Lace: what are the types and interesting facts

Probably, there is no such girl or woman who doesn’t like soft and soft lace. Even men who are completely unaware of the tissues invariably remain enchanted by the young ladies in light lace attire. Therefore, all types of lace are still actively buying and weaving.

Lace itself is a material of mesh fabric with small or large patterns. It is often used to create both evening wear and underwear. In addition, it can be found in the interior. For example, it can be pillows, tablecloths, tulle or other household items.

Such material has a large number of positive qualities:

• quite an attractive appearance that fascinates the eyes of any person;
• delicate and pleasant to the touch material structure;
• multifunctionality;
• elegance: even clothes sewn in the usual way can turn into a festive one;
• practicality: the material consists of rather dense fibers that ensure the long existence of lace;
• environmental friendliness: when creating laces use only natural materials that do not cause allergies.

However, do not forget about some of the disadvantages of this material.

• It is necessary to care for such a fabric with great care. When ironing, it is imperative to use an iron set to a low temperature or brought into the “silk” mode.
• Clothes made from this material should be worn with great care, as hooks may appear, which will lead to the destruction of the pattern.
• For many, the price of lace seems repulsive. This fabric (especially hand-made) is very expensive, even if it is a small cloth or tiny panties.

As a rule, having heard the word "lace", a person represents one type of exquisite fabric and does not even realize that there are actually several subspecies. Lace can be classified according to several principles.

Lace by type of production is divided into two types: machine and handmade. Handmade fabric is naturally considered to be more expensive. On its production takes many times more time. Yes, and it looks much more beautiful: like a pattern painted by frost on the window. Such fabrics are always unique, and only with the help of bobbins and knitting needles can such an unusual material be created. More cheap is fabric woven on special machines. It is made with dense weaving or with more rare. Everything turns out much faster, so the price is significantly reduced.

Lace is also distinguished by the technique in which it was woven. Making this material in house conditions, hostesses, as a rule, use knitting needles or a hook. The fabric is thin and almost weightless.

Even more popular is bobbin lace. It is this fabric that is considered traditional. These are the same lace napkins with which our grandmothers or great-grandmothers decorated all available surfaces in the house. In Russia, the skill of weaving pertussis lace originated in the XIII century. But the real masterpieces of the craftswoman learned to create only in the XVIII century. Then, in each part of our empire, there were traditions of weaving certain patterns and combinations of threads.Now, considering the works of masters of that time, one can see the characteristic features of Vologda, Moscow, Ryazan lace.

Translated from Arabic macrame means "lace." Initially, elegant patterns created from numerous nodules. It is now accepted that needlework has always been exclusively female work. But the first wicker amulets were created with the callused hands of sailors. During long voyages, they managed to create talismans not only for themselves, but also for their second halves. Now this technique is also very popular. After all, such lace is not only original, but also durable.

Hardanger, or needle lace, is created with the help of threads and needles. Such art is valued much higher. After all, the creation of a single pattern of time takes more simply because the same actions have to be repeated several times until the master reaches perfection. As a rule, only flowers are embroidered. Patterns are made of linen thread. Previously, this was done only because in Norway, where this art originated, there were problems with other materials. But flax was enough at all times. Now these patterns are decorated with household items: tablecloths, curtains, various cozy clothes.

White lace, made in the technique of tatting, previously trusted to create only young girls. This kind of knotted lace, which looks many times more graceful than wards, which were woven by sailors. The term itself means "carelessness, looseness." The art of creating such patterns appeared in France, and in the East fishing nets wove in the same way. Now the lace in this technique is almost not created manually. The work was entrusted to machines that cope with the tasks assigned much faster than people. Various decorations are made this way.

Those who like silk underwear and other products from this noble material will also appreciate ribbon lace. It is also known as the Renaissance. At the heart of the pattern - tape or ribbon. It is woven into the pattern and decorated with needle lace. Creating a large pattern in this way is much easier. Further speed up the process will help the use of special machines.

Lace, made in the form of a grid, has a rather unusual name - fillet. The squares of which this fabric consists can be either straight or oblique. Weave fabric on the canoes. There are two varieties of the same material. A regular net is called a simple fillet, and a more refined one is called a guipure fillet.

Exclusive lovers like Irish lace the most. This is one hundred percent exclusive work. Wizards knit not just a random geometric pattern. The canvas consists of plant motifs: various leaves, flowers. Several masters can work simultaneously on its creation. The secrets of creating original patterns in this technique are passed down from generation to generation.

Venetian lace, also known as guipure, is just as elegant. The term translated from French means "elegant weaving" and perfectly conveys the essence of the whole process. Guipure is created using all the same bobbins or needles. Due to the fact that the weaving is light and free, the pattern is weightless. There is also embossed guipure. From the beginning of the 17th century, the thin surface of the lace began to be decorated with a relief seam along the edge of the ornament. In the center of this canvas usually depicted some luxurious flower.

