“Wire Bobbin Lace for Contemporary & Traditional Lace Makers” workshop

Workshop Description

Although Lauran is a contemporary lace maker and will concentrate primarily on contemporary bobbin lace, the techniques, covered in the class, would benefit the traditional lace maker who wishes to make traditional pieces using wire. These techniques can also be used for larger dimensional sculptural pieces although she will cover small-scale jewelry applications.  Lauran will explore two important aspects; focusing on the special methods of working with wire will help the student understand the structural integrity inherent to metal and its potential for dimensional design, emphasis on proper tensioning and the technique of working the wire around the pins, in a systematic manner to achieve precise stitches will be covered in detail. Additional she will cover methods for making all those wire ends “disappear”.

Students will make several small samples in colored copper wire.

Skill level: Basic bobbin lace skills are required (plaits, cloth stitch and basic torchon ground) but no prior wire working experience is necessary.

 

Covered in Workshop:

 

  • Smooth starts and finishes: techniques for making all those wires ends disappear.
  • Even tensioning and accurate procedure in handling bobbins for ground, tallies and cloth stitch.
  • Sizes/ Gauges of wire for different effects and grid sizes.
  • Properties of different kinds of wire: copper, brass, steel, silver and gold and their uses in bobbin lace.
  • Proper ways of “ironing” wire to maintain its strength.
  • Thinking three dimensionally.
  • Making objects structurally viable.

 

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