 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2010) |
Armenian Needlelace (also known as Bebilla, Nazareth Lace and Knotted Lace) is a pure form of needle lace made using only a needle, thread and pair of scissors.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2010) |
Armenian Needlelace (also known as Bebilla, Nazareth Lace and Knotted Lace) is a pure form of needle lace made using only a needle, thread and pair of scissors.
Like lacis, or filet lace, Armenian needlelace seems to be an obvious descendant of net making. Where lacis adds decorative stitches to a net ground, Armenian needlelace involves making the net itself decorative. Representations of the lace have been described on ancient statuary, and in centuries-old stonework. [1]
There is some archeological evidence suggesting the use of lace in prehistoric Armenia and the prevalence of pre-Christian symbology in traditional designs would certainly suggest a pre-Christian root for this art form. [2]
Armenian lacemaking is thought to date back to before the 15th or 16th centuries. Although no textiles are preserved from that time, lacemaking seems to be referenced in some stone sculptures, especially khachkars, which look like delicate swatches of lace. [3] [4] Arab historians of the 10th century, listing the occupations of the Armenian people, mentioned handicrafts, headscarves, blankets, which were apparently related to lace. [3]
It is believed that gold thread, silver thread, silk thread and pearl braided laces were known in a number of Asian countries earlier than in Europe (13th century). [5]
In contrast to Europe where lace was the preserve of the nobility, in Armenia it decorated everything from traditional headscarves to lingerie and lacemaking was part of many or most women's lives.
Lacemaking was widespread in almost all provinces of Armenia. In the 19th century, Van-Vaspurakan, Upper Armenia (Karin, Kars, Alexandropol, Akhaltskhan, Akhalkalak), Cilicia (Aintap, Marash, Urfa), Lesser Hayk (Sebastian, Kesaria, Arabkir, etc.), K. Polis, Tiflis.
After the First World War and the Armenian genocide, lace business spread to a number of Arabian countries, Greece, France, and the United States. The geographical spread of Armenian lace also included a number of Armenian-populated places in Asia, Africa as well as Crimea.
Armenian lace-making is quite similar to other branches of decorative-applied arts, and its designs share many similarities with khachkar, including the symmetry of their designs, richness and diversity of ornaments, and stylistic unity. [4]
Tablecloths, curtains, blankets, ribbons of various bochchas, handkerchiefs, headscarves, as well as collars and various household items (comb bowls, button, handkerchief pockets, etc.) were made using lace weaving. The "rose" on the forehead, which was a part of head decorations of the Upper Armenia women's costume, is worthy of attention. It was woven with a needle, multi-colored silk threads, combined patterns of small flowers and leaves. The white, silk lace suspenders with lily patterns of the Cilicia-Armenian women's costume are of interest. [6] In Karin (Erzurum), Van, Baghesh, women wove the laces of their foreheads, the edges of yapush, and yazmans. [7] In the decoration of the head of the Armenian women's costume of Karin, not only silk threads were used, but also mother-of-pearl laces, which were sometimes woven with gold threads. Ribbon-shaped mesh pearl braided laces were hung on the temples and used as necklaces. Lace tablecloths and curtains were popular in Shatakh.
The lace is made by tying knots, usually tied onto the previous round of the piece creating small loops of thread onto which the next round of knots can be tied. Patterns are created by varying the length of the loops, missing loops from the previous round, adding extra loops and similar.
When used as an edging the lace can be made directly onto the hem of the fabric being edged. When a doily or freeform object (such as the birds and flowers decorating traditional headscarves) is being started a series of loops is tied onto a slip knot which is pulled tight to complete the first round. [8]
Armenian embroidery is rich in materials used as a base - leather, fabric, etc., as well as thread types and additional decorations. All kinds of wool, cotton, silk textures and home-made threads are used in traditional Armenian embroidery. The main tools of embroidery are a needle, thimble, scissors and a frame, which was of two types - square and circular. The square circles were called karkah (it’s a frame for embroidery). If embroidery stands were large, were adapted to be placed on the ground, and if small, to be fixed on the table. Golden thread embroidery is a constituent part of Armenian artistic needlework, which was widely spread throughout Armenia since ancient times. Armenian masters knew many ways of performing gold thread and silver thread embroidery, whose component parts were gold and silver.
Patterns of 20th century Armenian lacework, Regional History Museum of Sofia.
Crochet is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread, or strands of other materials. The name is derived from the French term crochet, which means 'hook'. Hooks can be made from different materials, sizes, and types. The key difference between crochet and knitting, beyond the implements used for their production, is that each stitch in crochet is completed before you begin the next one, while knitting keeps many stitches open at a time. Some variant forms of crochet, such as Tunisian crochet and Broomstick lace, do keep multiple crochet stitches open at a time.
Embroidery is the art of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to stitch thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on hats, clothing, blankets, and handbags. Embroidery is available in a wide variety of thread or yarn colour. It is often used to personalize gifts or clothing items.
A needlework sampler is a piece of embroidery or cross-stitching produced as a 'specimen of achievement', demonstration or a test of skill in needlework. It often includes the alphabet, figures, motifs, decorative borders and sometimes the name of the person who embroidered it and the date. The word sampler is derived from the Latin exemplum, which means 'example'.
