Irish crochet lace is a style of

Irish lace Irish lace has always been an important part of the Irish needlework tradition. Both needlepoint and bobbin laces were made in Ireland before the middle of the eighteenth century, but never, apparently, on a commercial scale. It was promoted by I ...

which is generally considered allied to rather than a true lace. It was originally developed in mid-nineteenth century Ireland as a method of imitating expensive Venetian point laces.

History

By 1845 it was being taught in the Ursuline Convent, Blackrock, County Cork. Within a few years it was being taught in almost every convent in the country and used as part of Famine Relief Schemes. Church of Ireland philanthropic leaders also taught crochet lace as famine relief projects in the north of the country and in

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...

and

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

. By 1851, approximately 16,000 women were working in crochet. Charity groups sought to revive the economy by teaching crochet lace technique at no charge to anyone willing to learn.Máire Treanor (2002,2010) ''Clones Lace: The Story and Patterns of an Irish Crochet'' This type of lace is characterised by separately crocheted motifs, which were later assembled into a mesh background. Other types of Irish crochet include

Roslea Rosslea or Roslea () is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, near the border with County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. It stands on the Finn River and is beset by small natural lakes. Roslea Forest, also known as Sprin ...

and

Clones Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...

lace.

Technique

Irish crochet lace was traditionally made with a very fine steel crochet hook and fine crochet linen thread, though modern Irish crochet lace is made with mercerised thread. Traditionally, there are two styles of Irish crochet. One style, or fine crochet, is made up of squares or medallions, with shamrocks or roses in the centre. The other more challenging style begins with an outline or template on a piece of cloth or thick brown paper. Each motif is then crocheted separately, using cotton cord for volume and shaping. The finished motifs are then basted (sewn with a loose stitch for temporary tacking) onto a cloth in the shape of the pattern. The motifs are then joined using

chains A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

and

picot picot is a loop of thread created for functional or ornamental purposes along the edge of lace or ribbon, or croché, knitted or tatted fabric. The loops vary in size according to their function and artistic intention. 'Picot', pronounced ''p ...

s. When all the motifs have been joined together to form one piece of lace, the basting stitch is removed from the back cloth, revealing the completed lace.

Revival

Irish Crochet Lace, particularly Clones Lace, is experiencing a revival as modern designs are being created by Irish lace makers as well as others, such as Eastern European, Australian, Asian, South American and North American designers. Since 1990, Máire Treanor and her voluntary committee have been organising the annual Clones Lace Summer School in

, County Monaghan, as a gathering place for designers and students wishing to learn and preserve traditional patterns and share innovative ideas. Irish crochet lace is the original freeform crochet, with the design of each piece being individual.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Tutorials on traditional and modern Irish crochet lace
Crocheted lace Textile arts of Ireland