Welcome to the Lace Guild
Home of both Traditional Craft and Textile Innovation
The Lace Guild is the largest lace organisation in the United Kingdom and is an accredited museum with a large collection of lace and associated artefacts. The Guild produces two quarterly magazines, Lace and Early Days in Lacemaking, and publishes books of lace techniques and patterns.​ Our aims are to:
-
To provide information about the craft of lacemaking, its history and use.
-
To promote a high standard of lacemaking.
-
To encourage the design, development and professional presentation of lace.
renewal reminder!
if you haven't already renewed your membership for 2026-27, please do so quickly in order to receive your summer magazine
pamela nottingham's bobbins - closed bid auctions for members only
Pamela Johnson MBE sadly passed away in 2023. Pamela - née Nottingham - was one of the first authors of modern lacemaking books; her obituaries were published in Lace Autumn Issue 192 (pp.22-25).
Pamela made a generous bequest for the benefit of The Lace Guild, which included her working tools (i.e. her lacemaking bobbins). While some of these have been added to the museum collection, those not kept by The Lace Guild will gradually be sold. Over this membership year we are initially offering some of Pamela’s bobbins for sale to Lace Guild members only, by closed bid auctions.
Limited Edition Anniversary Bone BobbinS
The Dee Carver Golden Anniversary limited edition of 50 bone bobbins, advertised in Lace 203, has now sold out. Many thanks to everyone who purchased a bobbin.
Another limited edition bone bobbin from a different maker will be revealed here and in Lace 204. Following feedback from members requests for the next limited edition bobbin will open in mid November, date to be announced here and in Lace 204.
golden anniversary Short Courses 2026/7
2026 courses revised! 2027 courses added!​
Celebrate 50 years of the Lace Guild at one of our Golden Anniversary Short Courses, designed for lacemakers of all levels of ability including complete beginners. Non-members welcome.
Join us and enhance your skills in our Golden Anniversary year.
Click on the link below to find out more!
NEW – Belgian Laces (Brugge, Chrysanthemum, Flanders, Binche) with Susan Roberts, Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th October 2026 at The Hollies.
Below: Binche lace worked by Susan Roberts.
Our Magazines
We offer two quarterly magazines to members of the Guild, published at the end of July, October, January and April.
Lace is the main magazine, 64 pages of articles, community news and patterns.
Early Days In Lacemaking is aimed at novice lacemakers, and contains around 30 pages of mostly easy patterns.
Our Museum and Library
Current Exhibition at The Hollies
fans and handkerchiefs
19 september 2026 to 29 january 2027
In Georgian and Victorian times, lace edged fans and handkerchiefs were a fashion accessory and status symbol.
Fans did have their practical uses, for keeping cool in heated ballrooms and assemblies.
Entire fan leaves or lace motifs of Bucks Point, Point de Gaze, Honiton or Chantilly were adhered to satin or applied direct to bone, tortoiseshell or ivory sticks. For handkerchiefs, lace edgings were attached to silk or fine lawn; an edging with a straight footside would be gathered, pleated or mitred to fit around the corners. Designing corners specially for use with a bobbin lace edging became popular later, in particular during in the 1970s and 1980s, when lacemaking had largely died out as a cottage industry and saw an upsurge of interest as a hobby.
Our current exhibition showcases the some of the best of our collection of over 50 fans and fan patterns and more than 400 handkerchiefs, handkerchief edgings and handkerchief corners.