September 2016 - Poole Bobbin Lace Circle

Poole Bobbin Lace Circle
NEWSLETTER 206
9 SEPTEMBER 2016
FROM THE CHAIRMAN
I hope that you have spent a relaxing time over the summer break and I look forward to welcoming you
back to PBLC for the start of our new year. Jenny Harris has put together a full programme of events for
the next 12 months.
We have three new committee members – Penny Stevenson is our new Membership Secretary, Jean
Organ has taken over organising demonstrations for us and Ruth Oldridge is looking after the Sales
Table. Unfortunately, even with Beryl Maw’s impassioned plea at the AGM, no one else has come
forward and we are still two members short of a full complement.
Congratulations to all PBLC members who exhibited at the Dorset Arts and Crafts Association Exhibition
in August. As usual we did very well in the ‘Lace’ section with Eve Morton winning The Portman Building
Society Challenge Cup with her needlelace ‘Angel Fish’ and Lucie Meersseman, a new member of PBLC,
winning The Royal Doulton Figurine with her ‘Hummingbird’.
Lily’s 2015 winning entry
Lily receiving the Rose Family
Trophy from Mrs Weld
Lily’s 2016 winning entry
The icing on the cake was Lily Wills winning the ‘Rose Family Trophy’, her winning entry from last year,
the ‘Church Cross’, and a new entry for this year, the ‘Cantu lace bodice’ earned her the title of
‘Champion of Champions. Well done to all these trophy winners.
Margaret Eaglestone
WHAT IS HAPPENING AT TODAY’S MEETING
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Our speaker is Judith Cordell, talking about ‘Where I’ve found Rosaline Lace’
Judith Cordell is also our supplier, bringing a selection of Beads, Books and Patterns
Our display is the DACA entries
Penny Stevenson will be collecting membership fees from those who have not yet paid £8.25 membership, £6 for Lace Guild members, £3 for Juniors
Linda Burn will be collecting names and money for Havant and giving out final information
for the trip to the V and A on 5 October
Jenny Harris will have a list for you to sign for the Upton House visit
MEMBERSHIP FEES
Just a reminder to all those who have not yet renewed their membership for 2016/17, please would you
complete the membership form that accompanied your July Newsletter and give it to me together with your
fees as soon as possible. I will have paper copies of that form at the September meeting. Many thanks.
For New Members
There will be a change to the fee structure for any new members wishing to join. The fee will now be on a
sliding scale depending on when they join. This will apply only to the membership part of the fee, the
insurance is the same regardless of what time of year they join (unless they are members of the Lace
Guild – in which case it is already paid).
1. If they join at any time during July, August, September or October the fee will be the total
amount payable (presently £6 + £2.25 insurance)
2. If they join at any time during November, December, January or February the fee will be two
thirds of the total amount (£4 + £2.25 insurance)
3. If they join at any time during March, April, May or June the fee will be one third of the total
amount (£2 + £2.25 insurance)
Penny Stevenson
SALES TABLE
The Sales Table needs more lace items to sell. Please start looking for equipment, threads, patterns etc.
that you no longer need, bring them along to a future meeting and I will try and sell them for you. Please
price each item and to help us with our storage space take all of your unsold items home at the end of the
meeting. For each item sold PBLC takes just 10% commission. Thank you.
Ruth Oldridge
FINAL INFORMATION FOR THE TRIP TO THE V AND A
For those going on the coach to London on Wednesday 5 October to see the
‘Undressed’ Exhibition, your final instruction sheet will be available at today’s
meeting. Linda Burn will be distributing it. If you are not at the meeting then I will
email or post it to you. I will need contact details, mobile phone numbers, for those
who are not travelling with the main group for part of the day. I have indicated who
that concerns on the sheet. I have also given my mobile number
so that you can contact me at any time during the day.
It should be a lovely day out. I am certainly looking forward to it.
Margaret Eaglestone
Satin corset with hand
-made bobbin lace
1890 - 1895
PROPOSED TRIP TO THE BATH FASHION MUSEUM IN 2017
There is to be a ‘Lace in Fashion’ Exhibition at The Fashion Museum in Bath starting in February 2017.
An article about the exhibition will feature in the January edition of the Lace Guild magazine, Lace, to whet
your appetite. We hope to organise a group outing for PBLC members to visit the exhibition. The most
direct method of travel appears to be by train and there is a direct train from Dorchester to Bath. Once we
know more about the dates of the exhibition we will start to research the best way to get there. More
details, probably after Christmas.
