Lace Terms Defined


Alencon (Point d').--Fine needlepoint lace with the

ground of double-twist thread in a semi-net effect. Is

usually worked with horsehair on the edges to give

firmness to the cordonnet. Called after the city in

France where it is made.



Allover.--Name for all wide laces used for flouncing,

yokes, and entire waists. Usually the lace is over

eighteen inches in width.
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American Laces.--A general term formerly used to

distinguish lace made in this country, the development

of the industry having now rendered the term nearly

obsolete.



Angleterre (Point d').--Fine Brussels pillow lace,

distinguished by a rib of raised and plaited threads

worked in the lace. Shown in floral, ornithological, and

geometrical designs.



Antique.--Hand-made pillow lace of heavy linen thread

in a large, open, rectangular knotted mesh. Used for

curtains, bed sets, draperies.



Antwerp.--Bobbin lace, resembling early Alencon. Shows

a "pot"--that is, a vase or basket effect--in the

design.



Applique.--Any lace in which the body and the design

are made separately. The body is usually silk and the

design cotton or linen.



Applique Brussels.--Name sometimes given to Brussels

applique laces.



Arabe (Point d').--Coarse bobbin lace made in Belgium

and France as well as Arabia. Shows a large, bold

pattern, cable edged, and is almost invariably in a deep

ecru tone. Used for curtains and draperies.



Arabian.--Same as above.



Argentine.--Similar to Alencon, the mesh being a

trifle larger.



Arras.--Very strong, inexpensive, white bobbin lace,

of simple pattern, somewhat resembling Mechlin.

Distinguished by its light, single thread ground. Named

after the city in France where it is made.



Aurillac.--Somewhat resembles Angleterre. Bobbin lace

made in Aurillac, France.



Auvergne.--Any kind of bobbin lace made in Auvergne,

France. Different makes and patterns.



Ave Maria.--A narrow edging lace.



Baby Lace.--Light and simple edging lace made in

England.



Battenberg.--Same as Renaissance. Designs confined to

flower patterns.



Bayeux.--Bobbin lace, usually an imitation of Spanish

point. Also a black, rich lace made in large pieces for

shawls, head scarfs, etc.



Binche.--Fine pillow lace, without cordonnet. Ground

resembles a spider-web with small dots. Made in Binche,

Belgium.



Bisette.--Coarse, narrow French peasant lace in simple

designs. Name often applied to cheap bordering laces.



Blonde.--So called, being originally a bobbin lace

made of unbleached silk, though now shown in black,

white, and colors. Made with two different sizes of

thread; fine thread for the ground, coarse for the

design. Usually takes some floral form. Very lustrous.



Bobbin Lace.--Imitation of pillow lace. Made in

England and France.



Bobbinet.--The same.



Bone Lace.--An obsolete term once given to Honiton

bobbin lace.



Bone Point Lace.--Applied to laces having no regular

ground or mesh, such as Renaissance.



Border Lace.--Practically synonymous with edging.



Bourdon.--A machine lace made of both silk and cotton.

Show scroll-like patterns cable-edged on a regular mesh.

Usually dyed black, but sometimes bleached. The outline

is of a heavy lustrous thread. Used chiefly for dress

trimming and millinery.



Brettone.--Cheap narrow edging.



Bride Lace.--Lace with the pattern connected with

brides. Same as bone point lace.



Brides.--Slender threads connecting different parts of

a pattern.



Brussels Net.--Plain net made originally in Brussels,

but now produced in all lace manufacturing countries.



Brussels Pillow.--Fine pillow lace with the patterns

joined together by little loops on their edges.



Brussels Point.--Shows an open pattern, made partly in

open, partly in closed, stitch, giving the appearance of

shading.



Carrickmacross.--Tiny Irish cambric drawn work,

applique on net.



Cartisane.--Guipure or passementerie made with thin

silk or gilt-covered strips of parchment.



Chantilly.--Pillow lace very similar to blonde. Comes

from Chantilly, France. Made in both silk and cotton and

usually seen in black. Non-lustrous, and looks as if

made from black linen thread.



Chiffon Lace.--Chiffon embroidered in twist silk.



Cluny.--Coarse-thread bobbin lace, made in both linen

and cotton. Shows a close-stitch pattern darned on an

open ground. Used for dress trimmings and the

manufacture of curtains.



