Books
Unfortunately, there are only a few books being published each year on lacemaking. On the continent, there are a number of publishers who are keeping lacemaking alive and it's worth keeping a eye one what they are selling. However, this doesn't mean that books published in the 80s and 90s aren't worth keeping an eye out for on eBay.
Rule of thumb, any of the out of print books retailed originally for around £20 - £25 when published. Try to pay between £8 - £15 for them now. Don't get caught in bidding wars.
Don't forget Liz's book blog over on her site thelacebee.com. Liz is cataloguing her library and there are over 240 books now on the blog with more being added each week
Rule of thumb, any of the out of print books retailed originally for around £20 - £25 when published. Try to pay between £8 - £15 for them now. Don't get caught in bidding wars.
Don't forget Liz's book blog over on her site thelacebee.com. Liz is cataloguing her library and there are over 240 books now on the blog with more being added each week
The Technique of Bobbin Lace
The first book that I ever owned and still one of my favourites. It cover the main standard lace techniques:
Pam Nottingham's style of writing is excellent and it makes a great reference book |
Practical Skills in Bobbin Lace
This is my go to book for techqniues when I'm stuck. Yes there are lots of videos on the web to help you these days but the line drawings in this book are fantastic and it's always my first choice to find out an answer when I can't remember how to do something or if I find a term in another book but don't recognise it, I turn to Bridget M Cook for help. This book is available on kindle |
Romance of the Lace Pillow
Thomas Wright was a romantic and his book is unintentionally funny and well worth a read. It covers the history of lacemaking and for anyone in the East Midlands, has information on the villages involved in the industry along with nursery rhymes based on the lace tells. One, Two, buckle my shoe ... It's also available as a pdf to download |
The Book of Bobbin Lace Stitches
A great reference book for nearly every British Stitch (and some continental ones) that you will need in your day to day lacemaking. It comes with a photo of the lace , a grid to show set up and instructions. This book is avaialble on kindle. |
Lace for Children of all ages
Millions of snake bookmarks have been launched by this book since it was published in the 80s. It is still in print and available from the author so do support Christine Springett by buying direct. |
The Torchon Lace Workbook
This book by Bridget M Cook takes you through the basics of Torchon Lace building up to making one of the holy grails of lacemaking ... a table cloth. |
A Manual of Bedfordshire Lace
Pam Robinson If you want to learn the techniques of Bedfordshire Lace this is my favourite book. It has a supplement at the back of the book that lists all the techniques used in the book - you will need this so make sure it's included when you buy. The patterns build on each other as you work through them. |
A Visual Introduction to Bucks Point Lace
Geraldine Stott This wonderful book takes you on a journey through Bucks Point lace from simple to more complex patterns. These traditional patterns build through teaching techniques to build on each other as you progress through. |
Teach Yourself Torchon Lace by Jacqui Southworth from Biggins
This is one of my favourite teach yourself book, if you can't get to learn with a teacher. I have the original version of this from Jacqui. Vivienne from Biggins, Jacqui's sister-in-law, has made some minor amends to make it even more accessible. This is a great book to use to learn lacemaking. And check out Biggins Lace for great Torchon Lace Patterns. |
Bedfordshire Lace Design
Louise West Louise West is a working lacemaker involved in restoration, reproduction and commissions. Her book, Bedfordshire Lace Designs is one of the first new books to be published in the UK this Century. You can buy the book direct from Louise on her website along with her innovative pre-pricked patterns. Take time to find out about how she crowd funded a laser digital maker. |
Threads for Lace
Brenda Paternoster Probably one of the most useful books on the market for lacemakers and fibre artists. Threads for Lace by Brenda Paternoster helps you to find a thread to substitute in patterns. Great when you don't want to have to buy a new spool and essential when the quoted thread is no longer manufactured. For more information, visit Brenda's website |
Beginner's Guide to Bobbin Lace
Gillian Dye & Adrienne Thunder A number of people have recommended this book to me as one that they used to learn from on their own. It is nicely laid out with colour illustrations throughout. The scarf pattern on the front cover is included in the book. |
Introduction to Bobbin Lacemaking
Rosemary Shepherd This book by Rosemary Shepherd was written with the idea that it could be used for distance learning. Rosemary is based in Australia and a number of her students were such a distance that they couldn't attend classes. A number of friends have successfully learnt to make lace using this book. One of the things that I like so much about Rosemary's teaching is that she uses colour and thicker thread. This helps people learning to see how the threads are moving through the lace and easily see if they have made a mistake. |
Dreidimensionale Klöppelsterne
Rosemarie Schmuck & Amerliese Schröder Although in German, this book has clear images and help to create these three dimensional stars in lace. This book is still in print |