First of all, Lace is a delicate fabric made of either yarn or thread, crafted in a pretty web-like pattern by machine or by hand. Initially silk, linen, gold and silver threads were used, although nowadays this has dramatically changed and cotton thread is used frequently around many countries worldwide. Most lace patterns are incredibly beautiful and appealing to look at, but they’re equally intimidating especially when made by hand – threads are very tiny, specialized materials and patterns must perfectly match with grids and dots, and so on.
Before you start, some of the supplies and materials needed are such as thread (natural fibers are the best), bobbins or clothespins, cork tiles and pillows, paper patterns, cores or tubes, and a finishing lace. Below, a simple guide on how lace is made by hand.
#Preparing the Bobbins
Lace basically is made with pairs of bobbins, and each thread has two bobbins attached to it.
- – Start working from the center of the thread all the time.
- – If a pattern has like 24 ends, cut 12 pieces double the length of the lace you need.
- – Next, cut the threads.
- – Fold each strand in half and tie the slipknot to hold the center point.
- – Start wrapping a clothespin at one end and wrap as much thread onto it as possible.
- – You may prefer to use a slipknot at the end of each strand to tie around one part of the clothespin.
- – Similarly, wrap another clothespin from the other end and use the spring action to adjust two pins in order to keep them equidistant from the slipknot as possible (specially important for starting off well).
- – Finally, repeat this process with all your other strands.
#Running Out of Pins or Pattern
Eventually, you might run out of pins. Incase this happens, this is what you should do:
- – Pull some pins from the beginning of the pattern.
- – Be careful not to pull the ones on the outer edges, they’re meant to protect the lace from being ruined as you work beneath it.
- – If you make your lace long enough, pull all the pins off.
- – Pull each pin one-at-a-time — and afterward pull the whole lace straight up.
- – If you run out of pattern before the lace is long than it ought to be, simply add another piece of paper pattern to the end. The added pattern should fit seamlessly.
- – Add more cork tiles at the edge to continue the pattern normally.
- – Keep working until you reach the particular length you want accomplished.
#Finishing Part
One great option for finishing your piece is to work toward the very end of your lace length.
- – Simply tie off all the pairs of bobbins with square knots.
- – Choose between overhand knots and leave fringe – or any other option you find suiting.
- – In case you’re applying a finish of some sort to the lace, wait for the fringe to finish and afterward trim them off as you wish.
- – Don’t unpin the final lace until all the bobbins are cut (the weight can easily distort the lace when you pick it up).
- – Unpin the lace
- – Lastly, work from the start to the finish and be careful to pull all the pins vertically. And that’s all about it!
Above all else, lace has been around for ages. Even though today the craft may have been fastened by technology, many people still prefer to create their lace patterns by hand. Consequently, the ultimate care and great length of time committed to produce a variety of perfect lace and pretty patterns — always make them expensive. All the same, above is a simple guide that will walk you through on how lace is made by hand.
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