leader book but the next lesson on how to work the corner will be taken from one of several Pamela Nottingham books.

BAL part seven (bucks point lace)

 To be honest, I think that this may be part eight as I have missed a pattern out due to being away. My plan is to play catch up next week.

The Dukes Garter, from the same book by Jean Leader. this is a traditional pattern with variations found in several books. I must admit that it had me scratching my head and undoing it a few times with regard to the gimp outline ) threads.

This is one hobby that I can't travel with due to not having enough room or a table in the van so over the summer it will be a case of catch up when I can.

BAL part four (bucks point lace)

 On Sunday afternoon I joined in the fourth zoom on Bucks point lace. As I have previously  mentioned, I am using this as a refresher and also to check for any bad habits along with and tips and hints that I may no know as I am mainly self taught.

We have now covered the basics for point ground, the background. Honeycomb stitch, the use of gimps and the first pattern called sheep head.

I am probabaly going to miss the next meeting but we will be starting a pattern that I have done in the past called plum pudding.

This is my version from about 30 years ago.  

as I never kept lace as a regular hobby, I still have a lot to learn or rather re-learn but I'm hoping that, with the encouragement of the group, I may do now.