A Compendium of Lace-Making - Bobbin, Filet, Needle-Point, Netting, Tatting and Much More - Four Volumes in One

By Read Books Ltd.

This vintage book contains a comprehensive guide to lace and lace making, with information on bobbin, filet, needle-point, netting, tatting, and much more besides. Written in plain language and full of useful tips, “A Compendium of Lace-Making” is highly recommended for those with little previous experience. Although old, the information contained within this book is timeless, and will be of considerable utility to the modern reader. Contents include: “Bobbin Lace”, “ Bobbin Lace—The Foundation Stitches”, “Bobbin Lace—'Sewing' and 'Bars'”, “Bobbin Lace—'Raised Work'; 'Meshes'”, “Bobbin Lace—'Fillings'”, “Bobbin Lace Torchons”, “Bobbin Lace—Motifs”, “Ecclesiastical Lace”, “Filet Lace”, “Needle-Point Lace”, “Needle-Run Lace”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on lace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Apr 18, 2013
• ISBN: 9781447492009

Book preview

A COMPENDIUM OF

LACE MAKING

- BOBBIN, FILET, NEEDLE-

POINT, NETTING, TATTING

AND MUCH MORE -

- FOUR VOLUMES IN

ONE -

BY

VARIOUS

Copyright © 2011 Read Books Ltd.

This book is copyright and may not be

reproduced or copied in any way without

the express permission of the publisher in writing

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from

the British Library

LACE MAKING

THE HOME CRAFT OF ALL AGES

BY

ELEANOR PAGE

PREFACE

No other fabric invented by man’s ingenuity has been accorded so much admiration as lace. The desire to possess it is found in all classes. As a handicraft it is one of the most fascinating; it requires no expensive apparatus, is cleanly, makes no untidy litter, and is equally suited to the lady in her castle, the cottager, to relieve the invalid’s tedious hours, and for the training of youthful hand and eye in schools.

In this twentieth century lace is used exclusively by women (with the exception of Church Dignitaries), though, when first made, lace was much worn by men; and in the Golden Age of lace making there was not a single article of attire from hat to shoes that was not decorated with it, and hardly a garment worn from the cradle to the grave that was not lavishly trimmed with it. No other article of attire has been so much hedged about by edicts, laws, orders, and restrictions; but neither edicts nor laws could prevent its becoming the most cosmopolitan of all art fabrics. A piece of lace that could be brought home in the pocket was easily carried from country to country and copied by adaptable fingers.

Two distinct classes of hand-made lace have survived all changes. The first is lace woven with bobbins on a pillow or cushion over stiff parchment having small holes to mark the pattern, the threads wound upon the bobbins being twisted round pins stuck in the perforations; it is known as bobbin lace and also pillow lace. The other is lace worked with a needle over a linen or thin parchment, and called needle-point lace. The two classes are often combined in making a particular kind of lace.

Laces not included in those classes are filet, which is worked on a small square-meshed net, and is a survival of darning on netting; another example of this class is needle running on fine machine-made net. There is crochet, which is executed entirely with a hook, and knit lace, which is made with two long pins. Laces which achieved a one-time popularity are: Tambourine lace, which was executed with a special hook on fine machine-made net stretched over a tambourine-shaped frame—hence its name; Tatting, executed entirely with a shuttle-shaped implement; Macramé lace, a heavy fringed lace worked with coloured twine cords. Lace has been executed in thread of every description; gold and silver metal threads, black, white, and coloured silk threads, worsted, human hair, and the hair of goats, and of angora rabbits. Yak lace is a coarse bobbin lace made from the wool of the yak. Perhaps the strangest of all lace is that woven from the pith of the aloe tree.

In this small work it is impossible to give all the kinds of lace. It is proposed to give a practical working knowledge of the principal stitches in the following: bobbin, needle-point, filet, and net-darning; and also to show the new artificial or Rayon threads executed on coloured modern machine-made nets. Readers whom we have thus far initiated into the intricacies of lace making will be able to continue their studies by consulting larger books.

Machinery has brought lace within the reach of all by producing fabrics at very low prices. And in these days of Robot human figures, and the artistic imitation by machinery capable of fabricating every kind of lace, it is not easy to distinguish the machine-made article from the handwork; but the work of the hand crafts woman still retains a place in the world’s markets, and is appreciated by every one desiring artistic work of good finish in original, individual, distinctive designs; no two pieces of hand-made lace are exactly similar. Whatever changes fashion may bring, there are two occasions on which the finer, daintier handwork is supreme: to trim the dainty garments which comprise the new baby’s trousseau, and the wedding garments and veil that adorns the bride.

