As you can see, the lace collection covered all the tables in the hall!

Yasuko waiting for the guests to arrive. 

A beautiful floral display, one of several magnificent arrangements, corsages and a bouquet that Honma Sensei and her colleagues kindly provided for us on the day of the talk. Everyone admired the wonderful flowers and the artistry that went into making these displays. 

The talk was an overview of the history of lace, who wore it, when and where it was made and the people who made it. Halfway through the talk we had a break, to allow everyone to examine the pieces in the collection.

The lace was divided into groups, according to age and style of lace, so people moved around the room, looking at the different examples. Everyone seemed to show a lot of enthusiasm for the lace, and this was very enjoyable to see.

Some examples of bobbin lace, Irish crochet, needle lace and tatting.

In addition to the needle and filet laces in this picture, you can see a selection of the postcards and brochures we brought along, to illustrate some of the ways in which lace was worn over the centuries.

Irish crochet is always popular and took on many designs, a few of which you can see here. Can you spot a small example of tatting too?

Although we all love handmade lace, machine lace also had an important role to play in the history of lace and can be found in many different styles, as you can see here.

Yasuko, Ann and Fujita San from Gallery Fun, with a few of the audience members, after the talk. We hope to see you all again in the future!