Bobbin Lace is an art form that originated as a continuation of passementerie, which is the type of twisted and braided silk cords we now use on pillows and curtains. But at that time they were also used on clothing, such as the braids you might remember seeing on vintage soldier's epaulettes.
It's called "bobbin lace" because the way it is made is by weaving threads individually instead of on a loom. For each thread in the pattern, a long portion of thread is wound up on a stick or "bobbin," allowing the maker to interweave the threads freely among each other, normally holding threads in place with pins as the work progresses.
A special bolster pillow, usually filled with sawdust, is used to hold the pins steady as the work is created. A paper pattern is pinned to the bolster and the bobbins are tied together in pairs and hung on pins at the beginning of the pattern. From there a "weaver pair" of bobbins does the work of weaving the threads together in ways unique to lace. Amazingly, it holds together, and if linen thread is used, a very sturdy cloth textile is created.
Bobbin lace now seems boring and dusty, but in centuries past, it was literally worth its weight in gold! Due to the fineness of the thread, the work must be kept away from the light and air.
So, the work conditions were horrible! Young girls were forced to work basically underground, using the light of only one candle to reveal their work, and that candle's light was spread to each girl's work pillow by a globe of water. These girls were under such harsh conditions, they could end up basically blind by the age of sixteen!
The business owner would drop off a pound of linen thread at the beginning of the week, and expect a pound of lace at the end of the week! No waste allowed! If the work was not done well enough, sometimes punitive measures such as fines, public humiliation, or physical punishment would be administered!
As if these conditions weren't bad enough, there were sometimes laws made against wearing lace, except for the wealthy, which was probably just one more way of the upper classes trying to subjugate the poor.
I hope you've enjoyed this history lesson. We don't have to exploit anyone when we make lace. We can do it the right way, with mercy and love. Let me know if you are interested in learning this antique art.
--Pam