I have to acknowledge valuable assistance from Mr. D. H. Rudd, curator of prints, Kelvingrove Art Galleries, Glasgow; Miss C. C. Channer, the Lace School, Northampton; and Miss J. M. Sweet, the School of Stitchery and Lace, Leicester.

ELEANOR PAGE.

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS

LACE MAKING

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTORY AND HISTORICAL

THIS book is not intended to be a history of lace; but the would-be lace maker will find much to encourage her in overcoming difficulties, and in understanding the very wide field this art-craft covers, by tracing the art through its progressive stages until it reached the alluring gossamer fabric that has charmed men and women for centuries.

EGYPT. Herodotus, the Father of History, records that Amasis, king of Egypt, sent to Athene of Lindus a corslet having figures interwoven with gold and cotton; and examples of elaborate netting, fringes drawn thread, and cut work, found on mummy wrappings in Egyptian tombs, are evidence that the earliest fabric deserving the name of lace was evolved in Egypt ten centuries before the Christian era.

In the authorized English Bible lace is frequently mentioned. In Exodus xxviii, 28 and 37, we read of how a blue lace was to be used for the adornment of the high priest Aaron; and again in chapter xxxix, 31. The knotting together of gold, silver, and coloured threads was man’s first attempt to gratify the desire for beauty in attire latent in the most primitive; then followed the drawing of threads, to be succeeded by cut work involving the cutting out of portions of the material and the filling of the open spaces with stitchery.

RETICELLA—AFTER DESIGN IN VINCIOLO’S BOOK, 1590

TAPE GUIPURE

Sixteenth Century

KNOTTED PUNTO A GROPPO

Seventeenth Century

PLATE II

GREECE. The Greeks are responsible for the earliest needle-made lace called Reticella. This is entirely geometrical in design with an open-work ground.

ITALY. Lace, as we know it, originated in Italy. Venice, Milan, and Genoa each gave its name to a distinctive kind of lace. The Venetians produced what still remains one of the most beautiful of laces, Venetian Point or Point de Venise; and every modern lace owes something to the Raised Point, Flat Point, and Ground Point created by the Venetians of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Milanese and Genoese laces were made with coarser thread. The designs were geometrical, and the edges vandyked or scalloped. These still remain the distinguishing features of lace so named.

In those early days patterns were difficult to obtain. Original designs were handed down from father or mother to son and daughter, and kept a family secret. The first book of patterns to be given to the world was by a Venetian, Frederick Vinciolo, in 1587. So great was the demand for it that it was reprinted in several editions throughout Europe and in England. Italian laces became the coveted possessions of all the Courts of Europe.

FRANCE. In the middle of the sixteenth century Henry III engaged Vinciolo to be Pattern-maker for Needlework and Laces to his Court; and under the influence of Henry III and of Louis XIV the hand lace industry was firmly established in France. Lace schools were opened at Alençon, Argentan, Quesnoy, Arras, and various other French towns. The most beautiful laces produced by the French are Mechlin, Point d’Alençon, Point de Argentan. Mechlin is a trimming lace of exquisite softness, daintily patterned with flower sprays outlined with a brighter thread. Point d’Alençon is distinguishable in having small spots all over the net, the design being usually ribbon knots connecting flower sprays. The design of Point de Argentan is similar to that of Alençon, but the ground consists of a large six-sided mesh, each side of the hexagon being worked over with fine button-hole stitches. France also produced a point ground known as Point de Paris, used in the making of Valenciennes lace, a popular trimming extensively made at La Puy and Mirecourt in pre-war days.

FLOUNCE OF POINT DE ARGENTAN

Eighteenth Century

PLATE III

SPAIN. The art spread from Italy to Spain. Barcelona was the chief lace centre, and in the early days much metal lace of gold and silver thread was made for trimming velvet. The Spanish lady’s gala dress, the Mantilla of Point d’Espagne, is made of silk thread in a heavy pattern on a fine net ground; much lace is also made of white cotton thread.