Your Committee
Below is what has appeared on the Fashion Museum website and probably relates to this exhibition.
Lace collection coming out of the shadows…Lace and whitework (white embroidery on white cloth) at
the Fashion Museum is becoming big news! Since September last year we have been exploring,
discovering, sorting and cataloguing a collection of fashionable accessories including collars and cuffs,
stoles, shawls and veils, with the invaluable help and expertise of a group of lace volunteers and an expert
in embroidery.
The project, funded by a grant from Arts Council England, has enabled us to select over 300 key pieces to
be fully catalogued. We have been working closely with volunteers from the Lace Guild, the Devon Lace
Teachers and the Bristol Lace Group to select and identify these pieces, from which 200 have been
chosen to be photographed and will feature on our website.
Our fabulous volunteers finally finished cataloguing this selection in July and the pieces are now being
carefully cleaned offsite by specialist textile conservators. We can’t wait to see them on their return!
SOUTHERN COUNTIES LACEMAKERS AND NEEDLECRAFT FAIR
Saturday 19 November 2016, 10am – 3.30 pm
As in previous years I will be purchasing tickets for the Lace and Needlecraft Fair at Havant at a reduced
rate of £4 rather than £4.50. If you would like to purchase a ticket please pay your £4 and book a ticket at
today’s meeting. The special exhibition this year is Lorna Bateman’s ‘Ribbon Embroidery’.
There are also five different demonstrations:
Anna Winter with Danish Whitework
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Japanese Embroidery Guild with Beading and Japanese Embroidery
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Jen Goodwin (RSN) with Embroidery
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Judith Cordell with Rosaline Perle Lace
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and Lorna Bateman with Ribbon Embroidery
Sounds like a good day out!
Margaret Eaglestone
DEMONSTRATING AT THE PRIEST HOUSE MUSEUM
Being a Wimborne based lace teacher Dorothy Watson's classes were invited to demonstrate the craft of
lacemaking at the Wimborne History Festival in July.
We covered both days of the festival and were based in the cafe of the museum. We were made very
welcome and treated to free, unlimited supplies of tea and coffee. Our lacemaking conditions were very
good as we were seated by the window at a large table giving us plenty
of light. The view of the gardens was lovely as were the Roman soldiers
walking by.
Much interest was shown in our lacemaking. Children as well as adults
having a try on the 'have a go' pillow. Our Wednesday evening class has
benefited by having two new members from this event. The atmosphere
was very warm and friendly and the Priest House museum said that they
would welcome us to demonstrate lacemaking again sometime in the
future. The Wimborne History Festival will return to the town in July 2018.
Mary Tate
THE DORSET ARTS AND CRAFTS ASSOCIATION EXHIBITION
Lucie Meersseman wins The Royal
Doulton Figurine with her
‘Hummingbird’.
Eve Morton, wins The Portman
Building Society Challenge Cup for her
Angel Fish
Dorset is the only county in the country where amateurs can enter their craft work for judging. It is a
tradition that I am very keen to support so that it will continue. This year the exhibition, held at the Purbeck
School from 5 - 8 August, was the first to be organised by a largely new committee. It was good to see
that there was an increased entry in many of the categories, especially a good number from some talented
young people. The 'Have a Go' workshops, which have always been on offer to children attending the
exhibition, were this year extended to include adults as well. They were well received and included such
crafts as beadwork, glass painting, paper folding and parchment work.
PBLC exhibited a beautiful display of 'Natural World' pieces and lots of members were able to fill in the
demonstration slots. Keen interest was shown and while I was demonstrating several children and adults
took the opportunity to 'have a go' with Sammy Snake.
Congratulations to all PBLC members who entered pieces of work for judging and a special well done to
all our prize winners.
Dorothy Watson
BRUGES 2016
I was very much looking forward to my lace course starting on Saturday 13 August with tutor Anne-Marie
Verbeke Billiet. My preparation had been done the previous Monday. Choosing a lace pattern to work on
when I wasn't involved in the drafting of patterns had been narrowed down to two patterns, one an angel
and the other Santa and his sleigh. Both used a similar number of bobbins and I enlarged the Santa
pattern so that both could be worked in the same thread. I had seen the finished Santa pattern some
years earlier and managed to find it in a folio borrowed from the Lace Guild, the library at the Guild is a
very useful resource. I pricked the two patterns as I hadn't decided which one I wanted to use.
