Origins of lace making
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Earlier this year one of our work experience students researched the history of lace.
Lace has been an important part of fashion, textiles and manufacturing since the 13th century, though even before this time lace was part of traditional European clothing. The foundations of lace would have originated from the technique most likely used to create fishing nets, in a simple tying pattern, similar to the modern-day method of macramé. Figure one demonstrates some of the older patterns of lace being a very simple knotted pattern into a circular mesh fabric. The exact origin of the beginning of lace is uncertain as it is so similar to other textile crafts and its fragile nature means that it is easily destroyed, and the date of the oldest piece is not necessarily trustworthy as an origin date as the preservation potential is low.
Early laces would have been a cheaper way to use textiles, as it needed less fabric than looming. Though the lace was much thinner and had more holes, provided fabrics useful for industry like farming (both cattle and food) as it provided thinner bags for transport, it was not necessarily used for decoration till the craft was more refined in the later 13th century and it is still popular today.
Figure 1 a pre-medieval piece of lace, date unknown, primitive form of lace, most likely made with a loom or a shuttle.
In England before the 15 century, methods of lace that were popular for clothing would have been pieces like dawn thread work, which is the removal of fabric and hemming the hole in order to leave a gape in the fabric (fig.2). This would have been used by a variety of different classes but was likely carried out by seamstresses or the poorer middle class in order to sell cloth at a higher price.
Figure 2 opened needlework joined with hemming and connecting pillars of thread between two layers of cloth stitch
In the 16th and 17th century lace making began to get more popular in central Europe.
International usages of lace in the 16th and 17th century
Italy was a key country in the development in the culture and trade of lace. In the 16th century lace first became popularised in Italy, typically due to its usage by priests. Cutwork was the most common form of lace making (fig.2). In the beginning of its introduction, as it was fairly simple and could be made using already loomed cloth, so was more of a decorative addition rather than a textile itself. However, in the 1300s-1400s sumptuary laws were passed, this would limit the produce and export of Italian lace and led to a large decrease in the production and exporting of lace. Some of the poorer population would use simpler textiles like flax, dried barleys to make their fabrics, as it was much cheaper, and were not taxed within the sumptuary laws. Within poorer communities lace became extremely popular as it would not be complicated using the cutwork and dawn threading methods, it could also be made from cheaper and less elaborate fabrics available to most of the poorer communities. The 16th century showed an explosion in the discovery and expansion of lace, and it developed very quickly. Elaborate laces such as bobbin lace and needle lace were highly desired in both fashion, decoration, and loops, and picots were growing in popularity and added to the complex structure of lace especially in the growing renaissance trend of ruffs and lace collars. Many of the samples we have from this time are 15th century artefacts from Beatrice d’est Duchess of Milan, she was a key figure in central Europe and would have been wearing some of the most common trends at this time, and this was when laces became more popular within the gentry and the richer population. In England, kinds of lace such as Bedfordshire and torchon lace were introduced, and they became highly popular, as Elizabethan clothing required highly intricate ruffs and collars also. Ruffs like cartwheel ruffs and wrist cuffs were becoming more and more popular.
In the 1500s’ Venetian lace was introduced to France due to Catherine Medici’s marriage to the king of France. This would influence the French royal court, and they would start decorating their clothes in order to match the elaborate fashion of their new queen. It was much lighter in comparison to needlepoint laces at the time, which would be heavier with knots and with thicker lines. Venetian lace was focused on being delicate and thin, sometimes being made of human hair in order to get a strong fabric that was thin enough to look delicate. This was also a trend in Italy at the time, and Queen Elizabeth I also had some human hair lace from France during her reign.
Figure 3 an image of a 13th century priest depicted wearing an early example of lace; this would have been its typical usage
In England in the 1500’s styles of lace, such a bobbin and tatting were becoming more popular. There are many references to ‘bone lace’ as some bobbins were made of bones (bobbin lace uses small stick like tools to wrap the threads around one another, similar to hand spinning wool.). Lace became fashionable due to the trends of Queen Elizabeth I. She would be seen wearing lace frequently in her court attire, it being featured in many of her portraits. She would wear complex, French style lace, due to their relations and closeness in geography making it easy to trade. So French style lace became popular in the court, this was similar to Venetian laces also. In English lace, a common motif would be the ‘Tudor rose’ or motif squares illustrating common tile like patterns at the time.
Figure 4 an example of fine Venetian lace in a mesh.
In the West Midlands, many lace makers would make the French style of lace as French lace makers and traders would centre around this area. However, in the south of England, in places such as Cornwall and Devon, lace tended to be more Belgian in likeness as many Belgians settled there and lace makers would make their native lace. This would later lead to large developments of many different kinds of lace and different regional methods to the intricate method of making this textile; this would give it largely different appearances depending on what was popular in the area and within the monarchy at the time.
Samuel Pepys even referenced the use of lace in clothing in his diary, referencing his wife’s golden lace bordering and how extravagant the lace was itself.
Lace in the Victorian and modern periods
Lace is still commonly used in many textiles today, mainly featured in formal clothing and women’s fashion. The production of lace had died out just before the Victorian period. As manufacturing fabrics became more popular, the craft for handmade lace died out and machinery was favoured. In modern-day fashion, near to no lace is handmade, with most lace makers focusing on more contemporary or decorative pieces like doilies or bookmarks. One of the largest uses of modern-day lace is wedding dresses; this has been very popular since Queen Victoria’s wedding and is still popular today. Though fabric dresses are coming back into popularity as a cheaper and more comfortable option, lace has a timeless traditional look that most brides gravitate towards. Veils are also commonly made entirely of lace, and this has been popular since the sexual revolution in the 1960s leading to women’s reforms of modesty.
Figure 5 a modern-day lace doily made by using the bobbin lace method. Figure 6 Queen Victoria's wedding dress.
Bobbin Lace
Bobbin lace is one of the most popular forms of lace, being seen in England since the foundation of lace. It uses several pieces of wood, shaped to form a wooden bobbin; these also typically have spangles on the bottom. They could be highly decorated or simple with just a divot and a handle for the thread with a stopper at the top. The wooden bobbins would be attached to either side of the thread and they would be worked with, typically using one pair as a ‘worker pair’ that would move more than most. As displayed in the image the knots were held in place with steel pins into a cushion in order to keep it held in place before the piece finished. Smaller bobbin lace pieces use 10 pairs of bobbins (20 bobbins) however some larger more elaborate pieces like ruffs and collars (fig.6 & fig.3) would use up to or more than 100 pairs of bobbins and extremely fine thread to get that venetian ‘hair like’ feel.
Figure 7 the making of a small bobbin lace border that would be attached to fabric.
Summary
Lace has been a staple in fashion for centuries, going from a poorer trade to only being available to the rich. From being a priest's garment to being commonplace in women’s fashion in the modern day.
Megan Welch
Work experience student