Drawn thread work is one of the earliest forms of open work embroidery, and has been worked throughout Europe. Originally it was often used for ecclesiastical items and to ornament shrouds. It is a form of counted-thread embroidery based on removing threads from the warp and/or the weft of a piece of even-weave fabric. The remaining threads are grouped or bundled together into a variety of patterns. The more elaborate styles of drawn thread work use a variety of other stitches and techniques, but the drawn thread parts are their most distinctive element. It is also grouped with whitework embroidery because it was traditionally done in white thread on white fabric and is often combined with other whitework techniques.
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is split into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted or crocheted lace. Other laces such as these are considered as a category of their specific craft. Knitted lace, therefore, is an example of knitting. This article considers both needle lace and bobbin lace.
Crewel embroidery, or crewelwork, is a type of surface embroidery using wool. A wide variety of different embroidery stitches are used to follow a design outline applied to the fabric. The technique is at least a thousand years old.
Needle lace is a type of lace created using a needle and thread to create hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself.
Chain stitch is a sewing and embroidery technique in which a series of looped stitches form a chain-like pattern. Chain stitch is an ancient craft – examples of surviving Chinese chain stitch embroidery worked in silk thread have been dated to the Warring States period. Handmade chain stitch embroidery does not require that the needle pass through more than one layer of fabric. For this reason the stitch is an effective surface embellishment near seams on finished fabric. Because chain stitches can form flowing, curved lines, they are used in many surface embroidery styles that mimic "drawing" in thread.
Macramé is a form of textile produced using knotting techniques.
Darning is a sewing technique for repairing holes or worn areas in fabric or knitting using needle and thread alone. It is often done by hand, but using a sewing machine is also possible. Hand darning employs the darning stitch, a simple running stitch in which the thread is "woven" in rows along the grain of the fabric, with the stitcher reversing direction at the end of each row, and then filling in the framework thus created, as if weaving. Darning is a traditional method for repairing fabric damage or holes that do not run along a seam, and where patching is impractical or would create discomfort for the wearer, such as on the heel of a sock.
Filet lace is the general word used for all the different techniques of embroidery on knotted net. It is a hand made needlework created by weaving or embroidery using a long blunt needle and a thread on a ground of knotted net lace or filet work made of square or diagonal meshes of the same sizes or of different sizes. Lacis uses the same technique but is made on a ground of leno or small canvas, and the style known as Buratto is similarly on woven and not knotted foundations.
Point de Venise is a Venetian needle lace from the 17th century characterized by scrolling floral patterns with additional floral motifs worked in relief. By the mid-seventeenth century, it had overtaken Flemish lace as the most desirable type of lace in contemporary European fashion.
Youghal lace is a needle lace inspired by Italian needle lace and developed in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland.
Whitework embroidery is any embroidery technique in which the stitch and the foundation fabric are of same color. Styles of whitework embroidery include most drawn thread work, broderie anglaise, Hardanger embroidery, Hedebo embroidery, Mountmellick embroidery, reticella and Schwalm. Whitework embroidery is one of the techniques employed in heirloom sewing for blouses, christening gowns, baby bonnets, and other small articles. It has been used extensively on household and ecclesiastical linen, as decoration. It is often found on traditional regional and national costume, particularly on shirts, aprons and head coverings.
Embroidery in India includes dozens of embroidery styles that vary by region and clothing styles. Designs in Indian embroidery are formed on the basis of the texture and the design of the fabric and the stitch. The dot and the alternate dot, the circle, the square, the triangle, and permutations and combinations of these constitute the design.
The manufacture of textiles is one of the oldest of human technologies. To make textiles, the first requirement is a source of fiber from which a yarn can be made, primarily by spinning. The yarn is processed by knitting or weaving, with color and patterns, which turns it into cloth. The machine used for weaving is the loom. For decoration, the process of coloring yarn or the finished material is dyeing. For more information of the various steps, see textile manufacturing.
Smocking is an embroidery technique used to gather fabric so that it can stretch. Before elastic, smocking was commonly used in cuffs, bodices, and necklines in garments where buttons were undesirable. Smocking developed in England and has been practised since the Middle Ages and is unusual among embroidery methods in that it was often worn by labourers. Other major embroidery styles are purely decorative and represented status symbols. Smocking was practical for garments to be both form fitting and flexible, hence its name derives from smock — an agricultural labourer's work shirt. Smocking was used most extensively in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Textile manufacturing is one of the oldest human activities. The oldest known textiles date back to about 5000 B.C. In order to make textiles, the first requirement is a source of fibre from which a yarn can be made, primarily by spinning. The yarn is processed by knitting or weaving to create cloth. The machine used for weaving is the loom. Cloth is finished by what are described as wet process to become fabric. The fabric may be dyed, printed or decorated by embroidering with coloured yarns.
Lace machines took over the commercial manufacture of lace during the nineteenth century.
Nallıhan silk needlelace is a needle lace from Nallıhan in Ankara, Turkey handcrafted using a needle and silk thread.
Specific
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Lace types | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needle lace |
|  | |||||||
| Bobbin lace |
| ||||||||
| Tape lace | |||||||||
| Crocheted lace | |||||||||
| Machine-made lace | |||||||||
| Other handmade laces | |||||||||
