LITTLE HOMTON LACE MAKER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 150, 26 June 1937, Page 2 (Supplement)

LITTLE HOMTON LACE MAKER.

JSSam-tfhati 90»yearra-ago, a*Trtt?!e dark-Sfci-red, dark-eyed girl'sat in a cottage deyrway in *Topsom, on the Ktver Ex, Dieter, Devonshire. England, She was painstakingly learning to make braid. Not common braid, but a very, special braids-used in the making of a lace that wa» famous all over the -world. This Laew-was TToniton lace. All the children w-ere taught to make braid. almost before tlrcy could walk. They soon.-fcecame expert in the weaving of this district was the centre of the IToniton lace industry. Even in those early times the lace was much sought after.

The Tittle children were taught to ■iake> braid in readiness Tor their mothers, the actual lace-making, joining tba lacs into patterns, Practically every •woman was a Lire-make - , an.l as the cottage doors opened directly on t*» th<» street, this was the appioved place in which to work. There they could gossip -with their neighbours, as their Dobbins flew busily over the pillowon -which tho Lice -was made. As they -workoiL they -would -watch the vessels" travelling up and down the river Ex, tor at that time Topsom was a very busy little seaport, and. not tho sleeping little back-water which it later became, when a canal was put through to Exmouth, As this little girl grew older, her skill *& braid making became the talk of the village, and so she was very soon put on to tho more skilled work. Now, perhaps, we had better talk a little of Low the lace was made. A m'it fine Linen thread was necessary for making the lace, and this was woven from a special variety of flax grown for the purpose. Two qualities of thread were wnwn. One was used for a coarser kind of lace, but we are dealing with the other. Next, the thread was wound on to bobbins, and then the weaver sat before her pillow. This pillow was something like a small sofa bolster, covered in black, and standing on a three-legged stand, 'f'he weaver next took her lace pins; these were like our ordinary pins in shape, but only about the thickness of human hair. These were placed in the pillow in parallel lines, and the bobbins were attached, and then tossed from hand to hand with great speed, crossing and weaving in and out, much in the manner of a shuttle in a modern loom. This ma.de their braid.

The lace-makers next*tootc paper patterns, in stiff cartridge paper, and these were pricked all over with pin-holes in some chosen pattern. The lace-pins were next put into the holes in the pattern, and the braid was woven with flying bobbins again. The best lace-makers wove their patterns with the bobbins, but the inferior workers put their braid together in a method known as "pointing.'' and for this, a sewing needle was used. Our little girl, however, scorned that method, and as she grew up became more and more proficient in the art of lacemaking. While she was still in her 'teens, the Princess Alexandra came to England to wed the Prince of Wales, who was later King Edward TIT., and the people of Devonshire, wishing to make a gift for the Princess, decided npon a petticoat of Honiton lace.

But who should make it? Only the finest workers would do! About five were chosen, and our little girl was one of them. The pattern selected was the rose for England, shamrock for Ireland, and the thistle for Scotland. The flounce was five yards long, and earn© over tho knees. Many weeks of toil went to the making, but the pride of the lace-makers was unbounded. They were acknowledged as the finest in the worJ.d. Our lace-maker married, and afrer some years with her husband and three children sailed for New Zealand to try their fortunes in a far country. With them came the famous lace-pillow, and bobbins, and some of the lace, for the little lace-maker never nsed any other patterns again—always the rose, shamrock and thistle. On the voyage to New Zealand, measles broke out, and the couple arrived with but two children, a boy and a girl. This little- daughter of the lace-maker was Dinah Dodd, lace-maker to Queen Alexandra. Her bobbins and scraps of her lace have been given to her great grand-daughter. It was a great grief to great-grandmother that she was newer able to get the pins and the fine thread here in Xew Zealand. A certain supply she brought, and with these she made several collars and berthes (collars almost as large as a small shawl). These were gold medal winners at several exhibitions where she was persuaded to show, but, unfortunately, her art died with her, as she never thought to teach the making of that which she knew so wel—Honiton lace.