Celebrating Catterns – lace day at the Pitt River’s Museum

1917.28.20 White lace made by Mrs Campbell of Bicester

On Saturday the 25^th of November the Museum welcomed lace makers from the local Oxfordshire lace makers group ISIS lacemakers and Oxford Historian and lace expert David Hopkin. Visitors, including me had the opportunity to make some lace themselves. I really enjoyed the process and thought that it would be more complicated than it was. I enjoyed comparing modern lace makers tools and materials with the historical ones from the collections finding that plastic has joined wood and bone bobbins. David had kindly baked traditional cattern cakes made with caraway seeds. If you missed this year’s celebrations we will be celebrating Saint Catherine along with ISIS lacemakers again next year!

Explore more about the lace collections at the Pitt-Rivers Museum online or visit the display in case C.115.A in the Museum Court.

1918.16.29 Wooden lace bobbin with bead and button weights