What Is Bobbin Lace?

Lace in all forms is my favorite structure of craft. Spinning laceweight yarn on spindles, tatting tiny motifs, and knitting large Orenburg shawls are my personal go-to activities. It’s no surprise then to find myself drawn to bobbin lace!

What Is Bobbin Lace?

The craft of bobbin lace evolved from the braiding and weaving techniques of passementerie in the late 1400s in Italy. The desire for adornment rose exponentially in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries across Europe, creating a massive demand for the product. Lace became a status symbol of the upper class and could be found on neck ruffs and sleeve cuffs. Even Queen Victoria’s wedding dress was constructed with layers of lace. Women of the time could become financially independent through their skills with thread and bobbins.

Karen H. Thompson created these lace birds for the Summer 2023 issue of PieceWork. Photo by Matt Graves

Global Connection

One of the fascinating things about bobbin lace is how trade routes for silk and linen spread the craft across the world. Each region developed its own style over time. A quick search in a library or on the internet will produce several different names that may confuse the beginner. Essentially, bobbin lace can be divided into three distinct types: straight, part, and tape. Straight laces create a continuous pattern and require a large number of bobbins. For part lace, individual motifs are made separately using a smaller number of bobbins and then sewn to a mesh lace ground. Tape laces use the smallest number of bobbins and create a ribbon effect with picots on the edges for connecting the maze-like patterns.

A Bucks point lace pattern made by Jo Ann Eurell. Photo by Joe Coca

Getting Started

Falling down the rabbit hole with bobbin lace is easier than you think, with all of the wonderful tools and threads currently available. To get started, you need the following:

• A base or pillow: Traditionally, this would be stuffed with straw; now, most are made from styrofoam
• The pattern or pricking, printed on heavy cardstock to hold the pins
• Pins
• Thread
• Bobbins

Torchon lace is a great place for the beginning student to start. The pillows with many bobbins can feel intimidating at first glance; however, the best thing to remember is that only four bobbins are used at any given time.

My attempt at learning Torchon lace. Photo by Katrina King

The PieceWork library is a great resource for all kinds of craft, and subscribers can log in and try a bit of bobbin lace with this pattern from Jo Ann Eurell.

Jo Ann Eurell uses a style of part lace called Honiton to create her flower motif. Photo by Ann Swanson