Date1900-1910sCreatorTorchon Lace CompanyPlace MadeMelbourne-VICDimensionsH:150mm x W:390mm x D:320mmAccession NumberM2026.38.1
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Description
A portable semi-mechanised lace making loom. The cylinder loom and base board are covered in brown velvet. The cylinder has a wooden handle attached above the cylinder with stiff metal wire which enables the cylinder to be turned in increments as a piece of lace is progressively made. A paper pricked pattern is wrapped around the cylinder. Each pin-pricked hole in the pattern has a corresponding number printed above it. Metal pins have been inserted into holes in the paper pattern which hold the end part of the lace being worked on in position. Approximately 20cm of torchon lace has already been created on this lace maker, with the cream-coloured threads still to be woven wound around 32 wooden bobbins. These bobbins rest upon the base board in an orderly fashion in front of the cylinder. A small wooden tool (included) was used to separate and position threads during the lace making process.
"Torchon" in the textile industry refers to a type of coarse, durable lace. It is a French term which translates as "dish towel" or "rag". Torchon lace was sometimes historically called "beggar's lace".
While traditional handmade bobbin lace requires manipulating numerous loose bobbins by hand over a pillow, the Princess Torchon Lace Maker functioned as a portable loom to make the craft more accessible.