NEEDLE LACES LACIS. Bat tenberg, Point & Reticell a. 3rd Edition. including Princess Lace PUBLICATIONS. Edited by Jules & Kaethe Kliot

Transcription

1 NEEDLE LACES Bat tenberg, Point & Reticell a including Princess Lace 3rd Edition Edited by Jules & Kaethe Kliot LACIS PUBLICATIONS Berkeley, CA 94703

2 PREFACE The great and increasing interest felt throughout the country in the subject of LACE MAKING has led to the preparation of the present work. The Editor has drawn freely from all sources of information, and has availed himself of the suggestions of the best lace-makers. The object of this little volume is to afford plain, practical directions by means of which any lady may become possessed of beautiful specimens of Modern Lace Work by a very slight expenditure of time and patience. The moderate cost of materials and the beauty and value of the articles produced are destined to confer on lace making a lasting popularity. from MANUAL FOR LACE MAKING 1878

3 NEEDLE L ACES Bat tenberg, Point & Reticell a inluding Princess Lace CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 BATTENBERG AND POINT LACE 6 Stitches 7 Designs 38 PRINCESS LACE 44 RETICELLA LACE 46 BATTENBERG LACE PATTERNS 54 INTRODUCTION This book is a republication of portions of several manuals printed between 1878 and 1938 dealing with varieties of contemporary point laces, i.e. lace worked with a needle and thread which does not rely on any fabric ground. During the latter part of the 19th century, these techniques had a major revival with the reworking of the traditional stitches and techniques. Prior to this time, point lace relied entirely on the buttonhole stitch in its myriad of variations, with an unadorned thread unheard of. The new stitches included knotting, wrapping and weaving techniques. The single thread could be left unadorned and an emphasis was placed on simplification and conservation of time. The origins of BATTENBERG LACE date back to the 16th century when techniques of both bobbin and needle laces were being explored. In the early Milanese laces, narrow tapes were made to conform to the design, either by bobbin or needle lace techniques, and then infillings were made in the spaces between the tapes. The work could be expedited by using a pre-made tape which could be made to follow the contours by folding and cutting. The earliest lace of this type was known as Mezzo Punto and dates from the late 16th c. True Battenberg lace can be distinguished from the later laces by the buttonholed bars, also called Raleigh bars. The other contemporary forms of tape lace use the Sorrento or twisted thread bar as the connecting element. Renaissance Lace is the most common name used to refer to tape lace using these simpler stitches. The earliest product of machine made lace was tulle or the net which was incorporated in both the appliqued hand made laces and later the elaborate Leavers laces. It would not be long before the narrow tapes, in fancier versions, would be combined with this tulle to create a popular form of tape lace, Princess Lace, which became and remains the present incarnation of Belgian Lace, combining machine made tapes and motifs, hand applied to machine made tulle and embellished with net embroidery. TEXT NOTES This new edition of NEEDLE LACES: BATTENBERG, POINT & RETICELLA has been revised to include an expanded pattern section as well as the basic instructions for Princess Lace. It should be noted that the original prices listed in this publication for the patterns and tapes illustrated are as they appeared in the original publications and do not in any way reflect availability or cost. They have been left intact for historical continuity. The tapes used in Battenberg and Princess lace are still available, although in limited designs. This includes the traditional straight woven tapes, the modern bias woven tapes which are easily contoured, several of the Honiton or Princess lace tapes and some novelty tapes. Also available are some of the machine embroidered motifs as used in the Princess laces. Battenberg lace, as it is known today, is a product of the 19th century, utilizing one of the earliest products of the machine age, a woven lace tape. As a means of expediting the production of the popular point laces, the tape was quickly exploited as it could fill large open areas in a lace-like fashion with little effort. By the 20th century, abbreviated versions of the technique were utilized which required fewer and simpler stitches, heavier infilling threads and more flexible tapes. The newer commercial Battenberg laces have a relatively coarser appearance and use little more then the basic Russian or fagoting stitch. The original titles of the publications which have contributed to this book are: MANUAL FOR LACE MAKING (no publisher noted), 1878 YOUNG LADIES JOURNAL; COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE WORK TABLE, E. Harrison THE PRISCILLA NEEDLEWORK BOOK FOR The Modem Priscilla BARBOUR S PRIZE NEEDLEWORK SERIES, Book 6, 1897, Barbour Brothers. THE PRISCILI.A NEEDLEWORK BOOK FOR 1904, The Priscilla Publishing Co.

