Lace lesson #6 - Ways laces can be made

Let me say first; that one can get absolutely bogged down and boggled by the details! So, in an attempt to keep this simple, I'm really talking generally here.

Different ways that lace can be made:

*Laces made by machine are very good at imitating many different forms of laces. Some machines actually mimic stitch by stitch and it is hard to tell hand from machine. These are usually coarser Torchon style laces.

Other machine laces mimic style (by actually recreating each threads movements) and, yet other machines create the lace; based on what the eye see's rather than how each thread is manipulated.

Examples in point.

This machine made piece of Torchon style lace has truly twisted and crossed threads, pin hole to pin hole, you can follow the thread path. Only a practiced eye can note the differences.

In this second example of machine made - the machine has copied a French floral lace style by mimicking what the eye sees; rather than really weaving threads.

I highlighted some of these differences in some of the earlier comparisons of machine vs. handmade. Once you understand what you are looking at; it is easier to distinguish these types of machine made laces from it's hand made counterpart.

I would also hazard to say that machine made laces are often made by combining many design elements from different style laces and the name they give it doesn't always truly represent the lace it is suppose to look like. I chuckle about that!



Another machine made lace is where the design is stitched on to a very gauzy fabric, like silk, and then the finished textile is dropped into an acid bath which eats away the gauzy fabric and leaves the stitched design or the gauzy fabric is treated so it disintegrates . This is usually called "Schliffli" lace as it was done on a Schliffli machine. It was also called "chemical lace" for obvious reasons. This is a good example.


*Laces created by utilizing both machine and hand work. These were very popular laces around the Turn-of-the-Century. Battenberg/Battenburg is a good example utilizing machine made tapes and then hand stitched together using fancy work stitches. Basic construction techniques; but different stitch style and tape variations lent its way to many names. IE: Princess, Renaissance, and others.

*Laces based on knots - as in macrame lace, tatting, and netted.
Macrame - originally done to secure the hems or edges of woven textiles; CAN be surprisingly fine. Today we think of macrame; and think of large scale wall hangings like the one below. The technique is the same; no matter the size of thread or the scale of the work.



Tatting - worked with a single thread and a small hand shuttle. This lace can be done with several shuttles and several threads; but to my knowledge that is a rather modern development. Most tatted designs are based on little rings with picots that the next ring would be attached to. This form also can be made with a needle; but not commonly known so.


Netted lace - This lace was discussed in my first lesson - handmade filet net vs. machine made. But here is an example of the net being made; then it is stretched out flat on a frame and the design is woven into the net.



*Laces utilizing a single thread (at a time) to build stitch upon stitch - commonly referred to as "needle laces". Needle lace can take many forms via the differences in design, thread size, origin and stitches. IE: Rose Point, Point de Gaze, Reticella, Punto in Aria, Gros Point de Venise, Alencon, and others. Some are unbelievably detailed and fine.

Sorry for the grainy picture. In making this lace, a (design) pattern is drawn on a working surface. The pattern can be made of parchment, card, fabric, etc. The pattern is then stitched down to a firmer surface, so that the lace work stays flat and taut and working the pattern doesn't distort the shape of the lace.

Usually, a heavier cord is then basted down to outline the design elements. The basting is done from the back; (although this heavier cord will remain on the front). Then individual stitches are made, building up stitch upon stitch, to fill each of the design elements and any netting/ground. (You can refer to Lesson #5 in the discussion of handmade needle lace.) When finished, the basting stitches are clipped on the back of the pattern. Once done, the finished lace can carefully be removed from the pattern.
Sometimes the patterns were affixed to a large working surface - such as a "pillow". Generally, speaking however, most pillows seemed to be used by bobbin lace makers.

In very fine needle laces; small segments like this (shown below) were made by individual lace makers and then taken to another lace maker whose job it was to stitch all the individual small segments together. I will more on needle laces in another lesson.
*Laces utilizing many threads (at a time) - woven in an "open ended" manner utilizing numerous bobbins. This form of lace is commonly referred to as bobbin lace. These laces are made by working 4 threads (used in pairs) at a time to create a stitch in a combination of twisting and crossing those 4 threads. Some laces may also utilize a single thread - called a gimp or cordonnet. Bobbin laces can be made with a minimum of 3 or 4 pairs and others may take hundreds of threads (bobbins). IE: Bedsfordshire, Chantilly, La Puy, Maltese, Beds Maltese, Bucks, Honiton, Duchesse, Valenciennes, Rosaline, Mechlin, Milanese, Flemish, Bruges, Point d'Paris, Cantu, Rococo, and others are all worked with bobbins. Some are unbelievably detailed and fine.

Bobbin lace equipment is varied as much as the name. Each country and sometimes area within that country, had it's own style (design elements) of lace, bobbin, and pillow - each suited to that particular style of lace. Pillows could be flat "cookies", or "roller pillows" (whereas, a small roller much the size of a toilet paper roll) sat within a stationary field. Bolster pillows were cylindrical. Honiton pillows were round balls that sat within a basket or frame. Bobbins could be slender and unadorned, heavy and bulbulous, decorative and beaded.

Each combination of bobbin, pillow and design carefully planned to work in tandem with each other. I will also talk about this in more detail in a different lesson. In other words you wouldn't want to use a beaded bobbin and a roller pillow when making Honiton lace... they just don't work well together.


Laces based on embroidery. Although these could be considered "needle lace"... I see them really as a different form. Carrickmacross is the application of embroidery on a machine netting and organdy. Cutwork is the application of embroidery on fabric. Limerick is the application of embroidery on netting. Hardanger is the application of embroidery to an even weave fabric; where as parts of the fabric are cut away.

And then there are laces which are made using BOTH handmade bobbin lace AND handmade needle lace. IE: Brussels Duchesse.

In essence; there are so many variations of basic technique - no matter which way lace is actually MADE; that it boggles the mind and it is sometimes VERY difficult to pin down what belongs in what category.

I leave you all to ponder all this. I will try to elaborate later with additional lessons that will treat more in depth of identification of lace forms.

Happy Sunday!
Stay well!
Leslie

 

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