Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. It is impossible to say that it originated in any one place or by whom, but a Flemish painting from about 1485 depicts a priest's collar adorned with lace. Lace has a rich and varied history as an art form, as a part of vestments in religious ceremonies, and in the fashion and décor industries.
There are many types of lace
which are classified by how they are made. I have tried my hand at several handmade laces techniques including Cutwork, Knotted Lace which included macramé and tatting; Crocheted and Knitted. It is the challenge of making these tedious, detailed and intricate patterns that interests me.
Once I have those figured out and have made several inches....I'm done and ready to move on. Most laces that I use for embellishments on projects are machine made. The handmade laces in my collection are mostly vintage. They are truly treasures and are used on special projects like the blue bag in the above photo.
How do I decide which projects are special enough
to be embellished with my treasured laces?
By Vintage Hankies, a String of Pearls and
Lots and Lots of Lovely Lace!
Hi Sue - I guess the need for something extra and special is so obvious ... it must be included. Good to know you've tried your hand at lace-making ... love the huge range you've got here ... congratulations on your A-Z .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThanks Hilary...have missed your AtoZ posts this year. Sometimes it's that little something extra that just makes a project special.
Deletesuch delicate work - lace does add a delicate pizzazz to any piece
ReplyDeleteHandmade lace does look very delicate, but usually it is quite strong and made to last...especially if well made. Yes... pizzazzy!
DeleteThe colors in this post are just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI think it fascinating that lace-making helped saved some of the Irish during the famines of the mid-1800s. The nuns taught the women and girls to make the lace and the wealthier Irish people bought the lace, thereby saving some of the families from starvation. Making Irish lace is something that I want to learn as a way of honoring my Irish ancestry.
Thanks for another great post! Have a blessed night.
Irish lace is one of the lace techniques that as you mentioned, has an incredible history and continues to be very collectible. It would be such a special skill to learn...you should definitely learn to make Irish Lace.
DeleteLovely lace, I wish I could figure out how to work it into more things I make.
ReplyDeleteShelly @ http://hangryfork.com
I often start a project with a piece of lace and let it guide me to a finished product. It is inspiring in it's own right.
DeleteI tried tatting. Just couldn't get the hang of it. I do appreciate beautiful handwork.
ReplyDeleteI learned a few stitches in needle tatting and loved how it looked. Used the few inches I made in an embroidery project. It is quite tedious and time consuming. You can guess how often I have gone back to tatting.
DeleteI picked up some vintage lace on my trip. Machine made, not hand made. A friend shuttle tatted a lacy spool pin doily for Betty Sue. Same color purple.
ReplyDeleteI swear, Betty Sue never had it so good. A purple spool doily just for her...and tatted...wow! So good to see you when you were in SA.
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