I was concerned when the RMT union decided to go on strike because part of my journey from Clapham
Junction to Sutton would be on Southern Rail. I dutifully looked into alternative routes but happily the strike
was suspended for further talks. Lace and drafting equipment sorted and packed in my pillow bag and
amongst my clothes for the week, I was ready. I travelled up to Sutton on the Friday before with no
problems on the journey. This year I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Sutton, which is only a ten minute walk to
Sutton Quadrant where the coach would be departing next morning. I had arrived during the late afternoon
to avoid the rush hour so, after checking in at the hotel, I went for a stroll around Sutton's shopping centre
purchasing a long-sleeved top in M&S! Next morning bright and early I was off to the coach pick up and
met some of my friends from previous years. We had lots to talk about and the journey passed quickly to
the next pick up at Cobham services. We were to be 18 on the course this year but sadly one participant
had to drop out as her husband was seriously ill.
The journey was uneventful, even the new passport checks by French border controls was reasonably
speedy so we didn't suffer the horrendous delays that had beset holidaymakers a few weeks earlier. We
arrived at the Sarephta monastery in Bruges at about 3.30pm. We quickly unloaded the coach so our
driver could leave on his return journey to England. Father Johannes greeted us as old friends as he
showed us into the building. Consternation arose as he had explained that the monks had increased in
number with a new novice and also a monk from Sweden and one from India had joined them so we
would be unable to use the refectory as our workroom. The new area for our workshop would be in the
corridor around a grass square. We were immediately concerned about the level of light available but he
assured us that they would attend to our worries. We went off to sort out our rooms, make up our beds
and unpack, before setting off to look around Bruges.
Bruges seemed to be quieter than in previous years, we were there a week later than last year but
whether visitors were down because of perceived terror threats or the low value of the pound to the euro I
don’t know. First stop for me was the local supermarket to get a litre of fresh milk as the monastery uses
only long life which is horrible in tea! Next stop was Scharlaeken, the lace and
embroidery supplies shop, in Philipstockstraat just off the Maart, to check out
the contents of some of the wished for books on my list. Here I met up with two
others from my course and became involved with them and the shop owner Jan
Vandenweghe in a discussion about the OIDFA Congress 2018, which may not
happen. He assured us that there would be a Bruges Congress organised by
the local lace organisations and traders on the same dates. I managed not to
buy any books for once and had narrowed down the wish list to a couple. On
returning to the monastery we found Father Johannes busy adding extra lights
in the corridor. I did wonder whether the monks spent
the next week in semi darkness as he found a lot of
lights! We had a hot supper that evening as we had
been travelling; usually the evening meal is bread,
cold meats and salad. Then it was early to bed as it
had been a long day.
Kantdagen—Geometric Panels
On Sunday morning some of us went to mass, I enjoy
listening to the Gregorian chant in the service. In the afternoon most of us went
to see the exhibition held in the De Halve Mann brewery in Walplein organised
by the Kantcentrum. 'Kantdagen' is held every year in the middle of August, this
year was the 36th occasion. Outside in the square there were traders selling lace
supplies and also lots of people demonstrating lacemaking. It was a lovely hot
day but had it been wet I don't know where these people could have gone
Kantdagen—Blue Mask
because there was no room inside. The exhibition is free and held on the top
two floors of the brewery. There were many groups with their own displays of
lace and three or four lacemakers all working around each stand. Spanish and Russian lacemakers had
also come this year. Up there it was very warm and the light levels were not good for lacemaking, some
wiser to the situation had bought their own worklamps. I took a few photos but it is difficult in low light
conditions and flash of course just bounces back off anything framed with glass. There was quite a
contrast in the lace on display, from large geometric panels with furry thread to very fine Binche and
Duchesse laces.
Once back at the monastery I finally decided that I would make the Santa and sleigh motif. Progress with
such fine laces is slow but I managed to have half the bobbins added by the end of the day and nothing
much visible other than a forest of pins. There would be time to continue with this project on Monday as
those of us doing the drawing were not expecting to start until Anne-Marie had seen everyone else who
was working on lace. Monday saw the rest of the bobbins attached and the reindeer shape beginning to
grow.
Early in the mornings before breakfast a small group of us would go for brisk walks . There are many
depictions of lace in windows of houses and surprisingly most window ornaments are arranged to face the
street rather than the room. We didn't actually start drawing until Tuesday when Anne-Marie gave us the
outline of a clothwork repeat marked onto the snowflake grid paper and a photocopy of an edging which
we were to examine and attempt to draw in the thread paths. We had a quick refresher course and some
guidance as to where to begin and then left to study and draw. We were of course working on a straight
repeat and the lace copy was an oval just to make the task a little more complicated. Tuesday is a half day
so we didn't get very far by lunchtime but returned to the drawing later so we would have something to
show Anne-Marie next morning.
