Needle lace is a type of
lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
created using a
needle and
thread to stitch up hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself.
In its purest form, the only equipment and materials used are a needle, thread and
scissors
Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutti ...
. The origins of needle lace date back to the 16th century in Italy, and its origins may be found in the
openwork
Openwork or open-work is a term in art history, architecture and related fields for any technique that produces decoration by creating holes, piercings, or gaps that go right through a solid material such as metal, wood, stone, pottery, cloth, l ...
on
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
technique called ''
reticella
Reticella (also reticello or in French point coupé or point couppe) is a needle lace dating from the 15th century and remaining popular into the first quarter of the 17th century.
Reticella was originally a form of cutwork in which threads were ...
''.
A variety of styles developed where the work is started by securing heavier guiding threads onto a stiff background (such as thick paper) with stitches that can later be removed. The work is then built up using a variety of stitches—the most basic being a variety of
buttonhole
Buttonholes are reinforced holes in fabric that buttons pass through, allowing one piece of fabric to be secured to another. The raw edges of a buttonhole are usually finished with stitching. This may be done either by hand or by a sewing machine. ...
or
blanket stitch
__NOTOC__
The blanket stitch is a stitch used to reinforce the edge of thick materials. Depending on circumstances, it may also be called a ''cable stitch'' or a ''crochet stitch''. It is "a decorative stitch used to finish an unhemmed blanket. ...
. When the entire area is covered with the stitching, the stay-stitches are released and the lace comes away from the paper.
Needle lace is also used to create the fillings or insertions in
cutwork
Cutwork or cut work, also known as ''punto tagliato'' in Italian, is a needlework technique in which portions of a textile, typically cotton or linen, are cut away and the resulting "hole" is reinforced and filled with embroidery or needle lace.
...
.
References
*
External links
Kenmare Lace And other forms of Irish Lace- Lace Identification and Types
*
Old Point Lace: How to Copy and Imitate It' (1878) by Daisy Waterhouse Hawkins. Chatto and Windus, London.
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