“My Inspiration” - The Olney Wedding Hanky
When you are looking for that inspiration moment and then you happen to visit the Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney!
The new Lace display at the museum is beautiful as is the rest of this charming little museum in the lovely town of Olney, Buckinghamshire. I have been to Olney a few times, once when I organised a tour round the lace villages with Liz Bartlett as our tour guide. Absolutely fascinating it was too! Seeing buildings, cottages etc that you would not look at twice normally. After that tour, I must admit it captured my heart being such a Lace Centre of activity.
After many years, I re-visited Olney to see the new lace exhibition with two fellow lacemakers…one preferring Bucks Point (Jane Lewis), the other Beds Lace (Fiona Willams). There were samples of both on show and we were enthralled by the displays. There was even a little dicky pot, which would hold burning ashes and be placed under the lacemakers skirts to keep them warm. Health & Safety would have a field day these days…can you imagine?
It was on this visit I noticed a beautiful piece of Bucks lace (amongst others), geometric in design but with a very wide and deep corner. That was my ‘inspiration’ moment. What I had not realised was that I had the pattern. This was pointed out by Jane Lewis on the visit. I thought to my self ‘how could I have missed that?’
We took loads of photos and then decided that this had made us very hungry! So, we took ourselves off for a bite to eat at a lovely Italian restaurant round the corner from the museum. I still couldn’t get this handkerchief out of my head probably much to annoyance of my friends!
This is the Museum handkerchief that inspired me!
When I arrived home, I immediately found the book where the pattern featured. I must have looked at it so many times as I bought the book in the 1980’s, but it just didn’t look as beautiful as the one in the museum. Black & White photos clearly do not inspire me! The pattern is named ‘The Olney Handkerchief’ and appears in “A Visual Introduction to Bucks Point Lace” by Geraldine Stott.
There is the pricking which has been hand drawn and working diagrams, but I never make use the diagrams as I like to work it my way, however, I did see if the diagrams worked and the sides seem to be ok and how I would approach them, but the corners are another thing altogether, so you cannot rely on the given diagrams. You really need experience in working them and I am sure each of my corners are slightly different, but that’s Bucks corners for you. Back in the day Bucks workers did not have corners to work as (a) this would slow them down and (b) corners were never designed due to the angle of the ground not being at 45 degrees like Torchon Lace. The workers would just work long strips of the lace and then gather round the corners.
Once I had pricked the pricking and wound my bobbins, I made a start. You need to start at the corner, which is always interesting, but does give a much better finish as opposed to have a ‘join’ line on the vast area of ground which is part of the overall design.
My finished piece un-mounted. I am sure that you have noticed I used pearls instead of tallies!
I have to say I really enjoyed working it and have now had it mounted onto cotton lawn courtesy of fellow lacemaker, Pat Hallam of Roseground & NBLS fame, whose sewing skills are far better than mine! Thank you Pat.
Ta-dah – finished and mounted!
Hope you enjoyed my little tale!