A Passion For Bobbin Lace: Bucks Point Lace Maker Juggles 60 Bobbins - Origl Georgia Traveler

Betty Kemp has a passion for bobbin lace. This bucks point lace maker juggles 60 bobbins.Here's the secret of bobbin lace. Bobbin lace dates back to the 16th century. We've seen pictures of kings, queens with their necks surrounded by lace. That lace was the result of countless hours of what Betty calls, bobbin juggling. Betty Kemp learned lacemaking when she lived in Wales. When she came to this country, she brought her talents with her.

Betty was making Buckinghamshire or Bucks Point lace the day we visited. She constantly shuffles 60 bobbins, working in pairs. She moved so quickly it looked like she was juggling. Her bobbins are antiques and made in England. One was made in 1818. She said they are hard to find and you need so many. The beads aren’t there for ornamentation. They’re called “spangles”, and provide the weight that helps keep the bobbins separate. When Betty is really working, you can hear them rattle.

She talks to herself as she works. She told me she tells the government, the neighborhood and her family exactly what she thinks. She told me, “I’m quietly bossy. I wouldn’t really say these things out loud.” It takes about seven hours of constant effort to complete just one side of a handkerchief. That’s a lot of rattling.

In case you want to know her stitch it’s two over three, bring two and four over one and three and then back to two over three. If you’re a lace maker that means something. That's her secret of bobbin lace. I’m just stunned as how Betty keeps track of 60 bobbins, and intricate pattern and have time to talk to herself about the world. This story aired on WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News in 1975.

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Long before CNN and Fox News the Traveler series with Andy Johnston was an Emmy award winning program that showcased amazing people, unusual things, local legends, food finds, outdoor activities, folk art, and family fun. In 2022 the Walter J. Brown Media Archives at the University of Georgia founded The Original Georgia Traveler -- Andy Johnston Collection to preserve and maintain the stories.

The Traveler Series celebrates life and living in America in the 1970s. Nostalgia, small towns, traditional life and the good old days. The stories give us ways to compare then and now. Folklore, music, handcrafts, vanishing America and unusual people. Funny stories, personal stories and amazing people are in this collection.

This story is presented for educational and preservation purposes and is covered under Fair Use. At the time it was broadcast the television station had a blanket music license with ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. The station maintains that license today. All music used is covered under that agreement.

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