Page 354 - J. C. Turner "History and Science of Knots"

348 History and Science of Knots

(IIa) Continuous Bobbin Lace, where the design (toile) and the
ground are made in a single process;
(IIb) Bobbin Lace, where the motifs are made individually and
then joined together by the background (reseau);
(IIc) Bobbin-made Braid Lace;
(III) Mixed Lace, in which needle and bobbin lace have both
been used; machine woven braids forming the pattern and
linked by needle-made bars are included in this set;
(IV) Knotted Laces, such as macrame, tatting and netting;
(V) `Embroidered' Laces, where a sheer fabric, such as muslin
or net is decorated by surface stitchery, or where a more
opaque fabric has threads withdrawn to make an open lat-
tice for decoration;
(VI) `Chain' Laces, such as are made by knitting or crochet;
(VII) Chemical and Machine-made laces.

There are subsets of each category, and further subdivisions formed by the
intersections of sets. In addition, there are many characteristics peculiar to
`social class', the designs of the era, regional costumes and the locality where
the lace was made. Many books have been written studying such details,
and a short reading list is appended; only those particulars necessary to an
understanding of the craft and its development will be mentioned. A brief
description of the techniques and their comparative merits is all that will be
attempted here.
All needle-made laces (I) begin from a design drawn upon parchment
(nowadays architects' linen is used as a substitute) pattern. A double thickness
of foundation thread (cordonnet) is couched on to the pattern in such a way
that each section of the motif is enclosed while the cordonnet runs continuously
round the motif. The resulting cloisons are filled with variations of buttonhole
stitches (half-hitches) and spacings to give the required effect (Fig. 1).
When each cell has been filled, the cordonnet is covered with tightly
packed half-hitches to give a firm outline to the motif. Some forms of the
laces also have padding over the cordonnet, giving a relief effect (rose point),
while others achieve variation by picots or applied sections. There are fewer
than 100 stitch variations and characteristic groupings so that the quality of
design gains in importance. Very little equipment is required, making this an
inexpensive craft to set up, but the stitching demands great concentration and
meticulous cleanliness if the completed piece is to look fresh; consequently this
type of lace was the most expensive to produce.