Bobbin Lace - Antique Bobbins

Lacemaking started around the 16th century (see Quotations and Paintings). Bobbins were always part of the equipment, and you can often find old bobbins in antique shops. I am not an expert in this field, but I enjoy buying them! I think these are mostly Victorian. I'm afraid that I respangled some of these, so the bobbin and beads may have changed. But lacemakers of the past may have done this as well.

Click on a photo for a larger version.

- Thin spangled bobbins - Thick bobbins (thumpers) - Other unspangled bobbins - Spangles -

Thin spangled bobbins

Inscribed bone

Joseph	Thomas	another Thomas
Elizabeth	Meria Pestel	Love Me
Betsy

Other bone

Dates 1870s - 1870s - 186os - 1890s

Wood - metal studs

Wood - metal bands

Wood - wire

Wood - metal inlay

Wood - different woods

Wood - spiral (some rather worn)

Wood - circles

Wood - (mostly) plain

Thick bobbins (thumpers)

Metal bands

Spangled

I don't think thumpers should really be spangled!

Other

The following bobbins were bought (from an Oxfam shop) together, in a bag, so presumably are a lacemaker's set.

Other unspangled bobbins

These may not be old. They were bought in antique shops (but that doesn't prove anything!) One may be an English Midland thin bobbin, which is normally spangled. It has the hole for the wire. Perhaps it lost its spangles.

These were bough on eBay by my husband, with no story attached. They don't look old, but they are made without a lathe. Even the basic dowel shape has been made with a knife. Very home-made! The other odd thing is that they don't look as if they've been used. As a lacemaker handles a bobbin, it acquires a sheen from the natural oils in the fingers.

I tried using the above set of bobbins, and as I wound them, noticed that one had "ANNIE" carved on it. It doesn't show in the photos above - it must be underneath. Here it is:

By the way, I don't believe that these bobbins were ever used. The groove at the top for thread is fairly rough, and "catches" when you try to unwind the thread.

Spangles

Square beads

These spangles all contain square (or even cube) beads. "Spangles & Superstitions" by Christine & David Springett (1987) says:
The "square cut": This is probably the commonest of all the glass beads which have ever been used for spangling lace bobbins. In fact, these 'square cuts' were never 'cut' at all. Robert Haskins watched both his grandfather and father make these beads. In fact, he was taught to make them himself and he gave this description to "The Bedfordshire Times and Independant' in 1912. 'These beads were melted off one at a time, from a stick of glass and twirled on a copper wire which made the hole; then pressed on the sides with a file which produced at once the square shape and the peculiar markings on the surface... The glass was obtained from decanter tops, and tallow lamps were used for melting it. Colouring matter was obtained from London.' Such a simple method could easily have been carried out by a village craftsman, such as a blacksmith, but it is interesting to note that the deep turquoise beads shown on the sample card of beads recommended for trade with South Africa are in fact typical square cuts. These beads were available in very large quantities and were available in five different sizes! So perhaps the village blackmiths were not as busy making beads as we thought!
I am a bit worried about melting glass using a tallow lamp!

Old looking beads (according to me!)

I'm not sure of the age, mind you! I've tended to notice if a bead looked clumsy, or well worn. There is also quite a limited range of colours.

Birdcage spangle

I read a description of this type of bobbin, where it was called a birdcage (but no picture). I've just found this in an antique shop.

Buttons

I heard a story that it was usual to give a lacemaker a wedding present of a bobbin spangled with fly buttons, showing how many previous husbands she'd had! I don't think this refers to the ones below, as the buttons are too smart to be flies. I'm not sure I believe the story, anyway!

Other beads

Larkrise to Candleford by Flora Thompson: "...every bobbin weighed with its bunch of bright beads and every bunch with its own story, which they had heard so many times that they knew by heart, how this bunch was been part of a blue bead necklace worn by her little sister who had died at five years old, and this other one had belonged to her mother, and that black one had been found, after she was dead, in a work-box belonging to a woman who was reputed to have been a witch." This shows how beads were reused, perhaps preserving memories of jewellery and the people who wore it. Of course, some of these may be modern beads. A modern lacemaker (or antique dealer) can spangle a bobbin which has lost its own, or never had them.