#tbh when in doubt go with ulrike though lol

[bobbinlacebliss]

Hi, I am starting on my journey to learn bobbin lace (I have all the materials already, cushions, bobbins, patterns etc.) I know how to do the basic stuff and even ventured out to do a VERY simple bookmark. I am planning on doing another one but I am quite lost on how to improve my lace making. All the lace makers I see are super advanced and almost unreachable. I want to be able to some day create those extremely beutiful designs you do but I don't know exactly how to progess withouth feeling so overwhelmed. Any advice on a route to improvement?

Kind regards, M.

A very simple bookmark is absolutely the place to start. That is where I started as well. If you have the basic stitches down, it sounds like you are well on your way. After practicing basic grounds until you are comfortable with them, one thing you can do is try working through a book of beginner patterns - there are many available, though without knowing what style of lace you want to get into and what you have already practiced, it's difficult to give a specific recommendation. In general though, I do recommend finding actual books on lacemaking, above relying on internet resources only. In my experience, most of what is available freely on the internet only advances to a certain point.

Here are some books from my library that I believe may be suitable for beginners (though by no means should these be taken as exclusive recommendations - there are certainly good lacemaking books in existence that I do not own! And these are also highly biased towards Bucks Point, the style I prefer.)

Torchon Lacemaking: A Manual of Techniques by Elizabeth Wade (my only torchon offering, sorry)

A Visual Introduction to Bucks Point Lace by Geraldine Stott (many of the patterns featured on my blog are from this book)

All about making - Geometrical Bucks Point Lace by Alexandra Stillwell (as well as numerous patterns entirely suitable for beginners, includes a great deal of technical instruction and theory - highly useful)

Bucks Point Lace Workbook by Louise West (also a book which introduces the beginner to important concepts in Bucks lace via example patterns accompanied by theory, though I would say it is a steeper learning curve, and less detailed, than Stillwell)

Finally, The Grammar of Point Ground by Ulrike Voelcker is a book that should be in the library of any serious point ground lace student who can get their hands on it, in my opinion. This book has been invaluable to me and I cannot recommend it enough. If you can't find or afford it, I highly recommend seeing if you can borrow it from a local lacemaking guild or even public library. Includes patterns you can work, but is mostly a book about theory and technique.