BELGIUM. The Spaniards, overrunning Flanders and the low countries, carried the art with them and taught the Flemings. Able to grow flax to produce the finest quality of thread, the Flemings eventually became the world’s lace makers. Brussels lace is still considered to be the aristocrat of modern laces, and is almost exclusively used for bridal veils and Court trains. It consists of three classes, Point, Appliqué, and Duchesse. Brussels Point de Gaze is distinguishable by a very fine net ground into which is worked delicate sprays of flowers. Brussels Appliqué differs from Point in that the flowers and sprays are made separately on the pillow, then applied to fine net by invisible stitchery. Brussels Duchesse is entirely a bobbin lace made on the pillow, the main portions of the design being connected by bars, brides, and various fillings.

Another Belgian production is Bruges lace, a bobbin lace often confused with Duchesse because of similarity in design; but in the making of Bruges lace a coarser thread is used for harder wear. Belgium also produced extensively the harder wearing quality laces: Valenciennes, Cluny, Malines, Torchon.

MALTA. In the small island of Malta lace making has been carried on extensively from the earliest days of the industry, chiefly in the convents. Maltese lace is a fine guipure lace made in white silk and in cotton thread on the pillow. A distinctive feature of the design is the Maltese cross made of four small ovals. Maltese lace has achieved a world-wide popularity.

GERMANY. Saxony claims to have originated bobbin lace in the sixteenth century—a claim disputed by several authorities—but lace making has been carried on in different parts of that country for centuries, and in the Saxony region by generations of lace-making families. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Hungarian bobbin lace and Dresden lace ruffles had a wide market.

HOLLAND. Lace making in Holland dates from the Edict of Nantes, 1685, when many French refugees fled to the Netherlands. The Dutch became famed for their Haarlem thread, a fine, soft, silky flax bleached on the meers of Haarlem and Yarranton. The lace was made to a distinctive, individual scroll design composed of scrolls and ovals of irregular outline closely connected on the pillow. Dutch lace was thick, strong, and serviceable; and at one time, the people tied up their door knockers with lace to announce the birth of a baby—surely one of the strangest uses to which lace has been put.

Denmark and Sweden made lace in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries; but both countries only supplied their own wants. The Tonder lace of the former, and the Swedish Point were generally worked into collars. Peter the Great is stated to have introduced lace into Russia, and the late Czarina opened a school at Moscow and a depot in London for the sale of Point de Moscou lace.

ENGLAND. The religious persecutions of 1568 drove many Flemings to England, and groups of lace-makers settled down in London and in the valleys of Devonshire; and a later contingent travelled farther north and settled in the Midlands. These fugitive Flemings set to work to produce the laces which are the direct ancestors of the modern Honiton, Northampton, and Bucks laces.

The so-called Point de Angleterre was not originated in England, but came to the country in the following manner. The English Parliament becoming alarmed at the huge sums being spent on foreign lace passed an edict prohibiting its import; and English merchants, in order to procure supplies of the much desired finest Brussels Point, unproduceable from the coarser English grown flax thread, resorted to the ruse of buying up the choicest pieces in Belgium, and smuggling them into England to be sold as Point de Angleterre.

Lace making soon became the favourite recreation of England’s fashionable ladies of leisure. Reigning kings and queens were its patrons, and noblemen paid high fees to have their daughters instructed in the art. The English lace industry reached its zenith in William and Mary’s reign. Queen Mary herself was an enthusiastic lace maker; her custom of carrying lace threads wherever she went, and working in her coach caused a Court wit to dub her Majesty the Royal Knotter. Specimens of Queen Mary’s lace are still to be seen at Windsor Castle.

Honiton has always been considered to be England’s representative lace. It was the favourite lace of three English Queens. Queen Adelaide had a dress made of it, the skirt of which was encircled with a wreath of Honiton flower sprays; in each spray was worked an initial to compose her Majesty’s name. Queen Victoria’s wedding dress was made entirely of Honiton sprays connected on the pillow with various fillings. The dress cost £1,000 to make, and a reproduction was made impossible by the destruction of the pattern on the completion of the dress. Queen Alexandra’s bridal robe had a design composed of Prince of Wales’s feathers intermixed with ferns. Modern Honiton is entirely a bobbin lace, and was exclusive to Devon and the southern counties. The Midland counties of Northampton, Bedfordshire, and Leicester early became known for the production of dainty laces for the trimming of baby garments and edgings for lingerie. Tradition associates Queen Katherine of Aragon with a certain type of Midlands lace which Her Majesty is stated to have taught the cottagers whilst staying in Bedfordshire. The lace productions of the three counties are practically similar. Modern Bucks Point is distinguishable for its beautiful clear net which composes the ground; and the pattern is outlined with a thick thread.

