This is a genuine (if simple) lace pattern, which gives you a lot of practice in working footsides. These are the straight edges of lace, suitable for sewing to fabric. This piece has footsides on both sides. Olden times lacemakers might sew something like this to the footside of a piece of lace in order to make it wider.
| Pattern: |  |
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Bobbins: 6 pairs
Style: Torchon
Stitches:
cloth stitch and twist
Details:
double Torchon ground
twisted footside
Description: Hang three pairs of bobbins from each top pin.
There are two different things to do in this lace, the footsides on each edge, and the double Torchon ground in the middle. However, both of these use the same stitch, cloth stitch and twist, so first, you need to click here to see how this works. The pattern does look complicated, but just take it one pin at a time.
First, the double Torchon ground. This uses the middle two pairs. Work cloth stitch and twist, then pin (in the middle, just below the starting pins), and cloth stitch and twist again. Click here to see this. When you have finished, you will need to tighten the threads. You do this by gently tugging on the bobbins to get rid of any slackness or loops above the pin. Click here to see more about this.
Now for the footside. It does not matter which side you take first, but let's say we'll do the right side. This footside uses 3 pairs, so that includes one pair from the previous stitch. The right pair is the edge pair, the middle pair is the passive, and the left pair (coming from the previous stitch) is the worker pair. Work the worker pair in cloth stitch and twist across the passive pair, then the edge pair, so the worker pair is now at the edge and becomes the new edge pair. The old edge pair will become the new worker pair. Put a pin to the left of both the worker pair and edge pair. This seems a bit odd (since normally pins go between the two pairs of a stitch), but it has to go inside both the old and the new worker pairs. The new worker pair (just to the right of the pin) is now worked back across the lace, so it ends up back in the middle of the lace.
That sounds quite complicated! Footsides can cause problems for beginners, but you have to learn them! Click here to see more about this footside. There is an animation (as there is for all the stitches links) and you can repeat it, or step through it, as many times as you want until you can understand what is going on. The principle of a footside is that there is a passive pair, which hang straight down, and don't really join in the rest of the lace's pattern at all. There is also a worker pair, coming in from the rest of the lace, and turning into the edge pair, and an edge pair which turns into the new worker pair, and returns to the lace.
It is especially important to tighten threads properly at a footside, since they change direction sharply. The eye notices any wobbles at the edge of lace!
Since you have done the right-hand footside stitch, you now have to do the left-hand footside. This is the same, but reversed. Take the three left pairs, identify the edge pair (left), passive pair (middle) and worker pair (right), and do the same as before.
You now repeat the whole, starting with the two new central pairs of bobbins for a double Torchon ground.
All the stitches are cloth stitch and twist, so you don't have to worry about changing the stitch. A common mistake is to keep the same pair as workers all the time, having worked them through two pairs to the edge, then working the same pair back through two pairs to the centre. You must remember to leave the edge pair, and work the other pair back only through one pair to the centre. The 'swapping over' is what makes the footside. Look at the diagram below to see how the threads go.
The photo above is large scale, so you can see what's going on. The photo below is what the lace looks like!
There are other types of footside, but this pattern will give you lots of practice in this type of footside, which will help you understand the others. It will also make working other lace easier if you have, at least, nailed doing the footside OK!
Click here for more on how to make lace.
Here is how to do this pattern, stitch by stitch (provided by one of the students):
Fix the pattern to the pillow and prick the holes (holes smaller than your pins)
Insert 2 pins on the top row & hang three pairs of bobbins on each pin.
Twist all the pairs on each pin with each other, in order to secure the top edge of the lace.
Spread the bobbins and mentally number them in pairs 1 to 6
Make sure they still have the twist on the pin.
1. pairs 3 & 4 = CTCT pin CTCT
2. pairs 4 & 5 = CTCT
3. pairs 5 & 6 = CTCT, tighten the threads
4. pin below / left of both the outside pairs.
Old 6 is now worked to the middle, old 4, leave at the edge.
5. pairs 4 & 5 = CTCT
6. pairs 2 & 3 = CTCT
7. pairs 1 & 2 = CTCT, tighten threads
8. pin below / right of both the outside pairs.
Old 1 is now worked to the middle, old 3, leave at the edge.
9. pairs 2 & 3 = CTCT
repeat from number 1.
© Jo Edkins 2019 - return to lace index