Needle Lace: An Introduction

Now that I've finished my "Pointy end Goes on the Paper" series of articles, it's time to shift gears to one of my other artistic loves, needle lace.

I actually originally started this blog as a potential avenue for creating and sharing videos on how to make needle-lace. It is a small-scale, fiddly sort of art. If you know me, you know that small-scale and fiddly is totally my jam. However, it does make it a little difficult to teach in either a short time frame or to a large number of people. Videos seems a good fix for that, and hence me and my go-pro are going to see if we can't start putting that plan into action.

In the meantime, there are some articles I can go ahead and share that won't require videos.

So, welcome to my new series!

What is needle lace anyway?

The short answer is a needle lace is any sort of lace that is made with a needle. This is distinct from types of laces made by embroidering on net (lacis), knotting (macrame), braiding (bobbin lace), or, more modernly, by machine.

Needlelace can be either executed on a ground of fabric, or not.

When using a fabric as a ground, threads are removed by drawn or cutwork.  This leaves open spaces in the fabric that are then filled with the lace patterns. This is most commonly recognized in the geometric needle laces of reticello (reticella).

Late 15th century reticello sampler, Montacute House, Somerset, National Trust Collection,UK.

ReticellO and reticellA can be used interchangeably. Technically reticella is the correct Italian word, but when doing internet searches reticello will net you more accurate results because reticella is also used to describe a certain type of glassware.  Also, I saw reticello first when I began doing research, so that is the term I use most often.

When not using a ground fabric, foundation threads are couched down to paper or cardboard and then the lace is cut away once completed. This second technique is where we get Punto in Aria, or "Lace in Air." Early Punto in Aria follows the same sort of geometric designs as reticello, but not being constrained by the warp and weft of a ground fabric quickly evolved to more free-flowing patterns.

16th century Punto in Aria Border at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Needle laces in period were created on linen cloth. While there are a few extant examples of colored silk and metal gilt thread being used, they were for the most part primarily embroidered with matching linen thread. The materials were not usually dyed, and laces of the sixteenth and seventeenth century were predominantly the natural creamy ivory of flax thread.

While needleace looks complicated, it only really uses a handful of stitches. The complexity comes from how those stitches are combined to create larger patterns. One stitch you will see a LOT of is buttonhole. Buttonhole is not only used to edge the ground fabric where cutwork is removed, it is also used extensively in designs and fillings as buttonhole bars and detached buttonhole.

Visual Review

So, being a visual person I'd like to do a quick review of different types of laces to show how needle lace differs from other laces. Ready?

Early 17th century border at the Cooper Hewitt

Needlelace

16th century piece at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Needlelace

16th century fragment at the Metropolitan

Not needle lace, despite the similarity of the geometric-with-points design.  The easiest way to tell is to turn your head and look at it sort of sideways. Does it look like threads are starting at one end and traveling, looping, and braiding their way all the way to the other? Bobbin Lace.

1570-1629 border at the V&A

Needlelace, specifically Punto-in-Aria.

16th Century piece at the Metropolitan

Not needle lace.  This is an example of Lacis, or darned net embroidery. You start with a knotted net, and then you darn in the pattern in on top of it.

Italian border, 16th-17th century, at the Cooper Hewitt

Needle lace fillings in cutwork.

ca. 1640 - 1680, at the V&A

Needle lace. Made from HAIR.

16th century cloth at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Trick Question! This masterpiece has needle lace in the form of reticella squares, lacis squares, and a border of bobbin lace. It's really not that uncommon to see multiple types of lace in the same piece.

So, I hope you have enjoyed your quick and dirty introduction to needle lace. All of the museums linked have wonderful collections, so if you are inspired I would encourage you to check them out. In particular, the Cleveland Museum of Art has recently updated their website with super high-res images for their online collection, so you can zoom right up into any of their lace pieces and actually see all of the knots and stitches. It's amazing.

I also have to give a huge shout-out to the Italian Needlework blog. This is an amazing resource for all things, well, Italian needlework, and that includes needle laces of all types.

Sources:
The Embroiderer's Story: Needlework From the Renaissance to the Present Day, Beck, pg 11

Dictionary of Lace, Earnshaw, pg 145