Yes, I admit I'm one of those girls who have always loved lace and I am thrilled to see a recent resurgence in it's popularity. Is there anything more feminine than lace?
Before doing the research for this post I really didn't know all that much about lace. I had heard of French lace of course but that was about the extent of my real knowledge about lace. Lace first appeared in the latter part of the 15th century and in a matter of about 50 years lace was being produced in nearly every European country. Italy was the first country to become prominent in lace making as an industry and quality of workmanship.
The three great lace making centers of the world were Italy, France and Flanders. Flanders was located in what is now parts of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Lace was made in all of the European countries but it was more of a peasant lace and not the same quality, beauty and value. And here's the fascinating part: Lace can actually be identified by it's country of origin by it's style and the method used to create it!
Embellishing clothing, household linens and vestiments of the church began in Italy as drawn work and naturally led to surface embroidery. This method developed in Italy is known as Punto Tagliato.
Here are a couple of examples of old world lace
Click on image to download
Click on image to download
Enjoy!
