Lacemakers displaced by political upheavals often arrived as refugees in areas where there was already a lacemaking tradition and were able to enhance this with their own skills. And enterprising manufacturers of fashion for the affluent were constantly seeking innovations to secure and extend their position in the market. Fashion has always driven lace production. Towards the end of the sixteenth century ruffs and standing collars demanded bold geometric needlelace.
Through the early years of the s these were gradually replaced by softer collars requiring many yards of relatively narrow linen bobbin lace. At the same time there was increasing demand for gold and silver lace to edge gloves, shoe roses, jackets and sashes, and also to provide surface decoration for other garments. By the middle of the seventeenth century linen lace was again worn flat, and both needle and bobbin lace makers had refined their skills to produce some extremely intricate work, with the raised needlelace known as Gros Point and the flowing forms of Milanese bobbin lace being among the greatest achievements of the period.
Through the eighteenth century lace became increasingly delicate, often worked in extremely fine linen thread with increasing use of mesh grounds. The industrial revolution in Britain brought with it a profound change in lacemaking. The first machine lace was made towards the end of the eighteenth century, but it was not until that John Heathcoat was able to produce a wide net fabric that did not unravel when cut.
This net became the basis for new laces such as Carrickmacross and Tambour now classified as decorated nets , fabrics which were ideal for the light-weight dresses of the day. Entrepreneurs made constant improvements to the machines, first producing patterned nets, then increasingly complex designs, until by virtually every type of hand-made lace had its machine-made copy.
Although there was a short period in the s when bold laces such as Bedfordshire, Cluny and Yak wool were fashionable and could not yet be copied by machine, it became increasingly difficult for lacemakers such as those in Devon and the East Midlands to make a living from their work.
Needle lace appears to predate bobbin lace, and while exquisitely beautiful, this type of lace is incredibly time-consuming to make. In most cases, textile manufacturers make needle lace by affixing guiding threads to a stiff background and filling in the desired pattern with tiny stitches. While modern textile manufacturing machinery can approximate needle lace with reasonable fidelity, there is simply no substitute for this exquisite, handmade type of lace fabric.
Textile manufacturers make chemical lace by embroidering a pattern on a type of fabric that is not resistant to caustic chemicals. Then, the lace is bathed in chemicals until the base fabric dissolves, leaving only the lace pattern intact.
While it is easier to stitch chemical lace, this type of lace is not as high-quality as bobbin or needle lace. Lace is mainly used as a decorative addition to other textile products. Outside the world of apparel, lace is also a popular fabric for homewares. One of the most iconic uses of lace is in doilies, which were originally used as place settings for teacups. Lace is also a common addition to throw pillows, blankets, tablecloths and lampshades. Since it is extremely delicate, lace does not have any industrial purposes.
Instead, the primary purpose of this fabric is to make other textile products and home decor items appear more refined or aesthetically pleasing. This fabric is not of Chinese origin, however, and Europe remains a reasonably prodigious lace producer.
Certain factories in France and the Netherlands have produced lace for centuries, and Italy also retains its status as a notable producer of lace. American factories also produce small quantities of this beautiful and delicate textile. Due to its intricacy, lace fabric is usually reasonably expensive, and handmade types of lace, such as needled race, can be incredibly pricey.
The cost of lace varies depending on the way it was made and the materials it includes with silk lace being the most expensive, cotton and linen lace commanding mid-tier prices, and synthetic lace being the most affordable.
Over the centuries, a wide variety of different types of lace have emerged. While some types of lace are more popular than others, it is important to be familiar with each form this textile takes as you select the best lace fabric for your purposes:.
Technically a type of crochet, most experts do not consider crocheted lace to be a form of true lace. Reasonably easy to make compared to other lace fabrics, examples of crocheted lace types include filet crochet, pineapple crochet, and Irish crochet. Simultaneously one of the most detailed and simplest forms of lace to make due to the invention of industrial lace-making machines, bobbin lace involves combining more than a dozen threads into intricate patterns as they pass along a moving surface.
A highly elastic form of lace, knitted lace is a type of knit fabric that features a large number of small holes. Commonly used to make shawls and table covers, knitted lace is very difficult to make, and it cannot be made with machines. Cutwork is a type of lace in which holes are cut in a base fabric that textile manufacturers then reinforce with needlework. This type of lace is reasonably easy to make, and cutwork production is often automated.
While textile manufacturers have gradually developed processes that make needle lace production less time-consuming, this type of lace is most commonly still manufactured with nothing more than scissors, thread, and a needle.
Incredibly intricate and expensive, needle lace is considered to be the pinnacle of the lace fabric family. A popular arts-and-crafts project, tape lace involves folding and sewing a straight tape into the desired shape.
The tape used in tape lace is usually machine-printed with the lace portions added using needlework. Produced by embroidering a pattern on flimsy fabric that is later removed using chemical agents, chemical lace is one of the simplest and least environmentally friendly types of lace.
Newer chemical lace production methods use heat or water instead of chemicals to remove the backer fabric. Sheer lace features far more holes than fabric, and it usually requires a backing fabric when used for apparel or other purposes. While most types of lace fabric feature thin, delicate threads, corded lace features thicker threads.
This type of lace is less intricate in appearance, but it is more durable. Beaded lace features sequins or beads that are sewed or woven into the lace at regular intervals. Limerick is a newer type of machine-made lace that is generally considered to be a form of mixed lace instead of true lace since it is crocheted or embroidered. The environmental impact of lace production varies depending on the type of fabric used. Silk production, for instance, is remarkably environmentally friendly, while at the other end of the spectrum, non-biodegradable synthetic lace contributes to plastic and toxic chemical pollution.
Cotton and linen production can either be sustainable or unsustainable depending on the processes that cultivators of these plant-based textiles use. To avoid environmentally harmful lace, choose organic silk, cotton, or linen lace products, and avoid synthetic lace. About the author:. The word lingerie is the French translation of undergarments.
Lady Duff-Gordon pioneered the usage of lingerie to be visually appealing and to free women from the corset. Halfway the 20th century, almost all women wore it. Manufacturers then started creating lingerie using lighter and softer fabrics, lace being one of them.
Most hosiery is made using a tight-knitting technique, but modern hosiery also uses tight-fitting fabrics like meshes and lace. Hosiery is often worn as either undergarments or outerwear, mostly depending on the material used.
In the times of the Roman Empire, silk was widely used in clothing, especially in the Mediterranean, of which Rome was the capital. Italy mostly used Chinese silk that was imported by ship. Due to its location, Venice was a critical trading location for trades all over the world. Venice is also where the first known books with lace patterns originated from. These sales started in Catanzaro, an important port-city. Eventually, Catanzaro also became the biggest seller of both lace and linen due to the breeding facilities of the large silkworm they kept there.
There was no need for import anymore. Due to the specialization in more exquisite fabrics, Italy had a head start when it came to lingerie. Nowadays, most lingerie in Italy is created by artisans located all over the country. Be the first to access new arrivals, private sales, styling tips, and more.
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