#are bobbin exchanges a thing? where we exchange the spare bobbins to people who have more to build our collections?

[badassindistress]

Today is exactly the kind of day to do some gentle research and sort craft supplies, so I've spent this morning looking at my lace bobbin collection to try and match what kind of lace they might be for:

These are my favourites to work with right now. I have 18 pairs, they are made of boxwood/buxus and make a very nice clicking sound. I found them for sale as Majorcan Lace Bobbins.

Then I have 20 pair plus a spare of these, but they are not all identical. Some are different wood, although most are elm/iep. Some are darker and shiny. Not a clue of the origins of these, so my best guess is something British since the previous owner was a British lady residing in France I think.

For some reason this set has 4 pair plus a spare of large ones and 11 pair of otherwise identical much smaller ones. They look closest to bobbins for Belgian lace as drawn in the illustrations for this book.

This one pair reminds me of the wooden honey dippers you sometimes see in brocantes. I’m pretty sure these are for Belgian Malines/Mechels lace.

This one is absolutely gorgeous and I’m sad I only have one. It looks like the victorian/antique bobbins I see for sale and there’s a hole for a spangle so I’m reasonably confident it’s a British bobbin.

These are also British! And more specifically, they seem to be Honiton bobbins. I think there’s two or three sets here, since I’ve got burned geometric pattern, painted flowers and seasonal text and burnt and painted little woodland creatures. The Honiton Lace Guild seems pretty adamant you could never make Honiton lace without these bobbins and since the set came with some Honiton Books it makes sense there’s 13 pairs plus a spare here.

These two are so smooth and pretty and a very distinctive shape. I’ve seen them sold as Duchesse Rosaline bobbins and just Duchesse. Duchesse comes from Belgium and I’d love to try it someday.

These are nog quite the same but have similar enough characteristics I grouped them together. The book illustration and the fact I bought them from the South of the Netherlands make me pretty confident these are Belgian, probably either Valencienne or Malines.

And then we have this large and coarse one. It’s large and uneven and might be homemade. Not a clue where this one is from, it doesn’t match anything I’m seeing sold in lace schools or etsy.

Thanks for joining me in this little research and sort spiral!