Torchon lace (Dutch: stropkant) is a bobbin lace that was made all over Europe. [1] It is continuous, with the pattern made at the same time as the ground. Typical basic stitches include whole stitch, half stitch, and twists, and common motifs include spiders and fans. [2] Torchon lace was notable historically for being coarse and strong, as well as consisting of simple geometric patterns and straight lines. [3] It did not use representational designs, for the most part. [4]
The exact origins of Torchon style laces are unclear. Evidence from portraiture does indicate that a Torchon-like lace trim, with typical 45 degree angled ground and motifs outlined with heavier gimp threads, may presage the development of the lace now known as Torchon, as well as other laces sometimes called "peasant lace". [5] Examples of the geometric style laces have been identified from the 17th century. [6] The word is derived from the French term for "dishcloth", and may suggest that the lace was a more durable and sturdy lace than some other fashionable laces. [5] It was in the 19th century that the term for this style of lace became attached to the characteristic angular forms and motifs we think of today. [6] Torchon lace was used by the middle classes for edging or insertion, and also to trim cotton and linen underwear, where it was ideal because of its strength and because it was inexpensive. [4] Torchon lace was originally made from flax, but cotton is used as well, and has been for a long time.Traditionally it was made in strips 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) wide. [4] Torchon lace generally has a gimp outlining the pattern. The gimp was first used in Sweden, but now is used generally. [4]
Colored threads were occasionally used historically, but in general Western European Torchon lace was typically white. [4] However, a number of laces that are sometimes termed "peasant lace" use similar motifs, and many of these can be found with very effective and vibrant color combinations especially in Eastern European traditions.
Torchon lace is one of the oldest laces, and is common to many lace-making regions such as Belgium, France, Italy, Saxony, Sweden and Spain. [7] Due to its simplicity, torchon lace is generally the first lace a lacemaker learns to make, [1] and has been since at least the 19th century. It only requires a few bobbins and uses thicker thread than other laces, which makes it easier to learn on. It is also the simplest of all the grounded laces. [3] Beggar's lace is an alternative term for torchon lace. [8] [9]
Though it is one of the oldest laces, torchon lace was not made in England until the late 19th century, at which point it was made in the East Midlands, thus it is not considered an English lace. By the early 20th century, machine-made copies were being made that were almost indistinguishable from the hand-made lace. [4]
Modern Torchon lace making includes many kinds and colors of objects, no longer limited to the edging or insertion strips of the historical interest, although patterns are available to recreate many samples of these types. [10] Grids of 60 degrees can be employed with Torchon stitches to make round items. [11] New designs and motifs are available to lacemakers, [12] sometimes with extensive use of colors and beads. [13] Public art with Torchon lace objects can be viewed as part of the Headford Lace project in Ireland. [14] Torchon can even be used at much larger scale with recycled materials and larger cables to make public art installations, such as those seen in the work of Mary Elizabeth Barron. [15] Artists like Jane Atkinson have brought Torchon lace into the 21st century with new patterns and colors. [16] Using lace artwork to address issues such as climate change bring new views and perspectives to environmental issues. [17]
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.
Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually determined by a pattern or pricking pinned on the pillow.
A bobbin or spool is a spindle or cylinder, with or without flanges, on which yarn, thread, wire, tape or film is wound. Bobbins are typically found in industrial textile machinery, as well as in sewing machines, fishing reels, tape measures, film rolls, cassette tapes, within electronic and electrical equipment, and for various other applications.
Guipure lace is a type of bobbin lace. It connects the motifs with bars or plaits rather than net or mesh.
Tønder lace is a point-ground type of handmade bobbin lace identified with the Tønder region of Denmark since about 1850, although lace of many types has been made there since as early as 1650. The term is also used more broadly, to refer to any bobbin lace made in Denmark.
Gimp is a narrow ornamental trim used in sewing or embroidery. It is made of silk, wool, polyester, or cotton and is often stiffened with metallic wire or coarse cord running through it. Gimp is used as trimming for dresses, curtains, furniture, etc. Originally the term referred to a thread with a cord or wire in the center, but now is mainly used for a trimming braided or twisted from this thread. Sometimes gimp is covered in beads or spangles.
Freehand lace is a bobbin lace that works directly on the fabric of the lace pillow without using a pricked pattern. Very few pins are needed for this technique
Ñandutí is a traditional Paraguayan lace. The name means "spider web" in Guaraní, the official, indigenous language of Paraguay.