A visit to the Kantcentrum was an essential part of the week in Bruges so I walked over to Baalstraat early
on Tuesday afternoon. I needed to renew my subscription to Kant and I wanted to
look again at the contents of the books on my list but still didn't buy any. Meeting
two others from our class we went into the museum which, although small, is
definitely worth visiting. We also went upstairs to look in on the workrooms and at
the displays of recent work on the wall. There were framed displays of the laces
from Lieve Pollet's new book 'Bruges Binche' which are of Mentebolle designs,
beautifully worked, in the corridor. Leaving the Kantcentrum we walked back to the
town via The Wool Shop on Predikherenstraat. Some call it 'the scary lady shop'
maintaining that it is impossible to leave the shop without purchasing something. I
can't say that I have noticed but it is an Aladdin's cave of many yarns, embroidery
and sewing materials. I wanted to look at her sock yarns as I want to knit socks for
the family this year and I thought that I would find some different yarns there. After
Manikin of a Lacemaker
all this activity it was time for a refreshing drink. We found a quiet bar near the fish
market to enjoy a strawberry beer. Making our way back we stopped at Rococo in Wollestraat, a lovely
shop with a mix of antique lace and tourist souvenirs. It is the shop with the manikin of a lacemaker in the
bay window above. We were there quite late in the afternoon and chatting about the lace on display, when
the owner invited us upstairs to view her museum. We were amazed at the quality of the laces up there
and felt very privileged to have been shown it. In fact by the time we left the shop had closed.
On Wednesday it was back to the drawing in earnest. First Anne-Marie checked our lace repeat from the
day before and made suggestions to improve the thread paths. Then she produced a sheaf of photocopies
of lace grounds and we were to choose one and to draw it out after identifying the repeat area. We spent
much of the morning doing this and after lunch we were asked to design a bookmark, it would be a
sampler for different grounds and was to include the the new ground that we had drawn. At the end of the
day our designs were taken by Anne-Marie to enlarge by 400%, then they would be ready to draw the
thread paths in the next day. I spent the rest of the day after class working on my lace. I had set myself the
goal of getting to the tail of the reindeer by the end of the week and needed to do some work!
Thursday was spent drawing, transferring the enlarged outline of the bookmark onto snowflake paper and
drawing the grounds. I made some progress and by the end of the day felt that it was time for a break and
to actually make some lace.
Friday was the penultimate day of the course. Where had the week gone? This day was also a half day so
there was a lot to fit in before lunch. Anne-Marie checked our drawings and made some suggestions for
improvements, mostly to do with joining into the clothwork surrounding the grounds. We were given our
homework for next year - to finish the drawing and come back with it drawn out on tracing paper. I shall be
studying other working diagrams to glean information about the best way to fill in the thread paths
particularly for the clothwork areas. I had drawn in curved lines which of course will not be straightforward.
On Friday it was time to shop for chocolates for the husband at home and then it was back to work on the
sleigh and the reindeer. I did reach the reindeer's tail.
Saturday was the last day. The packing was done, room tidied, suitcases and pillow bags packed ready to
load onto the coach. Given our instructions to be back by 11.00 we went into the town for a last wander
round. I finally succumbed and bought a folio 'Vivaldi', a Binche pattern of the four seasons by the Binche
Masterclass, probably their last work as a group.
And so we set off on our journey home. Sadly that journey is another story! Bad weather in the Channel
caused long delays and we were very late arriving home.
Eve Morton
JUDGING AT THE GILLINGHAM AND SHAFTESBURY AGRICULTURAL SHOW
On Tuesday 16 August, the day before the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Show at Motcombe, just north of
Shaftesbury, I went with Liz Pass to be initiated in the art of judging lace. It was a wonderful experience
and I am very thankful to Liz for inviting me to go with her. It was a beautiful sunny day, as was the actual
day of the show, and we met at Blandford and then travelled together in one car. As I am sure you know
the town of Shaftesbury is built on a hill so as we left Shaftesbury and descended the hill towards
Motcombe the marquees were spread out before us – a spectacular sight indeed.
We were first invited to share in an excellent buffet lunch and then escorted to the very large marquee with
all the exhibits to be judged – handicrafts, vegetables and fruit, flowers, homecrafts, wine, photography,
floral decorations and a children’s class. There were three different Bobbin Lace categories – for a
‘Framed’ item, a ‘Domestic’ item and a ‘Personal’ item.