SCOTLAND. Lace making became known to the Scots at an early date through intercourse with France, Holland, and Flanders. Although lace was an unsuitable trimming for the Scots homespun, the Highlander, in full dress, appreciated lace ruffles of fine Flanders lace. One of the ablest exponents of the art was Queen Mary Stuart. During her captivity she solaced herself with her needle, and is credited with making lace to numerous patterns of her own designing. These in-cluded distinctive designs of fifty-two flowers, sixteen four-footed animals, and one hundred and twenty-four birds. Scotland has no representative lace. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, a needle-made lace of exquisite fineness worked on delicate muslin and called Ayrshire Point Lace was made in that county; and in the middle of the seventeenth century, under the influence of the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton, lace schools were opened at Edinburgh and at Hamilton in which instruction was given in the making of lace of a coarse, durable quality.

IRELAND. A variety of laces have been produced in Ireland. The earliest, known as Innishmacsaint, was a rose point needle lace in a heavy design. Carrick-ma-cross Appliqué was extensively made in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In the making the pattern was cut out on fine linen or cambric, the portions of the design not required were cut away, and the open spaces filled in with needlepoint stitchery; or, in the case of appliqué, the cambric pattern was invisibly sewn on to a machine-made net. Limerick lace was first embroidered on the tambour frame on fine machine-made net, and later worked with a needle in close running stitchery. Youghal lace, made at a convent in Cork, was a reproduction of Venetian rose and flat points. A collar of Youghal lace was presented to Princess Maud as a wedding gift. The design had the Princess’s monogram and a coronet. The lace made in Ireland to-day is almost exclusively crocheted.

Lace making and needlework has ever been the daily employment in the convents of Roman Catholic communities. In the fourteenth century lace was known as Nun’s Work. To-day, the Christian missionary in eastern countries combines those crafts with evangelistic work among native women, and the crafts provide employment for outcast converts. Until the middle of the nineteenth century almost the only schools in the lace-making counties of England were lace schools, in which pupils were taught lace making in conjunction with reading. To-day, apart from private schools, where individual instruction is invariably given, the class teaching of lace is carried on in Schools of Art and in Technical Colleges by means of grants from the State-aided Education Authorities or County Council Technical Education Committees.

It has been customary for the beginner at lace making to commence with torchon, cluny, and the coarser laces until flexibility of touch in handling the bobbins and exactness of vision are acquired. But a long established lace instructress advises would-be lace students to commence straight away with the kind of lace she admires and wishes to make, whether it be Honiton or fine Brussels, or the effective coarser edgings. Lace making can be learned from books; but the student would benefit greatly in the initial stages by a few lessons from a teacher.

It is something for the lace craft worker to remember that the beautiful creations of her industrious fingers will increase in value as time goes on. Real lace has the great advantage over the machine-made fabric in that, with proper care and usage, it will last for centuries. And like jewellery, should one desire to sell it, one may expect to obtain a good price for it. Since the destruction of churches and chateaux in the Great War very little real lace has come into the market, but the following prices of real laces auctioned at Christie’s just before the war will give readers some idea of lace values. For a flounce of Point de Argenton, 4 yd. long and 24 in. deep, the sum of £460 was given; for a length of Point de Venise 84 in. by 24 in., £360; while 4 yds. of finest old Italian flat Rose Point 11 1/2 in. deep was sold for £450; and an Alençon panel for a dress front 44 in. deep, £43.

Quite apart from the pecuniary value of lace in the rush and hustle of modern life when mental and physical overstrain is the common lot, lace making provides the quiet engrossing occupation necessary for the recuperation of powers; and those suffering from nerve overstrain find in it a certain cure, just as queens and lesser women from the days of Helen to Queen Mary found in it a solace in tribulation. To quote Ruskin—

The whole value of lace as a possession depends on the fact of its having a beauty which has been the reward of industry. . . . That it proves by the look of it the ability of the maker; that it proves by the rarity the dignity of the wearer.

CHAPTER II

BOBBIN LACE

THE OUTFIT. For the making of bobbin lace a large variety of pillows, cushions, and bobbins are procurable. A beginner’s outfit may be as expensive and decorative as she wishes; or, when economy must be practised, all the apparatus to commence can be made at home. The pillow or cushion can be made of velvet, silk, or chintz, and stuffed with horsehair; or at a nominal cost by using linen or calico and stuffing with straw, hay, sawdust, or the cork dust used in packing grapes. Bobbins are obtainable in bone and ivory inlaid or carved, and in wood machine-turned.

