What is that lace? How old is it? Has it been made by hand or machine? What would it have been used for? These are the types of questions that this practical guide sets out to answer. Lavishly illustrated, it shows you how to identify the sort of lace that you might find hiding away in drawers and cupboards, or buy at a vintage textile fair. It deals predominantly with the hand-made and machine laces of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Topics covered include: an introductory survey of the different types of lace, their history and construction; guidelines for a systematic approach to lace identification and advice on cleaning and storage; chapters on the different types of lace: bobbin lace, needlelace, craft laces such as crochet and tatting, machine lace and lace based on tapes and nets. There are exercises on distinguishing similar pieces of lace made using different techniques and there are illustrations of how lace has been used and of some of the tools used in the making. Written by experienced lacemakers, Gilian Dye and Jean Leader, it presents items from their own collections to illuminate and inspire others who wish to know more about this fascinating textile. Lace Identification is a complete guide to the beauty of this stitch craft, and will richly reward all those who study the treasures they may own.

Bedfordshire lace became popular in the fashions of the second half of the nineteenth century because of the beauty of its bold-open designs, often with elegant floral motifs, and it continues to fascinate and captivate lacemakers today. This practical book is dedicated to the novice and experienced lacemaker wishing to learn these techniques so as to realize this elegance for themselves. Information is given about the equipment needed for bobbin lacemaking, how to make a pricking (the pattern on which the lace is made), and how to wind thread on the bobbins. Instruction explains how to work cloth stitch and half stitch, plaits, windmill crossings, picots and leaf-shaped tallies, and how to finish a piece of lace. There is a series of twenty-six patterns, some traditional and others designed more recently. These are supported by instructions, photographs and diagrams. The patterns include small motifs, edgings - some with corners for handkerchiefs - butterflies and, finally, three exquisite collars.