Lace Collar

This is the bobbin lace WIP that I mentioned earlier this year and late last year.  It is the project I refer to as my "Baroque Collar".*

I started this soon after I completed the garter for my friend's wedding.  Before I started making this, I would have laughed at you if you had told me I would make myself a lace collar.  When I was a kid, my grandmothers made a few white lace collars for me.  I think they were either crochet or knit and I *hated* wearing them.  I was very happy when I was old enough to protest wearing them.  Fast forward to about two years ago, when I was perusing haute couture collections.  It's not something I typically do and I don't remember why I started.  Several designers' winter collections with heavy gold trims caught my eyes.  One was Chanel, but there were others.  I could not get the concept of a gold collar off my mind and I started looking through my patterns to see what I had.  Since I never anticipated making a collar, I have very few collar patterns in my stash.  This may be the only one - it's the only Idrija one for sure.  It wasn't quite what I wanted, but I have neither the skill nor a similar enough pattern to redraw it as I wanted.  It turned out to be my "stylized baroque collar".*

The collar is made with DMC metallic embroidery thread.  Just before I was almost done winding the bobbins, I commented to my husband that maybe I should have tried working a small piece with this thread first before I commit it to such a large project.  Good thing I didn't!  It wasn't the easiest thread to work with and if I had tried working with it first, I am not sure I would have ever started this piece.

One of the biggest fears I had while working this is that the thread would snap while tensioning the braid.  I suspected that it would snap right near the work and it would result it substantial amount of retro-lacing to get a piece of thread long enough to add a new bobbin.  I was therefore super-duper careful while working.  There were a few times where I was tempted to push forward, but I knew I was either tired or not in the right frame of mind and made myself stop.  I am happy to report that there were no snapped threads in this piece!  The fear of a snapped thread is also why it took me so long to finish.  The closer I got to the end, the more trepidation I had when I sat down at my pillow.  A few times this actually kept me from working.

For some reason I did not wind the bobbins continuous method.  I was almost done winding them when I realized I could have done so.  In a way I'm glad I didn't, since it forced me to add thread so I at least got over that hump quickly.  This collar took more thread than I anticipated resulting in a few unanticipated runs to Jo Ann Fabrics...  If I had not been forced to swap out the knots from pairing up bobbins, I probably would have put off working on the lace when I encountered my first empty bobbin.

As you can see, the collar is still unattached to anything (hence the photo in the grass).  The garment I initially wanted to attach it to does not quite have the correct neckline.  I have an alternate in mind, but have not tried it yet.  If this fails as well, I can see myself going to a department store with a tape measure looking for the correct garment...  I probably should have considered that before starting the project, but that would be no fun!

Overall I am happy with this collar.  Putting up with the thread was worth it - the collar is really sparkly!  I can't wait to attach it to something so I can wear it.  Probably not until the holidays, but it will give me something to look forward to.

* I realize this is not at all correct lace for the baroque period.  I am still calling it my baroque collar, so please no comments to that regard.