Bucks point is a bobbin lace from the

South East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

of England. "Bucks" is short for Buckinghamshire, which was the main centre of production. The lace was also made in the nearby counties of

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

and

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. Bucks point is very similar to the French Lille lace, and thus is often called English Lille. It is also similar to Mechlin lace and

Chantilly lace Chantilly lace is a handmade bobbin lace named after the city of Chantilly,"Chantilly" ''The Oxford English Dictionary''. 2nd ed. 1989. France, in a tradition dating from the 17th century. The famous silk laces were introduced in the 18th cent ...

. Bucks point has a gimp thread outlining the pattern. It usually has Point ground or sometimes Honeycomb ground. It is made in one piece on the

lace pillow Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually de ...

, at full width and not in strips like

Honiton lace Honiton lace is a type of bobbin lace made in Honiton, Devon, in the United Kingdom. Historical Honiton lace designs focused on scrollwork and depictions of natural objects such as flowers and leaves. Characteristics Honiton lace is a part l ...

. Common designs are floral and geometric. The floral designs are like those in Mechlin and Lille laces, but Bucks lace is generally simpler than the Belgian laces, and is made of linen or silk. It can have

picot picot is a loop of thread created for functional or ornamental purposes along the edge of lace or ribbon, or croché, knitted or tatted fabric. The loops vary in size according to their function and artistic intention. 'Picot', pronounced '' ...

s along the edge.

History

Although Buckinghamshire was a centre of English lacemaking from as early as the 16th century, the styles of the lace made would have varied at different periods, reflecting what was fashionable at the time. The style referred to as Bucks Point lace did not appear until the end of the 18th century. It seems to have been based on contemporary Mechlin lace, but with Mechlin ground replaced by a simpler point ground to give a lighter lace as had become popular at the time.

References

External links

Introduction to Bucks lace
{{lace types Bobbin lace Textile arts of England Arts in Buckinghamshire