Lace

Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Originally linen, silk, gold, or silver threads were used. Now lace is often made with cotton thread, although linen and silk threads are still available. Manufactured lace may be made of synthetic fiber. A few modern artists make lace with a fine copper or silver wire instead of thread.

History

The origins of lace are disputed by historians. An Italian claim is a will of 1493 by the Milanese Sforza family. A Flemish claim is lace on the alb of a worshiping priest in a painting about 1485 by Hans Memling. But since lace evolved from other techniques, it is impossible to say that it originated in any one place.

The late 16th century marked the rapid development of lace, both needle lace and bobbin lace became dominant in both fashion as well as home décor. For enhancing the beauty of collars and cuffs, needle lace was embroidered with loops and picots.

Types of Lace

There are many types of lace, classified by how they are made. These include:

• Needle lace: Needle lace refers to a fabric with open holes, made using a needle and thread. This is the most flexible of the lace-making arts. While some types can be made more quickly than the finest of bobbin laces, others are very time-consuming. Some purists regard needle lace as the height of lace-making.

• Cutwork, or whitework: In this technique, a fabric is embroidered in such a way that threads within the fabric are cut away and removed, leaving holes.

• Bobbin lace: As the name suggests, bobbin lace is made with bobbins and a pillow. The bobbins, turned from wood, bone, or plastic, hold threads which are woven together and held in place with pins stuck in the pattern on the pillow.

• Tape lace: makes the tape in the lace as it is worked, or uses a machine- or hand-made textile strip formed into a design, then joined and embellished with needle or bobbin lace.

• Knotted lace includes macramé and tatting. Tatted lace is made with a shuttle or a tatting needle.

• Crocheted lace includes Irish crochet, pineapple crochet, and filet crochet.

• Knitted lace includes Shetland lace, such as the "wedding ring shawl", a lace shawl so fine that it can be pulled through a wedding ring.

• Machine-made laces include the 19th-century Nottingham laces, and 20th-century chemical laces that are actually embroidery on a dissolvable fabric.

See Also

• Lace-making
• History of lace
• Types of lace
• Lace in fashion