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Comment by Lorelei Halley on December 6, 2011 at 18:03

James: I looked at the lacefairy ID page you referred to, and unfortunately, the left hand photo of Barmen lace isn't close up enough for you to see what I am talking about clearly.  You can see the vertical stripes in the cloth parts, but without the detail you can't see how the threads travel.  Perhaps you can find a copy of the Earnshaw book on interlibrary loan?  Or possibly the IOLI has a copy in their library, and if you are a member you could borrow it.

Comment by Laura Bullinger on December 6, 2011 at 9:23

Thank you, Pamela. I love illusional beauty even if it is not so complex! And I just Love, RicRac - inexplicably! I hope to get more creative with it, someday.

Comment by Pamela Joy on December 6, 2011 at 8:11

laura, i love love your rick/rack trim!! you go girl!

Comment by james Dennison on December 6, 2011 at 6:27

I have been reading online about machine-made laces, especially the Barmen machine type.  I will have to go back to the original piece at the Museum and see if I can find the common thread (so to speak) that runs through the fabric parts.  The descriptions and photos on  lace.lacefairy.com/lace/ID/Machine.html are an excellent starting point for my exploration.  Their is also a great bibliography at the end of the article Machine Lace.  For any of you who have not discovered it yet, I would like to recommend a visit to the Antique Pattern Library at http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org

Laura, I had thought of the same question. Especially since this piece has definitely been starched or sized.  When you starch lace, you always pin it out to let it dry in the form you are wanting to show off, be it 3-d or flat. 

Comment by Laura Bullinger on December 6, 2011 at 5:43

The plot thickens! Might it be that perhaps the center was damaged, and removed? Maybe this gathering was done to salvage the piece?

Comment by Lorelei Halley on December 5, 2011 at 15:53

James: in regard to the white lace you posted on Saturday, there are some strange things about that piece.  It does look like the structure could be bobbin lace, but the "cloth stitch" parts are very odd.  Most bobbin lacers would not work the cloth stitch in such a way  as to make those vertical stripes.  That was achieved by twisting the weaver, and that is highly abnormal.  But that kind of thing does occur in Barmen machine made lace, which does copy other aspects of hand made bobbin lace quite well.  See photos on page 220 of Pat Earnshaw's LACE MACHINES AND MACHINE LACES, Batsford, London 1986.  Her chapter on Barmen machine laces begins on page 202. 

And in regard to your question about blocking, I think the problem is that this lace was made as a straight strip and gathered along the footside.  Notice how the lace becomes more dense towards the center.  That is because it was gathered around a ring of thread.

This also affects the identification.  No bobbin lace maker would have done that.  She would have, instead, a pattern for a circular doily and made her piece perfectly flat and smooth with no gathers.  However it is true that prior to the mid 19th century lace merchants would take a long length of flat lace and gather it at the corners to make handkerchief edgings or collars.  But they would only do this gathering where it was really needed.  Nobody at that time would have made a round mat out of flat straight lace by gathering it.  I have seen dozens and dozens of old laces at the Art Institute of Chicago, and have never seen something gathered in the manner of your piece.  Also the old laces that I have seen gathered had a completely different structure and design.  Your lace appears to be a torchon imitation, and torchon is easy enough that there just would have been no incentive to gather a wide edging in this way.

Comment by james Dennison on December 5, 2011 at 9:38

Laura, thank you for such a wonderful link. I just came across another piece of lace at the museum that uses ecru and white RicRac as braid and base for lace.  I have to study the garment further.  It appears that it may also have needle laces squares included and bobbin lace used with the braid.  As soon as I can get a good photo, I will post.  Thanks again.  

Comment by Laura Bullinger on December 5, 2011 at 7:50

Here is my own sample of RicRac trim that I made using 2 colors of braid, intertwined, then decorated on one side with crochet shells. Not very elaborate, but I'm getting there!

Comment by Laura Bullinger on December 5, 2011 at 7:41

Yet another example - this one sort of imitates how braiding was used in place of all that bobbin work, such as the one in the photo tht James posted. RicRac was used to sort of fill-in large areas. Only the soft Tricot purchased braiding was really limp enough to imitate knit and bobbin lace. RicRac was, and still is, a densly woven cloth, albeit a tiny one - I think the terminology is called "small cloth" which indicates ribbon-type of wovens.Anyway, look at the samples from page 31. on up, to see how braiding was used.

http://antiquepatterns.dreamhosters.com/EllisonCortTat.pdf

Comment by Laura Bullinger on December 5, 2011 at 7:10

Try this link, then scroll thru the pages for examples.

http://antiquepatterns.dreamhosters.com/Antoinette4Cluny.pdf

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