Clay wrote: <There's a lacemakers "ham" on ebay right now! I suppose the unitiated might confuse our pillow with the sewing ham... But the asking price!? WHEW!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2586351474&category=2219> I note the seller will provide a "Letter of authenticity and appraisal" on their own headed notepaper. That's no authentication at all even if they do know something about lacemaking, which doesn't seem likely if they think someone will pay that kind of money for it. I wonder what makes them think that it's Scottish. The pillow looks more like a cushion from a sofa or chair (perhaps it's stuffed with horsehair), if the pricking is "leather" it's most likely velum, the pillow horse is commonly seen on photographs of the East Midlands with bolster pillows on, the bobbins are East Midlands and there aren't enough of them for the piece of lace "in the making", and why would Bedfordshire/Maltese lace make its way to Scotland in the 19th Century? I'm no lace historian (or historian of any kind come to that), but I always thought Scotland was most noted for weaving tweed and tartan, Shetland lace knitting and Fair Isles knitting. If bobbin lacemaking did take place it must have been in isolated pockets. I'd want to see documentary evidence that this did come from Scotland, but the seller's blurb doesn't give the impression that any exists. Jean in Poole - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