Liz had just eight pieces to judge, 5 in the ‘Framed’ category and 3 in the ‘Domestic’ category. It was
interesting to see how she organised the judging – giving scores in five different areas –
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tension
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technique - which included the complexity and variety of stitches used,
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thread - its suitability, appropriate thickness and colour
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finishing – including completions and endings
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displaying – how the lace had been presented, for example appropriate frame, mount and
backing to complement the lace.
After awarding scores in all of these areas, Liz then wrote helpful comments both of praise and
constructive criticism, all of which would help the lacemakers with their future projects.
I learned a lot and really enjoyed the day. Thank you, Liz, and I hope you will invite me again.
Margaret Eaglestone
TALK AT THE PRIEST HOUSES MUSEUM
On Tuesday 18 October at 7.30 pm, Liz Pass is giving an illustrated talk entitled ‘Lace in Dorset, its
history, manufacture and use’ at the Priest House Museum. I have contacted the museum and visitors
as well as Friends of the Priest House Museum are able to attend - there is a small entrance fee of about
£4. I do hope that some of you will go along to hear and support Liz.
In her talk Liz hopes to cover the general history of lace in Europe, more specifically its manufacture in
several Dorset towns, and its use as embellishments for furnishings and costumes with particular
emphasis on those Dorset residents who could afford to buy it. She will bring photographs and items from
her collection.
Margaret Eaglestone
EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS
More details for some of these events are on the noticeboard.
Thursday – Sunday
8 - 18 September
National Exhibition of the Association of the Guilds of Weavers,
Spinners and Dyers - ‘Threads in Time’ at Killerton House,
Broadclyst, EX5 3LE, 11 00 to 17.00. Website www.wsd.org.uk
Sunday 18 September
Canford Needlework Festival, Hamworthy Recreation Club,
Magna Road , BH21 3AP. 10.00 to 16.30. Admission £3. Plenty of
parking. www.canfordneedlework.co.uk
Sunday 16 October
Lace and Threads Fair organised by Tonbridge Lacemakers.
10.00 to 15.00. Entry £2.50. For further information see
www.tonbridgelacemakers.org.uk
Saturday 29 October
St George's Craft Day details are now on the church website.
Tickets and workshop booking are now available at
www.stgeorgesoakdale.co.uk under events.
Saturday 19 November
The Southern Counties Lacemakers and Needlecraft Fair,
Havant 10.00 to 15.30. More details in the September Newsletter.
OCTOBER PILLOW PARTY
The first of four Pillow Parties planned for this year will take place on Saturday 1 October at St George's
Church in the small hall. A charge of £2.50 is made to cover the cost of using the hall and refreshments
will be available. It's lovely to meet up with other members before the winter sets in to see what pieces
they are working on and what lacemaking plans they have at the beginning of the lace year. It may be
time to think of starting an entry for next year's competition. The title is 'Contrast'. All members are
welcome so do plan to join us if you can.
Your Committee
EDITORIAL
It has been two years now since my first efforts of helping to put the Newsletter together. I wouldn't say
that it has become any easier but I must confess that there is enjoyment in receiving the articles and
reading the final product. As always I am very grateful to all of you who have sent in contributions. It does
seem as if the efforts to demonstrate lacemaking are bearing fruit and it's great that PBLC members are
seizing every opportunity to spread the word and share the enjoyment of lacemaking. Hopefully Jean will
have enough members to go and demonstrate at Poole Library on Saturday 10 September - National
Lacemaking Day.
Having read Eve's account of her course in Bruges you may be tempted to do a residential lacemaking
course next year. When I go to Pompi Parry's lace days at her home near Salisbury many of the group are
talking about the course that she runs at Ammerdown. There are also two courses at the W I Denman
College in Oxfordshire.
As always at the first meeting of the year there are quite a few things for you to do as well as catching up
with other members old and new. The programme for the year looks fabulous with interesting speakers
and outings as well. The prospect of visiting the Fashion Museum at Bath in 2017 really does look very
appealing.
Any items for the November Newsletter need to reach me by Wednesday 12 October slightly earlier than
usual.
The next full PBLC meeting will be on Saturday 12 November starting at 2pm. The speaker will be Stella
Walker from the Blandford Fashion Museum. This is a true hidden treasure of Dorset so not to be missed.
Linda Burn
The Minutes of the AGM in July 2016 are attached to this Newsletter.