Lacemaking Bobbins are the pride and joy of any Lacemaker. Among the greatest pleasures in making lace are the beautiful tools we get to use. Each one is carefully hand crafted by a skilled maker and is perfectly designed for it’s purpose, but most of all we love our bobbins.
We each set up our pillows differently to suit the way we work and the type of lace we are making. Common to all of them though, is the array of Lacemaking bobbins suspended from a forest of pins and a web of thread.
Different types of lace require different types of bobbins to suit the thread and the method of making, Honiton Lace Bobbins for example are tiny with slightly pointed ends. Some of the ‘Continental’ Bobbins have heavy wooden bulbs but the prettiest of all lacemaking bobbins are those bedecked with ‘spangles’, the lovely beads that look like a scattering of jewels across the pillow.
Producing practical lacemaking bobbins is a skill that few wood turners possess, and finding good bobbins is like winning a treasure hunt. I was delighted when my husband, Peter, learned to turn bobbins under the guidance of David Springett and Stuart Johnson, two of the finest modern bobbin makers. Peter’s designs have been refined over time to be both practical from a lacemaker’s point of view, and beautiful from a turner’s view. They show off the beauty of the woods he uses, and with their fine silky finish they are a joy to handle. The image shows the very first ones he made.
Peter has also designed a range of Lacemaking tools – again each one is designed to be both practical and aesthetically pleasing and they compliment the Lacemaking bobbins. All his pieces are crafted individually so they are something unique and individual. I hope you will enjoy using them as much as I do.
{ 0 comments… add one now }