Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Northern Lights Lodge, post: 1970692, member: 13464&quot;]I do agree! There are a lot of very &quot;intensely&quot; made HUGE pieces of Chantilly. Other forms as well. But there is something truly incredible about the shading in Chantilly...due to that half stitch. It doesn&#039;t show up so much in blonde, but is more recognizable in black.&nbsp; Huge collars, capes, lappets, parasol covers, flounces.... it boggles the mind. Therefore - &quot;joins&quot; are very important when &quot;reading&quot; lace to determine if it is handmade or machine made. </p><p><br /></p><p>In the black and white photo of the woman making that very wide piece of lace on one pillow... I would like to point out that it is extreme and unusual. That lace is quite coarse and therefore; despite how many pairs she is working with - it is deceiving, as the coarser the thread, the fewer the pairs needed to create the width. </p><p><br /></p><p>I dare say that working a piece of Chantilly that wide - would have been impossible for one person to work - due to the crazy amount of bobbins needed to complete that much width. The speed to work across just one row would have been so self limiting - that it would have taken an unfathomable amount of time for one person to accomplish even an inch across. Therefore; these large very fine pieces HAD to be worked by many.</p><p><br /></p><p>Because of the very fine size of the thread and the sheer size of the project - many hands were needed to complete larger projects. The handmade lace industry employed literally thousands of people (particularly in Europe - England, France, Belgium, Italy, etc...) and that industry came to a screeching halt when machines displaced most of the lacemakers. </p><p><br /></p><p>The first machines were invented in the early 1800&#039;s...but, it wasn&#039;t until the mid-1800&#039;s that the hand industry (for all intents and purposes) died. </p><p><br /></p><p>As for understanding how it is made and watching lacemakers... I&#039;ve demonstrated many times and it is important for the viewer to understand that unless the demonstrator has you stand BEHIND her - it will always look confusing! I try to have people stand behind me. </p><p><br /></p><p>Simply put, it is a form of weaving. Threads are anchored by means of pins to a pattern. Despite the fact that sometimes the lace maker must stack her bobbins to make room to work... she really doesn&#039;t pay much attention TO the bobbins. Her eye follows the &quot;next set of threads&quot; that she needs to use that are in relation to the pins. </p><p><br /></p><p>Generally speaking, she chooses the next pair - completes the stitch with the pair that is the &quot;worker&quot; and the next &quot;new&quot; pair. She will work across the row or complete the next stitch. the pairs &quot;work&quot; or dance... and the stitch is complete (and or the pin is set) she moves on to the next pair. </p><p><br /></p><p>Despite how it &quot;looks&quot; - it is orderly, mechanical, methodic, melodic, repetitive, relaxing, and I personally love the sound that the bobbins make.</p><p><br /></p><p>The next time you have the opportunity to watch someone demonstrate; try to sneak a view watching over their shoulder. It should make a difference to understanding the mechanical nature.&nbsp; Try to focus on the threads being worked in relation to where they are pinned - rather than the end attached to the bobbin!</p><p><br /></p><p>Hope that helps... gotta scoot for now...</p><p>Leslie[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in