Course Information
Full course details, including information about refreshments and fees
The Course
The First Edinburgh Lace Course was held in 1981
and has been running annually since then.
Information about the next Edinburgh Lace Course is announced
annually in February.
If you would like to go on our email list for information contact us.
2025

This year’s Edinburgh Lace Course will be held at Heriot-Watt University, Riccarton Campus, Currie, on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The work rooms will be the same as last year – the Carnegie, Wardlaw and Bruce Rooms in The James Watt Centre.
This is a Residential/Non-Residential Bobbin Lace Course for complete beginners, advanced lacemakers or any stage in between. It will consist of morning and afternoon tutored sessions. Monday 2-5pm, Tuesday – Thursday 9am-5pm with an hour for lunch and Friday 9am-3pm. The workrooms will be open in the evenings for those who would like to work untutored. Claire Bonito, Frances Bell, Kitty Mason, Diana Blackburn and Carole Smith are booked to come as tutors.
Course Tuition

The five tutors at the course have a wealth of experience on a wide variety of types of bobbin lace. They are able to tutor and support all levels of student, from complete beginner to more experienced lacemakers. The main types of lace offered include beginner patterns, torchon, Bucks Point, Bedfordshire, Honiton, Flanders, Binche, Brugge Flower and Milanese but we will endeavour to accommodate requests for support with other techniques.
Tutors will be allocated based on the techniques requested and students will be notified who their tutor will be in the message sent to confirm the final payment. The tutor will contact the students in advance of the course to discuss patterns etc.
We also have a very limited number of untutored places available. Requests for untutored places will be considered depending on the total number of places booked.
Display & Challenge

The theme for our challenge for 2025 will be MARINE.
Please create a piece of lace on the theme of MARINE. This could be any technique and any size, it could be your own design or someone else’s. We will have an area to display these pieces of lace.
The challenge is open to all – if you are not attending the course, please make sure we have your entry by 5pm on Monday 21st July so it can be incorporated into the display.
So often at courses, the students start new pieces of lace but finish them at home. We would love to see some of your finished lace so please bring them along with you.
Meals & Snacks

Meal and Snack options during the week:
- Breakfast is included with residential accommodation.
- Coffee, lunch and tea: there are several places to eat on campus during the day.
- Evening meals at the university are available to both residents and non-residents and require to be pre-booked. These will be available on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings and will cost £18.50 per evening. The menu will be circulated before the course for orders to be placed. Meals are prepared according to this information – if you have forgotten what you have ordered, we will have a list of your selections available to check each evening.
- Evening meals are also available at the Marriott Hotel.
- We will hold a Course Dinner on the Wednesday Evening at the Marriott Hotel.
- If you are planning on eating at the university or coming to the course dinner, please let us know if you have any dietary requirements or allergies.
NB: Part of our contract with the Conference Centre says: ‘Except in exceptional circumstances, and only with prior written approval of the General Manager, visitors and delegates are not permitted to consume food, alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages on the Conference Centre premises that have not been supplied by the Conference Centre.
We have managed to negotiate the following: The centre agrees that guests are permitted to consume food and non-alcoholic beverages purchased from all on-site retail outlets.
Accommodation

Accommodation is available from Sunday evening for those travelling from further afield. All rooms must be vacated by 10am on Friday morning but there is safe space to store luggage during the day.
This accommodation is a 10/15 min walk from the James Watt Centre. It has a limited number of disabled parking spaces at the front door and the car park is only a little walk away. If you require use of the disabled space, please indicate this when you submit your application. Spaces will be reserved and allocated using the car’s registration number. Please only use these spaces if you have been allocated one.
Alternative Accommodation Option on campus:
The Marriott Hotel (CY)
Courtyard Edinburgh West
2 Research Avenue South
Edinburgh, EH14 4BA
Website: www.courtyardedinburghwest.com
Phone: 0131 526 3210
If you would like to choose this option you will need to book the Hotel yourself and pay the Non-Residential Fee for the Lace Course.
Sales Day

On the Wednesday we will have a Sales Day with lace equipment suppliers. Your friends are welcome to come between 11-3pm on that day to shop and/or to look at what people are making.
For 2025 we are delighted to welcome back Mainly Lace, who will be returning to the Edinburgh Lace Course as our suppliers.
Website: mainlylace.co.uk

Equipment
Equipment required – see list
Map & Travel Directions
For a map of the HW Campus and travel directions to the University – see contact page
Fees
£230
Tuition only
E.L.C. Bank Details
Edin Lace Course
Sort code: 80 06 20
Acc No: 00389920
Reference: your name
If paying from overseas the further information you need Is:
IBAN: GB56BOFS80062000389920
BIC: BOFSGB21362

For the 2025 Edinburgh Lace Course the fees for course tuition will be £230. We also have a limited number of untutored places for £165.
Residential and food
- Accommodation – Sunday to Thursday night £79.00 per night
- Evening meals at University (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) – £18.50 per evening
- Course dinner at Marriott Hotel – £35.00
As an example, if you had a tutored place on the course, staying in the residence and eating all the meals, the total cost would be £636.50
Payment details
A non-refundable deposit of £120 (residential) and £50 (non-residential) is to be paid with the application with the balance due by 20th April.
The Edinburgh Lace Course has an account with the Bank of Scotland.
The details are as follows:
Edin Lace Course
Sort code: 80 06 20
Acc No: 00389920
If paying from overseas the further information you need Is:
IBAN: GB56BOFS80062000389920
BIC: BOFSGB21362
Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Edinburgh Lace Course’.
An e-mailed receipt will be sent to confirm your place on the course. If you would like a paper receipt for your deposit please enclose a SAE with your booking.
Please note places are allocated on a first come first served basis so, if you wish to make sure of a place, book early.