Bobbin lace tape lace

Bobbin lace tape lace

Click here for tape lace patterns.

Bobbin tape lace

Most of this website is about Torchon lace and Bucks Point. These are worked in strips, although these can make other shapes.

There is an entirely different type of making bobbin lace, which I will call tape lace. My understanding of tape lace is that rather than concentrating on a large number of pairs, which make up the whole pattern growing gradually downwards, there are a small number of pairs working the tape, swooping across the pattern with much more freedom. The shapes within the pattern are made by the tape rather than the stitches of the lace.

Sometimes tape lace is called ten-stick. See Types of tape for more on this.

Equipment

Tape lace crops up in various lace traditions. The idea is that a lace tape is bent into various forms to make the final design. Some tape lace is based on machine made tape, which is a valid craft, but has nothing to do with this website! Bobbin lace tape requires the tape to be proper bobbin lace itself, and as the tape is worked, it is joined to an already worked part of the tape using a sewing (which uses a crochet hook). Sometimes the gaps between the tape loops are filled by different bobbin lace or other stitches called "fillings". These sewings make is very important that you use bobbins without spangles, as the beads get caught on the loop of thread while making the sewing! These sewings require you to attach the current pair to a previously worked piece of lace, and this will be easier if this previously worked piece of lace is in the correct place. So leave the pins in anywhere which will be attached in future. I suggest that you push the pin in up to its head, so it does not snag on any threads in future working. The curves of the tape also mean that you need to be able to work the lace from any direction, which limits what type of pillow you use.

Examples of tape lace

Bobbin tape lace