4 THE GOOD HOUSEKEEPING NEEDLEWORK MANUAL Phelps Publishing Co. NEEDLECRAFTER MAGAZINE. May 1911 RENDA INGLEZA, Geo Beca, Ayres de Carvalho NEEDLE MADE LACES & NET EMBROIDERIES. Preston, The Woman s Magazine. WORKING NOTES MAKING PATTERNS Most of the patterns in this book are suitable for enlargement and making into full size working patterns. Detail is not important, only the lines of the tape need to be considered. Most of the patterns note a finished dimension and enlargement can be scaled to these dimensions. The simplest method is by using standard 8-1/2 x 11 paper on a photocopy machine, many of which can be set up to 400%. First determine how many sheets of paper will be required to cover the finished pattern, overlapping adjacent sheets approximately 1. Thus if the finished piece is 24 wide you will need three printed sheets. If the original pattern is 3 the enlargement will be 800%; 2 repeat enlargements of 400% will be necessary. PREPARING PATTERNS The working pattern is preferably drawn on a tinted cloth such as a smooth cotton muslin. It can be transferred from a paper pattern by pricking and powder technique or using any of the contemporary pattern transfer materials. To avoid smudging, fix with a spray fixitive. It is possible to work directly on a paper pattern although the pattern will usually be destroyed after one use. Another technique is to baste the paper pattern to a muslin backing to extend its useful life. WORKING TAPE The modem pull braids are a delight to use as they are easily contoured to the tightest curves. Baste the tape to your pattern in the normal way pulling the inner edge thread as required to work the curve. Work the tape in as long lengths as possible, avoiding unnecessary cut ends. For sharp curves the tape can simply be folded as it is the same on both sides. Various forms of passementerie, soutache cords and upholstery braids can also be used as tapes. These are especially successful when combined with decorative fabric fillings. The tape can also be a crocheted chain or hairpin tape made with a crochet hook. THREADS The size and type of thread used will depend on the quality and look desired for the finished piece. A heavy soft thread such as #5 Perle Cotton will expedite the work but it lends itself to only the simpler stitches. For heirloom quality work a 6-ply Cordonnet (cotton) is suggested in sizes from 30 to 50. Cut work threads in sizes #12 and #16 are also suitable. These are softer then the Cordonnet and much finer than the Perle Cotton. RINGS Where rings are called for, the traditional ring can be made by wrapping the thread several times around a pencil or other round object and then solidly covering this winding with buttonhole stitches. A ring gauge, which is a stepped wooden taper, is available and made specifically for this purpose. A variety of different size rings can be made with these. Rings can also be crocheted or bone rings can be used, these covered with buttonhole stitches. Rings can also be formed by tatting; Small or large picots can be formed to which the tape can be secured. CENTERS Doilies, handkerchiefs and centerpieces generally require a linen or batiste center. As an alternative, the center can be formed by the Teneriffe lace method, threads crossing back and forth through the center and then woven to form a variety of patterns. The center can also be left open and the lace used as a frame for a favorite picture or photograph. MACHINE TECHNIQUES The use of the sewing machine for making all variety of laces was explored by the Singer Co in the 1920 s. Techniques were developed at this time for making Battenberg lace, the machine were used to baste the tape and make the infillings. Later techniques were developed which allowed the machines to make the tape as well. These techniques are presented in the book SINGER INSTRUCTIONS FOR ART EMBROIDERY AND LACE WORK, republished by Lacis Publications. Contemporary methods for this technique utilizing dissolving stabilizers onto which the designs are sewn on and the stabilizer later dissolved in water are described in several of the books listed in the bibliography. BIBLIOGRAPHY BATTENBERG AND POINT LACE BOOK, Nellie Clark Brown. A republication of the 1912 Priscilla book with the inclusion of a catalog of over 100 heirloom patterns which can be ordered individually. BATTENBERG LACE PATTERN BOOK, edited by Jules & Kaethe Kliot A rich collection of patterns suitable for enlargement and a catalog of traditional tapes BATTENBERG AND OTHER TAPE LACES, Butterick A republication of the 1901 original. Includes many pictures of finished projects. BATTENBERG LACE [5204] Nihon Vogue Japanese language publication offering contemporary designs PIZZO RINASCIMENTO, Mani di Fata. Many contemporary projects from home dec linens to wearables. Beautiful graphics make all self explanatory. Italian text.

5 TECHNIQUE OF BRANSCOMBE POINT Lillie D. Trivett. A more elaborate form of tape lace with advanced techniques. STARTING ROMANIAN POINT LACE Sylvia Murariu. Tape lace technique using a uniquely made crocheted braid combined with traditional needlelace infilling stitches. THE TECHNIQUE OF TAPE LACE Ineke van den Kieboom & Anny Huijben. Traditional techniques KALOCSAI GEPHIMZES The most exhaustive study of machine made openwork infilling patterns. These are traditional Hungarian cutwork designs and text is in Hungarian. All patterns are clearly described in step by step diagrams and all are made without use of stabilizer. MACHINE EMBROIDERY McNeill. An excellent contemporary resource on openwork machine techniques. SEWING MACHINE ARTISTRY Wagner. A contemporary interpretation of many of the techniques described in the SINGER INSTRUCTIONS FOR ART EMBROIDERY AND LACE WORK SIMPLE-LY ELEGANT MACHINE EMBROIDERY Verna Holt. A basic explanation of contemporary embroidery techniques including openwork. SINGER INSTRUCTIONS FOR ART EMBROIDERY AND LACE WORK The most exhaustive work on machine embroidery techniques with instructions for imitating virtually every lace technique on the simplest of sewing machines. SOURCES OF SUPPLY LACIS, 2982 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA web: lacis.com A supplier of tools, materials, patterns and books for all varieties of lace making, embroidery and costume. Lacis also offers a wide selection of Battenberg tapes and inserts as well as threads and patterns. 19th c. Renaissance point-lace edging publisher s collection lst Edition 1981, Jules Kliot 2nd Edition 1988, Jules Kliot ISBN Revised 3rd Edition 2003, Jules Kliot ISBN LACIS PUBLICATIONS 3163 Adeline St., Berkeley, CA 94703