Cork Lace.--A sweeping term used to designate all

laces of Irish make.



Cotton Lace.--All lace made of cotton.



Craponne.--Cheap, stout thread furniture guipure.



Crochet Lace.--Any point lace made with the crochet

hook.



Darned Lace.--A comprehensive term taking in all net

effects with the pattern applied in needlework.



Devonshire Lace.--Lace made in this part of England,

and especially Honiton imitation.



Dieppe.--Fine needlepoint lace made in Dieppe, France.

Resembles Valenciennes. Made with a regular ground of

squares of small meshes alternating with open squares

upon which the pattern is applied in close stitch.



Duchesse.--Pillow lace with fine net ground with the

patterns in raised work, volants, and the like.



Dutch Lace.--Practically a coarse Valenciennes.



English Point.--See Angleterre.



Escurial.--Heavy silk lace made in imitation of Rose

point. Patterns outlined with cable edge.



Esprit (Point d').--Dotted bobbinet with the dots

either singly or in clusters.



Filet Lace.--Any lace made with a square mesh net.



Flemish Point.--Needlepoint lace made in Flanders.



Footing.--Simple insertion of Brussels net from one to

three inches in width.



Galloon.--Irregular band with a fancy edge. Entire

piece often in zigzag or scallop form.



Gaze (Point de).--Flemish point lace resembling point

d'Alencon, though much softer, being without horsehair.



Gene (Point de).--Openwork embroidery made on a wool

ground which is afterwards eaten away by acid.



Genoa.--Heavy lace made of aloe fiber. Another name

for macrame.



Gimp.--See Guipure.



Gold Lace.--Gimp or braid covered with gold or

imitation gold thread.



Grammont.--White pillow lace used for shawls and the

like. Black silk lace nearly resembling blonde.



Guipure.--Fancy trimming of wire cord whipped round

with silk or cotton threads, and the small patterns

stitched together.



Guipure d'Art.--Linen net upon which raised

intersecting patterns are worked.



Guipure de Flanders.--A pillow lace made separately,

having flowers connected by bars and brides.



Hand Embroidered.--Heavy point lace, usually of Plauen

manufacture, with fancy floral or other figures

embroidered on the design.



Honiton.--English bobbin lace, famed for the beauty of

its designs. Named for the city where it was first

manufactured. Now made in Belgium, Holland, and France.

Sprays sometimes made separately, and then worked on a

net--Honiton applique.



Honiton Braid.--Narrow machine-made braid of

ornamental oval figures connected by narrow bars. Used

for collars, handkerchiefs, and tidies.



Honiton Guipure.--Large flower-pattern lace on very

open ground, the sprays held together with brides or

bars.



Imitation Lace.--A term used to designate any

machine-made lace in contrast with hand-made.



Insertion.--Any narrow lace with a plain edge on

either side that admits of its being inserted in a

fabric.



Irish Crochet.--Heavy hand-made lace, remarkable for

the beauty and distinctness of its patterns, and the

startling whiteness of the linen thread used in its

manufacture.



Irish Lace.--A general term used to designate all lace

made by the Irish peasantry.



Irish Point.--Hybrid combination of applique, cut

work, and embroidery on net with elaborate needle

stitching in the higher grades.



Irish Trimming.--Simple, woven lace, used on white

wear.



Knotted Lace.--Frequently referred to as knotting. A

fancy weave of twisted and knotted threads in close

imitation of some old hand laces.



Lille (Also Lile).--French lace named after the town

where it is made. Somewhat resembles Mechlin. Shows a

very clear, light ground and is the most beautiful of

all simple thread laces.



Limerick Lace.--A form of embroidery on net or muslin.



Luxeuil.--A general term for hand-made laces of

Luxeuil, France. More specifically those of a stout,

heavy nature. Used for tidies, curtains, draperies.



Macrame.--Knotted hand-made lace, made of a very heavy

cord. Shown principally in geometrical designs. Very

popular in deep ecru.



Maline.--Fine silk net. Sometimes also applied to

Mechlin lace with a diamond mesh.



Maltese.--Coarse machine-made cotton lace, resembling

torchon. Has no regular ground, the patterns being

usually connected with heavy stitch work.



