To make bobbin lace, you need a pattern, not just as a guide to the design, but as an essential piece of equipment in making the lace. The pattern is pinned on the pillow, and lies underneath the lace as it is made. The pins are pushed into the pattern (and pillow), in the correct place, and this is what guides the threads, and so shapes the design.
You can get pricking card from suppliers. This is thicker than paper, and the idea is that it will hold the pins in place better, and the pattern can be used lots of times. However, I have always used ordinary paper (such as computer printing paper) and never found any problems. The pattern can only be used once, though.
You need to find your pattern. There are plenty of books with lace patterns in them, and you photocopy the design to get your working copy. But you need to buy the book. There are patterns for sale, through lace suppliers. But again, you need to buy them. There are patterns on the web, hopefully with instructions. If you have a photo of lace, or even the lace itself, you may be able to reproduce the pattern yourself, although that requires some knowledge of lacemaking.
Finally, of course, you can use a pattern from this website! Click here for an introduction to the patterns, which includes how to download and print them. Click here for index links to the patterns. If you are a beginner, click here for beginner patterns which will guide you through the different techniques of lacemaking. The patterns include instructions, and link to detailed descriptions of how to do each stitch and technique.
Patterns are often quite short, and you may want a longer version. Any pattern has a repeat. Print (or copy) the pattern twice, or more, cut across these copies in the same places in the repeat, so the pieces will join, and tape the pieces together.
After printing the pattern, you may need to trim it so it fits easier on the pillow. Before pinning it on the pillow, you need to prick it. When you are working the lace, you need to push a pin into precisely the correct dot on the pattern which presents a pinhole. There are threads in the way, and pins surrounding this pinhole, so it can be quite hard to see what you are doing. Pricking the pattern beforehand helps this. It means making a small hole in every pinhole before starting the lace. The hole should be smaller than the pin will make. If the pricking hole is too large, then the pin will wobble in it, and won't be in precisely the correct place.
So how do we make these small pricking holes? It is possible to do this with a needle, thinner than the pins you use. However, there is a tool called a pricker (see below) which you can get from lace suppliers, which is easier to hold and use. It is just a needle set into a handle. It should be quite cheap.
To do the pricking, lay the pattern on something that can be pricked (not the table) and doesn't mind being pricked (not your knee!) The lace pillow itself will obviously work. Jab the pricker, or needle, into every dot on the pattern which will take a pin in future. Make sure that you are careful and accurate about this. Every now and then, hold the pattern up to the light to make sure that you have not missed any of it.
I admit this process takes time, and has to be done before starting the lace, or even winding the bobbins, and you may be aching to start proper lacemaking. I find pricking quite soothing in its way, a quiet time for reflection before starting to work the lace. Maybe that's just me!
Click here for how to wind bobbins.
The Dutch for a lace pattern is Klosjes and for a pricking is Prikking.
© Jo Edkins 2016 - return to lace index