We are excited to share the beautiful Bobbin Lace work of JiaYue with you. A very kind, modest and friendly bobbin lace artist from China. We know that you will find inspiration in her story, JiaYue is endlessly creative and vibrant.
When did you first get interested in Bobbin Lace?
Well, I’ve always liked various kinds of handicrafts since my childhood. In 2016, I saw a picture of Bobbin Lace and got interested in it. After that, I bought a piece of a tablecloth online, made of Bobbin Lace. I was so surprised when I got it. It’s so beautiful that I couldn't believe it was made by hand.
Where did you learn Bobbin Lace?
I live in Chengdu, China, where no one could teach me or even talk to me about Bobbin Lace. I learned a little bit about it from the Internet in 2017. In 2018, I went to Yantai in Shandong province, which is 2000 kilometers away from Chengdu. I found a teacher named Wang Jiaqing there, who has been making Bobbin Lace for 57 years. She’s very kind and skilled. I lived in her house for a week to learn from her.
This is my bobbin lace.
The huge object in front of me is the Bobbin Lacework of my teacher.
Bobbin Lace Teacher Wang Jiaqing | China
Most of the time, I stay in Chengdu, I’m the only one who loves Bobbin Lace. The making is slow and hard. I got no one around to consult and talk with. In October 2019, the 7th International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival was held in Chengdu. I met Ms. Ewa Szpila, a Polish Bobbin Lacemaker, whose daughter (Malgorzata @handmadelacedesign) I had been following on Instagram for a long time. I love their innovative design of Bobbin Lace so much. I asked Ms. Ewa Szpila about my problems in lace-making, and she helped me a lot！For me, It’s the happiest days of the year.
My work with the help of Ewa Szpila
I haven't designed any patterns all by myself, but I want to make Bobbin Lace with different materials in the future. I want to combine lace with a variety of interesting things. The theme will be about light & shadow, ballet, jellyfish, leaves, flowers, and Chinese pane (BTW, I'm actually a ballet teacher).
Ballet and Bobbin Lace Shadow Art | @zjge___lace
How has making lace affected your life?
It brings me a lot of fun. I really enjoy the process of making lace. And because of lace, I've gotten to know some lace fans and makers all over the world, such as a scholar who studied the history of Chinese Bobbin Lace.
Do you have advice for people who want to learn Bobbin Lace?
As the ages of the Bobbin Lace maker is getting older, fewer and fewer people in China know how to make Bobbin Lace. However, I don't think it’s the most important problem in the development of Bobbin Lace in China. The most important issue should be the innovation in design, and how to integrate the traditional Bobbin Lace into the contemporary, so that more people can know and love it.
These are my other lacework; they are not the Bobbin Lace.
Thanks for reading my interview with JiaYue. I can’t wait to see more of her creative work in Lace. You can follow JiaYue on Instagram @zjge___lace to see more of her beautiful work.
