Old Belgian Battenburg Lace patterns: advice sought on what to do with them

Annemos

Good afternoon.

I used to live in Belgium in the 80's. I learnt how to sew the Battenburg Ribbon Lace. This is where you use ribbon with a thread along one side. You pull on the thread and if forms loops, which you can sew onto a brown paper backing-pattern. Then sew it all together. Then infill with embroidery thread stitches. White or Ecru. 

A 90 year old found out I was doing this, and, as she had no family or anybody interested, she gave them to me in about 1985. 

I have been back in UK for years. I made good use of some of them and made many for family members. (Just retrieved some for my own home, as my Mum is now in a home and has dementia. They have washed so beautifully and with spray starch, they now look a treat.) 

I am now in my late 60's and I am wondering what best to do with these wonderful patterns. I also have several meters of the lace ribbon. I cannot do much close work any more. 

I feel it is such a shame if they all go to waste, if I come to a demise and my sister then takes them to the tip! 

Does anybody have any idea what to do with them? Are there any societies in England etc? 

Thanks for your help. 

Example of the type of thing is below, from Google 

Katiehound

 I remember buying one of those mats from a shop in Bruges very many years ago.
they are very pretty.

I'm sure somebody somewhere would like the patterns & material. no, they don't want to be binned!!

Lace making groups here tend to be few and far between but the ones I have come across do bobbin lace.

 However these are the people who you might like to contact
https://www.laceguild.org/

you can email here:

General Enquiries: 

Rachel Herrington

hollies@laceguild.org

or there is a phone number, and a contact online email form

Hopefully they will be able to help

Annemos

Oh that is fantastic, Katiehound.

Thank you very much indeed. 

RainbowFriend

Hi Annemos, you're very clever!
Have you thought of contacting local Women's Institutes, or Soroptimist International groups, or local craft groups, libraries, who may be delighted to take these off your hands? 
I hope you find someone who wants to use them. 
Failing that try selling them on Ebay etc? 
All the best 😄

Annemos

Thank you, RainbowFriend. 

I did do a brief search. I found a place in the USA that actually makes them. But it would be a bit expensive to get them over all there. 

Your idea about Craft Groups is a good idea. I shall have to do some more research, if Katiehound's idea fails. 

Thanks again. 

Annemos

PS Rainbow Friend.  

The technique of this lace, is actually rather straightforward.

There was just one decorative stitch that is lovely, but I used to avoid it for infilling. I could never get it to line up neatly and evenly. So I did not use it. 

The first example above also does not have it. 

But you can see these decorative stitches in this example below, in the lower part of the wings and the body. 

Annemos

Oh and I used to  do this, too. I love white-on-white. 

So with this, in Belgium, you could go into a curtain shop and actually buy the factory-made net curtain, with just a plain grid pattern on it. 

(In the old days the ladies would make that curtain netting themselves, too. Sort of like a miniature fishing net.)

Span it on a hoop and then embroider the holes, in and out, using cross-stitch patterns (of just one colour). I have books with these patterns, too.  

Here is the type of thing. 

Such close work is not so easy as one ages, I find. 

twopenny

Quite beautiful ! I love the butterfly.

I too like white on white - at least while my eyesight was good enough.

There is a lace museum in Honiton and while it specialises in Honiton lace it may be worth contacting them and asking if they know of a museum that would be interested.

https://www.honitonmuseum.co.uk/

The Missenden School of Creative Arts (Buckinghamshire) may be interested

https://www.missendenschoolofcreativearts.co.uk/courses.php

Also the Museum of Fashion in Bath but that's a long shot.

There used to be lace schools in England but seem to have disappeared in the last 20yrs.

I used to make lace and was lucky that someone saw my plea on a forum for strip crochet lace for edging on pillows and sheets. I couldn't find the patterns and she had some. Oh joy!

So I think it's a case of plugging away. I do remember courses on Brussels lace but can't uncover any with a quick search. I have a feeling there's another name for it in England as every now and again it becomes popular.

The name is Tape Lace or Bobbin Tape Lace.

When I put Tape Lace England into a search lots came up. Look under the pictures and see if there are museums or courses.

I have a table cloth made like the last picture

Annemos

Many thanks for your advice twopenny. 

Excellent sources. 

button_box

Just come across your post and wondered what progress you have made?

 An Aunt of mine donated some textiles and patterns,  which had belonged to my Grandmother, to a Textile group at Glasgow School of Art. There may be some textile/lace groups associated with other Art Schools or what about the V&A?

i have just read an aricle about a lady who is writing down the patterns for Sanquhar Knitted Gloves which have very complex patterns. She is donating the gloves she has knitted and the patterns to a local museum (in Dumfries and Galloway). There was a similar project up here (in North of Scotland) to preseve a record of the patterns used in various fishing communities. Years ago if a Fisherman had been lost at sea and the remains were washed ashore they could identify the community they came from by the pattern of their jumper.

It is important to keep  a record of these patterns as a lot of the skills have been lost.

Annemos

Many thanks button_box

I still have to get onto this. A job for the Summer. 

Thanks for your suggestions. 

One lady I spoke to on the train (she was doing lovely crochet work). She said that Design students also love patterns. 

You are correct about these skills being lost. It is such a shame. I feel that not so many people have handicrafts decoration/ornamentation in their homes, these days. Occasionally it will come in fashion for a season or two, but will be massed produced.