HANDMADE HISTORIES

Craft inspiration – and a bit about where it came from LACEMAKING

Lace is a fine example of what is known as an ‘openwork’ fabric; its structure is essentially like a net, with the spaces making up as much of the design as the intricately woven threads. While these net-like fabrics have been around for many thousands of years, the specific techniques that are used to create lace didn’t emerge until the 16th century.

There are two main methods of making lace: one uses a needle and thread (needle lace) to embroider together hundreds of tiny stitches, while the other method ( bobbin lace) is a technique more akin to plaiting, where lots of threads wound onto bobbins are crossed over each other or twisted to form a pattern. The pattern is first drawn onto a piece of paper, then pricked with tiny pinholes and laid onto a cushion as a template.

The origins of lacemaking are hotly disputed – both Italy and Flanders lay claim to the prize – but the city of Venice certainly played a pivotal role in its development. In the 16th century, Venice was a thriving trading port and we know it was there that the first bobbin lace pattern book was printed in 1559 – Le Pompe 1559:

Patterns for Venetian Bobbin Lace. By 1600, however, exquisite handmade lace was being produced in centres across Europe, including Spain, France and England.

As with many commercially successful crafts, the economic gap between the makers and purchasers could not have been wider. Lace was painstakingly slow to make and extremely expensive in terms of raw materials – most early lace was made from imported silk, gold, silver and fine linen threads – keeping it out of the reach of the ordinary man or woman.