There is another type of Venetian lace - picot. Such a fabric differs only in the fact that the flowers adorning its surface are very small, and the seam along the edges is almost imperceptible. A simpler version of Venetian lace is classic guipure. Now it is from him that elegant clothes are sewn.And in order to make it more comfortable, cotton and stretch are added to its composition. Due to this, the fabric is comfortable and elastic. And you can make such clothes brighter using lurex threads.

Most often craftswomen at home to create a lace fabric using a regular hook. But the hooks are different. And the choice of the tool also determines how the finished lace will be. A short hook is used to create the usual fine lace. The same tool should also be used by those who want to learn how to create an exquisite Venetian or Irish lace with their own hands. Long crochet knit afghan or victorian lace. But these techniques are less popular.

In a conversation about lace bobbins have been mentioned more than once. These are special wooden sticks to which the threads are attached. Knitters create patterns, deft hand movements throwing sticks. Another popular tool in this business is needles. Most craftswomen are costing only needles and thread. But there is another interesting way to create such tissues: working with organza. The latter is the basis for the future pattern, on which only the contours of the future pattern are fixed. In fact, instead of this fabric, you can use any other, the main thing is that it should be thin.

And finally, the last tool that is useful to those who knit exquisite patterns at home is a fork. This, of course, is not about the cutlery. Knitting fork looks like a regular hairpin. Using it, you can translate into reality some unusual ideas. After all, it was created specifically for such complex patterns.

It is not enough just to sew a lace, it must also be properly used so that efforts are not wasted, and beautiful fabric has not been gathering dust for years in the closet. More graceful fabrics (Irish or Venetian lace), as a rule, are expensive and are used for finishing formal dresses. This may be a branded blouse, wedding or regular dress. For finishing home textiles and creating everyday textiles use simpler and cheaper fabrics.

Whatever the use of lace, it should always look neat. To do this, you need not only to treat him carefully, but also to adhere to the basic rules for caring for this elegant material.

• Ideally, you only need to wash the lace with your hands. If you don’t have time for this or simply don’t want to spoil a fresh manicure, then the most gentle mode should be set on the washing machine.
• It is undesirable to use washing powder: it is better to give preference to liquid products created specifically for the care of delicate fabrics.
• If the product is expensive and requires special care, then it is better to give it a special cleaning. The same applies to other problems: only experienced craftsmen will be able to remove puffs or repair damage.
• If the fabric is erased at home, then you need to be very careful, twisting it. Before proceeding to this process, a delicate thing should be wrapped in a terry towel.
• When drying lace, clothespins are not used. It must be dried in the straightened form so that it does not stretch out. And to iron from the inside and through the gauze.

Lace fabric is a material with a rich history. You can tell a lot about it. First, it is worth considering the very word "lace." Philologists say that it comes from the word "circle". Previously, all the patterns trudging exclusively in a circle.That is, they were created on the same principle as modern napkins.

Lace, unlike weaving art, has always been used for self-expression. At first, only rich people wore clothes decorated with this material. Later, when it became easier to live, and the peasants could afford to at least one embroidered dress embroidered with such exquisite patterns. Although it is a laborious and laborious process, young ladies often engaged in it in the company of children. Future craftswomen needlework, too, seemed very interesting.

When the lace began to create not only outerwear and dresses for officers, it was time for luxurious lingerie. In the Renaissance, it was believed that lace was the material that makes a woman truly feminine. Handmade things began to be decorated with silver and gold threads during this period. Due to this, the fabric looked even more expensive. In the 18th century, all the wedding dresses of the French and British queens were decorated with lace. The material was so durable and of high quality that part of the outfits, if desired, can be seen even now by visiting one of the exhibitions. For example, the wedding dress of Queen Victoria with a luxurious silk train is exhibited in the Tower of London.

And here is another interesting fact. Like now, in ancient times in Russia everything foreign was in fashion. And although our craftswomen owned the art of weaving with lace no worse than noble French ladies, fabrics made in France, Italy or Germany were always more expensive. At the same time, according to historians, Russian girls put more souls in Russian lace. The process of creating a weightless fabric fascinated them no less than the pursuit of music: after all, when weaving the bobbin rang. The sound depended on the type of wood and its age. A tool made of young birch, for example, sounded thinner than the same bobbins, but created from old alder.

Nowadays, in our country and abroad, museums dedicated to lace have been preserved. Some of the exhibits are created by local residents, other masterpieces are purchased and brought from other countries. It is not uncommon for a local resident to give the museum vintage wedding dresses or light tablecloths embroidered by grandmother’s hands. Most of the things in museums are truly unique and created in a single copy.

Many representatives of older generations complain that this great art is now forgotten, but it is not. Modern women of fashion, on the contrary, seek to learn to create something that others are incapable of. Therefore, the art of weaving a fabric of thin translucent threads with pleasure mastered in all corners of the country. Everyone can learn this, and this is another pleasant fact. You should not immediately dream of sewing dresses in which an Austrian princess would love to go to the promenade. Even the basic ability to use a short crochet and a knitting pin will be enough to make your wardrobe more sophisticated and feminine.

The history of lace goes deep into the middle of the last millennium. And although the inhabitants of the east learned how to create this fabric, it became more popular over time in European countries.

How to weave lace, see the next video.