Blonde lace is a continuous bobbin lace from France that is made of silk. The term blonde refers to the natural color of the silk thread. Originally this lace was made with the natural-colored silk, and later in black. Most blonde lace was also made in black. It was made in the 18th and 19th centuries. The pattern, which is generally of flowers, is made with a soft silk thread, thicker than the thread used for the ground. This causes a big contrast between the flowers and the ground. It uses the same stitches as Chantilly lace and Lille lace, and is similarly made in strips 5 in (13 cm) wide and invisibly joined. Blonde lace is not as good as Chantilly lace though, as the ground is not as firm, nor is the pattern as regular.
Irish lace has always been an important part of the Irish needlework tradition. Both needlepoint and bobbin laces were made in Ireland before the middle of the eighteenth century, but never, apparently, on a commercial scale. It was promoted by Irish aristocrats such as Lady Arabella Denny, the famous philanthropist, who used social and political connections to support the new industry and promote the sale of Irish lace abroad. Lady Denny, working in connection with the Dublin Society, introduced lace-making into the Dublin workhouses, especially among the children there. It is thought that it was an early form of Crochet, imitating the appearance of Venetian Gros Point lace.
Mundillo is a craft of handmade bobbin lace that is cultivated and honored on the island of Puerto Rico and Panama.
Lace machines took over the commercial manufacture of lace during the nineteenth century.
Maltese lace is a style of bobbin lace made in Malta. It is a guipure style of lace. It is worked as a continuous width on a tall, thin, upright lace pillow. Bigger pieces are made of two or more parts sewn together.
Part lace or sectional lace is a way of making bobbin lace. It characterises various styles, such as Honiton lace or Brussels lace.
Mesh grounded lace is a continuous bobbin lace also known as straight lace. Continuous bobbin lace is made in one piece on a lace pillow. The threads of the ground enter motifs, then leave to join the ground again further down the process, all made in one go. This is different from part lace, where the motifs are created separately, then joined together afterwards.
Flanders lace was made in Flanders, which was particularly well known for its bobbin lace. The supreme epoch of Flemish lace lasted from about 1550-1750.
Bobbin lace ground is the regular small mesh filling the open spaces of continuous bobbin lace. Other names for bobbin lace ground are net or réseau. The precise course of the threads and the resultant shape of the ground are an important diagnostic feature in lace identification, as different lace styles use different grounds.
The Leavers machine is a lacemaking machine that John Levers adapted from Heathcoat's Old Loughborough machine. It was made in Nottingham in 1813. The name of the machine was the Leavers machine. The original machine made net but it was discovered that the Jacquard apparatus could be adapted to it. From 1841 lace complete with pattern, net and outline could be made on the Leavers machine.
Ipswich lace is a historical fashion accessory, the only known American hand-made bobbin lace to be commercially produced. Centered in the coastal town of Ipswich, Massachusetts north of Boston, a community of lacemaking arose in the 18th century. Puritan settlers to the area likely made and wore lace as early as 1634, because Sumptuary laws from the early colonial records indicate this activity. In fact, the earliest known record of the act of lacemaking in the region comes from a court case in 1654 associated with the home of Governor John Endicott. An indentured servant in the household accused the governor's son Zerubbabel with assault, which occurred while she was working at her lace cushion. Earliest known records of the commercial production indicate that lace produced by local women was used to barter for goods in the 1760s, as denoted by ledger account books belonging to local merchants. These laces were sold in the region from Boston to Maine.
Milanese bobbin lace is a textile used as a fashion accessory or a decorative trim, first becoming popular in the 17th and 18th centuries in Milan. Lacemaking was an important economic activity in Northern Italy, besides touching on social status matters as well as being a culturally significant art form. The earliest versions of the lace consisted of the tape mostly filling the space. Typical characteristics of Milanese bobbin lace are scrolls made with curving clothwork tapes and floral motifs, and sometimes also consisting of human or animal figures. Sometimes needle lace techniques were combined with the bobbin lace pieces to create the final product.
Ireland, Design & Crafts Council (March 26, 2021). "European Artistic Craft Days: Headford Lace Project" (video). youtube.com. Design & Crafts Council Ireland.
Thompson, Karen. (July 18, 2016). "The Torchon Lace Company: The fine line between entrepreneurship and fraud". [1]
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