Flanders lace (point de Flandres) was made in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, which was particularly well known for its

bobbin lace Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually de ...

. The supreme epoch of Flemish lace lasted from about 1550-1750. The lacemaking areas of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Mechlin Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

Binche Binche (; wa, Bince; Dutch: ''Bing'') is a city and municipality from Wallonia, in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Since 1977, the municipality consists of Binche, Bray, Buvrinnes, Épinois, Leval-Trahegnies, Péronnes-lez-Binche, Ressaix, an ...

and

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...

are regarded as Flemish. They made mesh ground continuous lace.

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

made

part lace Part lace or sectional lace is a way of making bobbin lace. It characterises various styles, such as Honiton lace or Brussels lace. All bobbin lace is made with bobbins on a lace pillow. Some styles of lace are made in a continuous strip. Since th ...

which is non-continuous.

The ground

Old Flanders lace began by making

Torchon lace Torchon lace (Dutch: stropkant) is a bobbin lace that was made all over Europe. It is continuous, with the pattern made at the same time as the ground. Torchon lace is notable for being coarse and strong, as well as its simple geometric patterns an ...

, then used early five-hole ground. Today, the term Flanders lace is more usually applied to a late 19th century revival of the five-hole grounded lace. Classical variations have pairs crossing at the tips of the rectangles, a modern variation crosses just threads what creates a more rectangular impression. Modern variations also use less pins at the headside and footside. Both changes make the modern interpretation slightly quicker to create but also more vulnerable, but modern lacemakers tend to frame their work rather than apply it on clothing. The similar rose ground in

uses four pins at the edges of the rectangles, Flanders uses just one pin in the centre. Names for the ground: * five-hole ground * cinq trou * virgin ground * fond à la vierge * rose stitch or rose ground.

References

{{Lace types Bobbin lace Textile arts of Belgium