About Makit Lace

You wouldn't do business with someone you didn't know would you? I thought not. So we had better introduce ourselves.

I am Scilla Stephenson and I run Makit Lace with my husband Steve from our 17th Century home in Offord Darcy, Cambridgeshire, England.

We have been trading as lace suppliers for over 14 years and like to think we offer excellent customer service. If the item you require is not in our normal range of threads, books and basic equipment for the lace maker, we will always try to obtain it for you.

Both Steve and I have a wide background in the textiles and needlecraft industries.

I have been making lace for over 20 years, but it runs in my family for many generations. Making lace to support the family was essential back in the days of my great-grandmother. The income from the sale of her lace bought the meal to feed the family's chickens. Their eggs both fed the family and were sold at Bedford market.

She wasn't the only lacemaker in my history though. In the 1851 census there were 32 lacemakers in the family. They were situated either around Kimbolton in Cambridgeshire or Penn in Buckinghamshire. The majority of the lace made was Beds-Cluny. Going back even further we can trace my lacemaking ancestors to the 1700's and lace dealers (Abrams) in Odell on the Buckinghamshire/Bedfordshire border.

We are ideally placed for lacemaking. Offord Darcy is a village situated equidistant between Cambridge, Peterborough and Bedford. It is surrounded by Museums that are of interest to the lace maker. These include the Cecil Higgins Museum in Bedford which houses the Thomas Lester Collection. The Cowper Museum in Olney which has displays on the Bucks Lace Industry. And also the Bedford, St Neots and Norris (St Ives) Museums have smaller collections of Lace and related items.

With this history behind us we couldn't help but become lace suppliers could we? Now it is time to pass on my knowledge and encourage lace makers around the world with the help of our website.

Of course if you live in the UK you may wish to come and meet Makit Lace in person at one of the Lace Days or Lace Fairs we attend. Check our diary page for more information. We would love to see you.

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