The apparatus consists of: (1) A pillow or cushion on which the pattern is affixed, and a stand to support and steady the pillow; (2) patterns which have perforations or a tracing to show the places for the pins that support the lace in the working; (3) bobbins on which the thread is wound; (4) thread to make the lace; (5) pins. Accessories are: A bobbin winder; a pricker; a hooked needle; a pin-cushion; a carrying case for pillow; a case for holding spare bobbins; two cotton squares.

The outfit and all the materials can be bought at the depots in any of the lace-making centres in England, and there is a lace studio in most large cities.

Pillows are made in various shapes: bolster, mushroom, square, and circular.

The bolster is the most suitable for working long lengths of edgings and insertions, as it revolves; and it is a simple matter to make a pattern long enough to circle the pillow and thus save the necessity of removing the work when one length is finished.

Mushroom shape is best for working piece lace such as Brussels and Honiton, as the pillow must be turned in all directions, so that the bobbins hang over every part of it; on a bolster they are apt to roll, instead of hanging in their order. The square and circle cushions are preferred by many English lace makers.

PLATE IV

To make a bolster pillow at home; cut a strip of hessian, or similar stout material, measuring 14 in. wide and 30 in. long. With this make a case. Seam up the two short ends. Turn in a half-inch lay at both open ends, and run a cord through; draw up one end very tightly and begin to stuff the pillow. The best stuffing for lace pillows is straw or hay cut into 6 in. lengths. Wool and fluffy stuffs do not make a firm enough pillow. Put the straw in in handfuls so that it lies flat, pressing it in very firmly, and when the case is full take a mallet or wood roller and beat it, filling up the case with more straw until the pillow is very firm and hard; but there must be no lumps, or the fine pins used for delicate laces will be spoilt. Draw up the cord and tie securely. Make an outer cover of brown holland, blue linen, or a pretty cretonne. Cut it slightly larger than the case, and tie long draw cords so that the cover may be removed for washing.

To make a mushroom cushion a disc of wood about 1 in. thick and 16 in. in diameter is required for the foundation. Cut a circle of hessian 2 in. larger than the disc all round. Tack, with small nails, three-quarters of it round the edge of the disc, leaving an opening; now stuff the cut straw in as firmly as possible, shaping it like a large mushroom, high at the middle and sloping at the edges; beat with a mallet and stuff with more straw until the cushion is hard and springy. Tack down the opening, and cover with a pretty material, using brass studs or a braid to make a nice finish. Bought mushroom cushions are fitted with a small drawer to hold bobbins.

For a square cushion take a square of stout material measuring 3 ft. Fold it like an envelope with the points of the four corners meeting, and oversew three seams, leaving one open. To keep the cushion in good shape insert a square of cardboard or thin wood in the bottom, then proceed to fill up with cut straw until the cushion is firm. Sew up the opening.

The above measurements are for medium size pillows easy to carry to and from a studio. The worker may make the pillow as large as she wishes; a smaller size is useful to take when travelling to work on a steamer.

A bolster pillow requires a stand to support and keep it steady. Three types of stand are common. A very simple one can be made out of a box 6 in. deep and large enough to stand the pillow inside. It can be held on the knees or rested on a table. The box is made to look nice with a coat of art paint, or a cretonne covering both outside and inside. Also there is the tripod shape with a half-hoop that fits over the worker’s knees; and a folding one like a camp stool without the seat. A carpenter will make either of the latter two types for a small sum.

In addition to the above there is the French roll pillow. This is in the form of a small cylinder with an axis fitted into grooves cut into the side of a box which is higher at the back than at the front. The lace can be worked in a continuous length by turning the cylinder, and as it is worked off it falls into the box.

A good protective cover is made with American cloth. It should be cut large enough to allow the pillow to slip in easily, and with 4 in. to flap over at the opening. The seams may be joined with a contrasting piping of leather, or bound with braid.

The type of bobbin in common use to-day is a slim, straight bobbin having a head to hold the hitched thread, and a ring of beads to weight the shaft. Wood bobbins costing 6d. to Is. per doz. are made in various sizes and thicknesses. Torchon and other coarse laces made with thick thread require large bobbins; while fine Duchesse lace can only be made with small, light bobbins, or the work would look puckered and dragged.

