LACEIOLI

For those who love hand made lace.

Identification-History

Information

For discussions of lace history and lace identification. You can post a photo into a comment box for a lace you want to discuss. Bobblin lace history. About historic lace. Kinds of lace. Distinguish types of lace.

We can identify a piece of lace for you, but we need good detail. At least one photo with this kind of detail is necessary. Otherwise we are just guessing. A shot of the whole thing is useful because that shows us the style. Style gives us clues to date and possibly geographical origin. But we need the detail shot to tell us how it was made.

Members: 135
Latest Activity: on Monday

Examples + Resources

PHOTOS

http://www.laceforstudy.org.uk/

Jean Leader's new website, different types of lace - https://www.lacetypes.com/

To compare needle lace, tatting and crochet, Kathleen Minniti's sampler.

My antique lace boards on Pinterest

http://www.pinterest.com/lynxlacelady/bobbin-lace-antique/

http://www.pinterest.com/lynxlacelady/needle-lace-antique/

My collection of boards on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/lynxlacelady/

Jo Edkins lace collection online: http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/lace/collection/index.htm

Laces compared: https://trc-leiden.nl/trc-digital-exhibition/index.php/lace-identification-7-examples

A university based website specializing in the social history attached to lacemaking

https://laceincontext.com/

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Bobbin lace antiquebobbinlace bobbinlace3 Needle lace needlelace2

For recognizing Swedish bobbin lace: http://elsapetersonsspetsaffar.com/

Tatting tatting2 tatting3

Filet lace filetlace2 filetlace3 filet lace4 Buratto

Sol lace sollace2 sol lace3

Knitted lace knittedlace2 Crochet lace Irish crochet lace IrishCrochet2

TAPE LACE WITH PARTS NOT ALL BOBBIN MADE

Bobbin tape lace bobbin tape lace 2

Mixed tape lace-machinetape Romanian needlepoint lace

LACES WITH OTHER MACHINE MADE PARTS - net

Embroidery on tulle-needlerun Embroidery on tulle-tambour Carrickmacross

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MACHINE LACES

This is what it takes to make a cloth stitch strip with a machine. I don't know which machine this is. https://www.facebook.com/brooklynlaceguild/videos/1496541547035682/ ;

Chemical lace ChemicalLace2 chemical lace3 chemical lace4

See this for a technical explanation of the chemical lace process.

Barmen machine lace Raschel machine lace Leavers machine

machine1 (not sure what machine)

http://www.dressandtextilespecialists.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Lace-Booklet.pdf a booklet which purports to distinguish machine from hand made laces. Some of the diagrams of typical machine structural elements are quite good. But too many of the comparison photos do not have enough detail to verify whether they are in fact machine made or hand made. The photos don't all show the individual threads. Still, the booklet is useful for the diagrams and descriptions of the various machine laces.

RESOURCES TO START LEARNING HOW TO IDENTIFY LACE

http://laceioli.ning.com/group/identification-history/page/online-resources

http://laceioli.ning.com/group/identification-history/page/6475898:Page:1417

http://laceioli.ning.com/group/identification-history/page/specific-pages-in-lynxlace

IOLI.ORG'S RESOURCES

THE KOON COLLECTION

The Koon collection CD is a collection of images from the Eunice Sein Koon
Collection of Lace donated to IOLI by Ms. Koon. Ms. Koon was the editor of
Lace Craft Quarterly and a collector of lace. It is not related to the
Minnesota collection to the best of my knowledge. The CD is a series of
Powerpoint slides organized as the collection pieces are numbered. There
are approximately 100 pieces of various types of lace in the Koon
collection. Pictures from the CD could be copied and pasted into another
Powerpoint presentation, or the images could be used to request pieces of
lace from the collection for study by IOLI members. Policy for use of this
lace is described on p. 58 of the IOLI Member Handbook. -- Jo Ann Eurell

LACE STUDY BOX

The IOLI - Internation Organization of Lace, Inc. has a study box of lace fragments that members can borrow.

(I am searching for a link)

IOLI also has a lending library for members' use

http://www.internationalorganizationoflace.org/library1.html

http://laceioli.ning.com/group/international-organization-of-lace-inc/page/ioli-advanced-study-of-lace

A site with good photos of high quality antique laces: http://www.mendes.co.uk/antique.bobbin.lace.p.two.html ;

Discussion Forum

Mystery technique 6 Replies

Someone has contacted the New England Lace Group to ask for help identifying the technique used to make a shawl, the fiber used and how best to repair it. The first problem is actually figuring out…Continue

Started by Jill Hawkins. Last reply by Lorelei Halley Administrator Feb 10.

History of Lacemaking 3 Replies

A friend has been asked to make a presentation about the history of lacemaking. She asked about reference books for her preparation. My suggestion is An Early Lace Workbook by Rosemary…Continue

Started by Sally Olsen. Last reply by Lorelei Halley Administrator Jan 31.

