Bobbin lace headsides

Lace usually has two edges. A straight edge is called a footside and the wavy or frilly edge is called a headside. It is possible for a piece of lace to have two headsides (such as in a bookmark) or two footsides. Some headsides are reasonably straight so it can be hard to tell the difference!

In British bobbin lace, the headside is usually worked on the left. Other lace traditions work the headside on the right. This makes no difference, as you can just turn the finished piece of lace over. Anyway, if you have both sides the same, you need to work these from either side. This website will show the British direction.

The Dutch for headsides is Buitenranden.

It is important to tighten the threads in a headside. The threads change direction at the edge, and this can lead to looseness, or even a loop appearing. This will be very noticeable. The human eye is very unforgiving of wobbles at an edge!