Bobbins can be made with a sharp penknife and some odd pieces of wood; boxwood is best as it is smooth, light, and polishes. A large size bobbin for thick thread should measure 5 in. in length, 1 1/2 in. round the thickest part. Half an inch from one end a head is shaped to prevent the thread from slipping off, and just below the head 1 1/2 in. is grooved to a slim stem; on this neck the thread is wound. Bobbins for the finest lace should not measure more than 3 1/2 in. long, and 1/2 in. all round; the head merely a dot 1/2 in. Two holes are bored at the end, through which a wire is passed with coloured beads. Some lace makers only use the bead ringed bobbins for the weaver pairs to help distinguish them from the warp bobbins.

Threads. When possible, linen thread should be used for lace. It adds to the beauty and value of the lace, and lace made with it keeps its shape when washed. Some ladies object to the glossiness of linen. For them a special lace thread with a dull surface called gassed is recommended. When cost must be considered, and a cheaper thread used, a cotton thread with a smooth finish should be chosen. For outlining flowers and leaves in Brussels and other laces a thick linen thread called a gimp is used.

Patterns. A special parchment skin is sold for lace patterns. On this perforations are made with a pricker for the pins that support the lace in the working. A good substitute is a thin flexible cardboard of a tough make. Some lace workers paint a wash of art green over the pattern, which shows up the lace, and is a comfort to weak eyes.

Pins. Pins for lace should be gilt or silver-plated, and must be suitable in size for the lace being worked. Pins with glass heads are used for Torchon and other laces, to help the worker to distinguish headings and footings, and the ornamental from the ground part.

A pricker is a long steel point fixed in a wood handle. To make one at home remove 1 in. of lead from a pencil and push in a fine darner or a long sewing needle.

A fine crochet hook is necessary for making the sewings in piece lace. A wig-maker’s needle with a curved hook is the best instrument for this purpose.

A pin-cushion about 4 in. square is a necessity. It is pinned to the pillow by a small loop at one corner.

A large square of white calico or two or more handkerchiefs are required to dress the pillow so that the lace will be kept clean while it is being worked.

A bobbin winder is a time saver, but is not an essential.

A case for holding spare bobbins is useful. It may be made of chintz or linen. Cut a strip about a yard long and a foot wide. Hem all round; then, along one side turn in 4 in. to form a pocket; divide this pocket into compartments large enough to hold a pair of bobbins. The flap is folded over and the case rolled up and fastened with a tape or press stud.

The pillow, bobbins, and pins constitute a loom on a small scale, on which the worker may weave beautiful and durable laces to embellish household or personal linen, or the more fascinating, dainty laces of gossamer fineness.

DRESSING THE CUSHION. Before beginning to make lace the student must learn how to prepare or dress the cushion or pillow. Be careful that there are no lumps or thick joins in the material, as fine pins would be bent instead of penetrating it.

PLATE V

To dress a flat cushion have a square of white calico or blue linen larger than the cushion. Cut a hole in the middle 3 in. across, and hem all round. Lace is always worked as near the centre of the cushion as possible. Pin the pattern on the cushion with strong pins through each corner, pushing the pins well in so that only the heads are visible. Place the cover over the pattern so that the part of the lace to be worked is exposed at the hole. As the work progresses the cover is drawn along with the hole always at the working part, whilst the rest of the lace is kept covered. If the cushion has not a detachable washing cover it is advisable to pin a square (without a hole) under the pattern. The pin-cushion, well filled with pins, is pinned on securely a few inches from the bobbins.

For dressing a bolster pillow two large-size handkerchiefs can be used. Fold them double, lay one across the pillow over the pattern, then place the other so that the part to be worked is exposed; pin both handkerchiefs securely over the ends of the pillow. When the work is not in use the ends of the cover are folded over the bobbins to keep all clean.

WINDING THE BOBBINS. To fill the bobbins without a winder cut the thread in yard lengths, hold the bobbin in the left hand, lay an end of the thread on the neck of the bobbin, and with the thread held between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand, wind it with the thread coming from underneath towards you, and over the top of the bobbin; wind evenly, and keep a firm, regular tension, revolving the bobbin with the left hand. Leave about 6 in. of thread, and to keep the thread from unwinding make a slip loop, pass it over the head of the bobbin, and give an extra twist. If it is twisted too much the thread will not run.

Bobbins are always worked in pairs, and bobbins wound in this way require to be knotted at the ends. To wind without knotting, use a longer length of thread. Wind one half of it on one bobbin as described above, and secure it with a slip loop; then lay the other