Russian lace of Vologda

Panel de encaje de B. Beselova, 1967

I've been interested in Russian bobbin lace for many years. The fact that there is so little information about it in my country, makes it even more attactive to me. It is a challenge trying to make it correctly and finding interesting patterns.

Quite briefly, what we usually call "Russian bobbin lace" is a continuous tape lace (that is, we start and end at the same place) and normally a fixed number of bobbins are needed. The tapes make curves forming flowers or other motifs to fill the space. When one tape touches another, it is joined with a crochet hook.

Scarf made by Nieves García

After having got in touch with a few Russian bobbin lacers and after having read quite a few books on Russian lace, I think I know fairly well its characteristics. So, it's time to start working. Some colleagues from "Mi Pequeño Taller" and me decided to make a scarf. We like to use the lace we make and not keep it in a drawer. So, a scarf seemed the ideal piece: neither too big, nor too small, and wearable. 

But we needed a pattern. Finding it was complicated... but we finally  got the inspiration from a panel made in 1967 by the Russian lacer B. Beselova, and adapted it to our necessities, reducing the number of repeats and making a long row of them.

And this is the result, a few months later.

Scarf made by Antje González, still on the pillow

Statue of a bobbin lacer in Rauma

The historic centre of Rauma is very pleasant and cosy. It has a Lace Museum with over one thousand pieces of lace, many Lace Shops along its main street, a Lace Association dedicated to the preservation and teaching of bobbin lace... And it also has a statue of a lace maker.

   

The staute, made of bronce, is in Helsinki Square (in Rauma), in the middle of a small park covered of grass and surrounded by bushes and trees. It was placed there in 1976 to commemorate the lace making tradition, which started in Rauma in the 18th century, and still continues today. 

The statue was made by the Finish sculptor and professor Kauko Räike (1923-2005).

 

The statue represents a Finish lacer, with traditional pillow and bobbins. We can also observe in the statue the way the Finish lacers work the lace: they work palms down. In most parts of Spain we work palms up.

In most of the cities that are famous for its lace we can find a statue of a lacer. In Spain we can find them too.

With your help  we could make a chapter where we could admire these statues and observe their differences. If you have travelled and photographed any of these statues, send me please your pictures and I will publish them next to some details. With your contributions, the blog can be much more interesting.