Identification of two pieces of lace 27 Replies

My sister-in-law bought two pieces of lace while in Bize (southern France). She wants me to identify them. I assumed to start with that they are machine made, but I've looked carefully at them and…Continue

Started by Jo Edkins. Last reply by Jo Edkins Oct 13, 2019.

Lacemaking history 5 Replies

Please, does anyone know for sure how lace tokens were used in Great Britain in the 1700s?I have read theories that the tokens were given in lieu of governmental coinage due to a coin shortage, but…Continue

Started by Laurie Elliott. Last reply by Laurie Elliott Sep 17, 2019.

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Comment Wall

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Comment by Devon Thein on June 18, 2019 at 3:44pm: Nancy, could you point me toward these German bobbin lace books? Yes, I think if we decide this is a Cluny/Beds/Maltese lace then we have to start wondering where it was made. Any other thoughts?

Comment by Nancy A. Neff on June 18, 2019 at 3:12pm: Yes, it's either a Le Puy en Velay France or from elsewhere in the continent--I'd say now that I think about it that it's probably German. I've seen very similar lace, including that ground, in German bobbin lace books from the very late 1800's and early 1900's, I think similarly without a gimp. However, see Lorelei Halley's page on guipure straight laces -- she's much less specific in country of origin: https://www.lynxlace.com/bobbinlace19thcstraightbar.html

This one I'd be reluctant to put a single-word label to it, but I'd describe it as a late 19th C straight lace, probably German, with a woven-bar ground, with solid cloth-stitch motifs, and no gimp. There doesn't look like there's any half stitch in the whole piece -- is that right?

BTW, the other reason it's certainly not Honiton type of lace is that the edges of the cloth-stitched motifs don't show the Honiton structure of an edging pin-under-4, then a single heavy thread in the outermost pair around the edge of the cloth-stitch.

(It seems peculiar to me to talk about a straight lace being a guipure lace, since I thought guipures were added between motifs, hence were only in part laces, but I evidently must go look at some definitions...)

Comment by Nancy A. Neff on June 18, 2019 at 2:52pm: Honiton is a part lace, whereas Beds is a straight lace. In Honiton, the grounds are worked by hanging new pairs on the edges of the motifs. It's amazing but this piece looks like a straight lace to me -- I haven't been able to find in any of your pictures anyplace where the threads at a join didn't run from the cloth-stitch of one side into the braid or cloth-stitch of the other side. Besides, why would there be a visible join if the lace hadn't been made with the motifs and the grounds integral, made at the same time -- so we know it's a straight lace.

Aren't there some unusual grounds in Cluny Le Puy laces? I will look, if I can get to those books.

Anyway, the one thing I'd say for sure that it isn't the Honiton type of lace, regardless of where it was made. It IS a straight lace.

Comment by Laura Sandison on June 18, 2019 at 2:49pm: My initial thought was also Beds. I can't say why, other than the flow of the design. The thing I don't like is the headside edge. But then again,it may be experimental and a show or custom piece. It is pretty phenomenal!

Comment by Devon Thein on June 18, 2019 at 10:01am: Now that I am thinking about it...maybe Bedfordshire lace? More photos of 48.187.645.

Comment by Laura Sandison on June 18, 2019 at 9:25am: This is a very interesting piece, Devon. I'm very curious about it, too! It is quite stunning, and well designed and executed. Might have to be on a viewing list sometime.

Comment by Devon Thein on June 18, 2019 at 9:13am: Perhaps I can use the opportunity of discussing handkerchief joining to ask the forum another question. Here is a handkerchief, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 48.187.645. If you needed to describe this for the data base, what would you call it? Is there reason to believe it was made in Honiton? I think perhaps the background mesh is one that is used in Honiton fillings. However, classifying it as Honiton seems wrong. Has anyone seen anything like this? In this handkerchief the joining is not at the corner. If you look at the overall photo you can see about 2/3 down on the right a slightly heavier diagonal line which is the join. I am also providing a close up of that.

Comment by Nancy A. Neff on June 16, 2019 at 6:10pm: In both examples of a lassen join below, it looks to me like the thread used for the join is exactly the same thread as in the rest of the lace shown. Certainly not smaller. What do others think?

Comment by Nancy A. Neff on June 16, 2019 at 6:05pm: So those are sewn corners in the Val below, not drafted. But WOW, those are beautiful joins. It took magnification for me to be confident that they were sewn. (And therefore no need for a lassen join in one of the edges.) Thanks Devon!

Comment by Devon Thein on June 16, 2019 at 5:59pm: Found some lassen. The one with cinq trous ground is 06.629. It says it is circa 1800, but I don't know that I think that is correct. The other one, with Kat stitch 1979.311.12 is supposedly 19th century, joined lappets. Of course they were probably joined at a different time than they were made, since it appears that they are altered into a different style, possibly a tie? What do you think of the thread size?