Lucy writes: The Guild of St Clare had their summer get-together on Saturday 18th July, at the parish hall of St Gregory & St Augustine, Oxford. It's always a pleasure to meet in person, and we had a particular treat on this occasion: a workshop on lace restoration, conducted by lace expert and long-time friend of the Guild of St Clare, Liz Baker.
We are extremely fortunate to have Liz's help. Experts in lace, particularly hand-made bobbin lace which Liz particularly loves, are very small in number, and decreasing all the time, and yet the lace itself is enormously prized, not least in traditional circles. Repairing rents and holes in lace, whether hand or machine made, requires an understanding of the way the lace is made and the materials used. This, Liz did her best to pass on to us on Saturday.
She showed us a number of samples of lace, and also the different threads and bobbins used, before moving on to discussing the repairs we had brought with us. I have a very beautiful black mantilla, bequeathed to me by a much-loved relation, which has such big tears in it that I had feared it couldn't be mended, but Liz was reassuring. I will need to source some black conservation net (or I can dye some), and use it to patch the holes.
Naturally there were a number of albs also needing attention, and with Liz's help we had a go. It's time-consuming and very fiddly!
A Guild of St Clare meeting would be unthinkable without tea and cake, and this was not lacking.
Many thanks to Clare Auty, the Oxford Chapter Leader, for organising such an enjoyable and valuable day.
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