-
Continue reading →: What’s on my pillow – April 2026I’m currently working on some Torchon lace insertions for a blouse. I’m using two patterns from a book by Robin S. Lewis (101 Torchon Lace Patterns) which complement one another in design. The wider insertion (11) will form the centre of the blouse’s bodice, and there will be a narrower…
-
Continue reading →: Lacemakers of Tomorrow
In the 2025 Red List of Endangered Crafts, bobbin lace was classified as ‘endangered’ for the first time, something which motivated lacemakers, including myself, to take action to slow the decline. Whilst noting that practitioner numbers were still high, the Red List identified three main issues facing bobbin lace in…
-
Continue reading →: Milanese Wessex OwlI recently finished another piece of Milanese lace, the Wessex Owl designed by Jan Gardiner and sold through Lacewing Designs. All of the Milanese pieces I’ve made before have been designs by Claire Bonito – who announced last week that she has a Milanese book coming out soon which looks…
-
Continue reading →: New Tutorial on Torchon SpidersOnce you’ve mastered whole stitch and half stitch (see here for tutorials) one of the next techniques you’re likely to come across in Torchon lace are Spiders. They are so called because of their appearance but they don’t need to have eight ‘legs’- they can be made with anything from…
-
Continue reading →: Book recommendations for Torchon laceTorchon lace is often the first style of lace that beginners try, usually because it is continuous rather than piece-lace (which means there are few tricky joins or sewings in to be made) and because it is geometric, using holes plotted on a 45° grid. You work diagonally down the…
-
Continue reading →: Cottage Garden- Torchon matLast autumn, once my lacemaking time wasn’t taken up with videos for #40lacestitches, I wanted to do a pattern that wouldn’t stretch me too much, but which had enough interest to keep me engaged. I’d had the Cottage Garden mat pattern for a few years and already had the bobbins…
-
Continue reading →: Lace on the go: cushion bags and travel pillowsWhen I first started making lace, and had to carry my cushion to school every Thursday (aswell as my PE kit and violin- Thursdays were a lot!) I had a huge brown carrier bag with sturdy plastic handles which fit the cushion in perfectly. Over the course of the year…
-
Continue reading →: Booking now: upcoming workshops and short coursesMarch: 5-week beginners course, Juice Studios, Hull https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beginners-bobbin-lacemaking-course-tickets-1980247592857?aff=oddtdtcreator During March I’ll be running a 5-week course at Juice Studios on Humber Street in Hull. For two hours every Monday evening we’ll cover the basic stitches, equipment and techniques and you’ll be able to combine stitches into a small project such…
-
Continue reading →: What’s on my pillow – January 2026Project details: Pattern: Wessex Owl Type of lace: Milanese Designer / source: Jan Gardiner, Lacewing Designs Thread used: Aurifil Mako 50, maximum 16 pairs Stitches and techniques: Cloth stitch, veins, haloed spider, half stitch, raised sewings, Milanese footside edge.
-
Continue reading →: #40lacestitchesThe last in the series of 40 videos of lace stitches and techniques went live a couple of weeks ago. I’m not going to lie, this project took up more time than I thought it would (and issues with Buffer not consistently talking to Instagram nearly broke me at times!)…
Cattern Lace
Hello,
I’m Catherine
Welcome to Cattern Lace, a site dedicated to a love of lacemaking. Here, I will share projects, inspiration and and tutorials to help you get started with lace and to document my own lacemaking journey.
Cattern Lace 