Mechlin.--Light pillow lace with the pattern outlined

by a fine but very distinct thread or cord. Real Mechlin

generally has the ground pattern woven together, the

latter running largely to flowers, buds, etc.



Medallion.--Single, detached pattern.



Medici.--Special kind of torchon edging, with one edge

scalloped.



Melange.--Hand-made silk pillow lace, showing a

combination of conventional Chantilly with Spanish

designs.



Mignonette.--Light bobbin lace, made in narrow strips.

Resembles tulle.



Miracourt.--Sprig effects of bobbin-lace applied on

net ground.



Mexican Drawnwork.--Little round medallions either

single or in strips, the threads drawn to form a

cartwheel. Mexican and Teneriffe drawnwork are

practically the same. Machine imitations made in

Nottingham, Calais, and St. Gall.



Motif.--See Medallion.



Nanduly.--South American fiber-lace, made by needle in

small squares, which are afterward joined together.

Design very beautiful and of remarkable durability.



Needlepoint Lace.--See Point Lace.



Normandy Lace.--See Valenciennes.



Nottingham.--A general term including all the

machine-made laces turned out in that great

lace-producing center of England.



Oriental Lace.--Really an embroidery, being produced

on the Schiffli machine, the pattern being then either

cut or eaten out. Also applied to point d'Arabe and

certain filet effects.



Oyah Lace.--A crocheted guipure shown in ornate

patterns.



Passementerie.--A decorative edging or trimming,

especially gimp or braid.



Picots.--Infinitesimal loops on brides and other

strands.



Pillow Lace (Bobbin Lace).--Made on a pillow with

bobbins and pins. Machine-made imitations retain the

name.



Plauen.--Applied to all laces emanating from that

section of Saxony and including imitations of nearly all

point laces, which are embroidered on a wool ground,

this being afterward dissolved in acid and the cotton or

silk design left intact.



Point de Gaze.--Fine gauze-like needle-lace.



Point d'Irelande.--Coarse machine lace, made in

imitation of real Venetian point.



Point de Milan.--A variety of guipure, having a ground

of small meshes, and a pattern consisting of bold,

flowing scroll devices.



Point de Paris.--A variety of cheap machine lace,

cotton, of simple design.



Point Kant.--Flemish pillow lace, with a net ground

and the design running largely to "pot" effects--pot

lace.



Point Lace.--Lace made by hand with needle and single

thread. Needlepoint the same. Point d'Alencon, point de

Venise, etc., are all variations of point lace and will

be found classified under their initials.



Point Plat.--Point lace without raised design.



Renaissance.--Modern lace, made of narrow tape or

braid formed into patterns, held together by brides, the

brides forming subsidiary designs. Battenberg is the

same thing.



Repousse.--Applied to the design, being a pattern that

has the effect of being stamped in.



Rococo.--Italian lace, bearing the rococo design.



Rose Point.--See Venetian point.



Seaming Lace.--Narrow, openwork insertion.



Seville.--Variety of torchon.



Spanish Lace.--A comprehensive term. Convent-made,

needlepoint lace. Cut drawnwork effects, also

convent-made. Needlepoint lace in large squares. Black

silk lace in floral designs.



Spanish Point.--Ancient embroidery of gold, silver,

and silk passementerie.



Swiss Lace.--Swiss embroidered net in imitation of

Brussels.



Tambour.--Variety of Limerick.



Tape Lace.--Hand-made needle lace, similar to

Renaissance.



Thread Lace.--Made of linen thread, as distinguished

from cotton and silk laces.



Torchon.--Coarse, open bobbin lace of stout but

loosely twisted thread in very simple patterns. Much

seen in imitations, usually in narrow widths.



Van Dyke Points.--Applied to laces with a border made

in large points.



Valenciennes.--Commonly called Val. Bobbin lace, seen

mostly in cheap insertions and in the form of narrow

edgings.



Venetian Point.--Point de Venise. Needlepoint lace in

floral pattern with the designs very close together and

connected by brides ornamented with picots.



Wood Fiber.--Applied to all laces made of wood silk.



Yak.--Machine-made worsted lace. Used for trimming for

shawls, petticoats, and undergarments.



Youghal.--Needlepoint lace of coarse thread, made

exclusively in Ireland.



Ypres.--Bobbin lace, somewhat coarser than Val.



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