Difference between bobbin and machine-made tallies

Tallies are made with four threads. Unlike most of the rest of bobbin lace, the threads are not treated as pairs. Instead, a single one weaves back and forth through the other three threads. The only pins are at the start and end of the tally, so the width of the tally, its shape and its tension are controlled entirely by the lacemaker (with more or less success!) For a description of how tallies are made, with an animation, click here. Tallies cannot be described using the cross-twist system, as they do not use either crosses or twists.

In this example, the tallies are surrounded by legs or plaits in this Bedforshire lace. Tallies are often grouped together to give the appearance of flowers or leaves. Click here for the whole piece of lace.

Tallies in Cluny lace are long, thin and pointed, arranged in a fan called wheat ears. Click here for the whole piece of lace.

Some Bedfordshire tallies are long and thin, but with square ends rather than pointed. (The trail on the left is cloth stitch, not a tally.) Click here for the whole piece of lace.

Tallies in Maltese lace are short and fat. Click here for the whole piece of lace.

Small square tallies are used to decorate ground, such as Bucks Point ground, although this example is in Torchon ground. Click here for the whole piece of lace.

Sometimes in Bedfordshire lace, a tally is worked on top of a piece of half stitch (or cloth stitch), using four threads from the half stitch, which carries on being worked under the tally. A raised tally can only be seen on one side of the lace. (Usually bobbin lace looks the same from both sides.) Click here to see how it is done. Click here for the whole piece of lace.

It is difficult to say whether this is intended to be a tally or a leg. It does not work either way. You can see a pair of threads weaving back and forth. A Bobbin lace tally would only have one thread, and the weave would be much tighter. A bobbin lace leg would have a plait effect, using all four threads. Looking carefully, you can see thinner threads holding the thicker threads together.

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These are quite impressive tallies, with a single worker thread, but look carefully, and you will see more than three passive threads. In fact, there are also extra very thin passive threads, holding the thicker threads together. The join between the tallies looks odd as well.

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These may be an attempt to produce the effect of three small square tallies. If so, they are produced by a type of half stitch rather than the weaving effect with a single worker thread of bobbin lace tallies.

It is possible that they are supposed to be rose ground instead. That has a similar pattern of squares and holes. However, it looks even less like rose ground than tallies!

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Here is a raised tally in machine lace. The tally itself is very densely woven, so you can't see the detail. This is done using very thin threads - hard to see, but there is one in the cloth stitch to the left of the tally, on the left. The picture on the right shows the underneath of the tally, and again, these thin threads are visible in the cloth stitch.

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Here are 'tallies' in machine ground. A thread is just wound round and round, with no attempt at a weaving pattern.

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In this 'tally' in machine ground, the worker thread is a much thicker thread (like a gimp) which is introduced just for the tally, and cut off at the end of it.

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