Torchon beginners #3 - Just Spiders bookmark

[@janetwilliamson6403]

Nice to see actual lessons. I learnt bobbin lace in the 1980’s at night school and this reminds me of those classes.

[@Susan-Lace-Beads]

I learnt in the 1980’s too, initially self taught as school wouldn’t give permission for us to attend night school while studying. Went to my first class/group in 1988

[@charlesowens2578]

Ms. Roberts. You must be some sort of teacher in your everyday life and I’d assume science or math but maybe I’m wrong. I am a teacher and MAN-O-MAN are these lessons helpful. I teach fine arts and your approach is the same way I would approach teaching a musical score. I love the diagrams and now it really really makes sense to me. I definitely will be writing for the patterns and will watch these lessons as my summer hobby study. Please, please keep doing them in this fashion. My goal is to do handkerchief edging and then figure out how to sew it onto the linen. I’m excited to see what will becoming next.

[@Susan-Lace-Beads]

Hello @Charlesowens2578, Many thanks for your very kind comments! You are sort of right, I am a Maths graduate but my main job is programme management not teaching. I have "taught" though since I was 15. If you look at my website (susanroberts.info) my lace story is on there. I have a teaching qualification to teach post-16/adults (I would have been too frustrated teaching in a school where I had to teach a certain way). Lace and music/Maths come up a lot together, I'm not musical. When I started teaching lace I used to explain things with diagrams when I got to more complicated laces. Outside of the UK diagrams are used a lot more, when I saw Torchon beginners being taught alongside diagrams in Brugge I pulled this through to my beginners lace and started teaching in this format over 20 years ago. I love the way a diagram can explain! There will be more videos on patterns to come and some other tip videos. Best wishes Susan

[@sophieinspired]

Thank you so much for sharing! The bookmarks look so nice 💖

[@sued.5698]

I really enjoyed this lesson,very thorough and lots of tips. Thank you.

[@Susan-Lace-Beads]

@sued.5698 many thanks for taking the time to write feedback, much appreciated, I’m planning to record videos for some of the other patterns I use with beginners in the next couple of months

[@JustAnotherBuckyLover]

I have no idea how I ended up here, I'd never heard of bobbin lace in my life... and yet I'm fascinated (if a little confused).

[@juliaogara8794]

I learnt bobbin lace over 20 years ago with a good teacher. You are however, far better than she was. Your use of colour to show the flow of the bobbins is an excellent idea of teaching beginners but also a great idea for someone like me who has been away from it for a few years. Life has caused this but when circumstances change I intend to return to it. Thank you for your videos. Do you do other types of lace?

[@Susan-Lace-Beads]

Many thanks for your kind comments @julieagara much appreciated. I've been making lace for 40 years so have made a number of different types of lace. The standard course I teach in person now I call BHT (Belgian Honiton and Torchon), Belgian includes Brugge Flower, Chrysanthemum lace, Flanders and Binche. I'm based in the North West of England so Cheshire/Merseyside area. Have a look at my website to see some of what I've worked (susanroberts.info)

[@pixiecora2212]

I have always been fascinated with bobbin lace and would live to give it a go. What do you recommend for a complete beginner to start with?

[@Susan-Lace-Beads]

Hi @pixiecora2212, for a complete beginner most people start by learning to work rows of cloth stitch and half stitch. However I am aware that some people have been started off with ground stitches (so dots on the pattern and only dots). If you wanted you could try my Tartan pattern which is just worked in one stitch throughout. It's not there at the moment but there will be a second pattern that I call Stripey which is another ground stitch pattern (Tartan and Stripey us the same pricking - the card with the holes in it). I'm hoping to get this recorded and posted on line in the next month and then it would be the pattern your comment is one as the next pattern I use with beginners.