I’ve been experimenting with new types of needle lace. A few years back I made a practice piece of lace with the instructions of my French needle lace book. Now I’ve been inspired by old Venetian laces from the 17th century. (Click the link to see an article on Wikipedia or the MET Museum pages.) This type of lace is still made much in the same style in Burano.
This is the book I bought many years ago. On the left is my first attempt at this type of needle lace, made with Bockens linen thread and a pattern from Jacqueline Peter’s book. The flower on the right is my own design, in the style of old Venitian Gros Point laces and made with slightly thinner cotton thread.
The book gives comprehensive instructions for the whole process from preparing the pattern, working different types of grounds to detaching the finished lace from the support.
There are several supporting layers while working on the lace, just like for the Punto in aria piece that I made many years ago. The base is a double layer of plain cotton. Next is the pattern drawn onto paper and the top layer is a coloured plastic film.
The first step of the actual lace making is laying out the outlines with a double thickness of working thread. These outlines are couched down every 2mm or so with normal sewing thread. The outlines are secured onto the pattern by stitching through all the layers from the back side and going back through the same hole. Next the open areas are filled with different types of stitches. Then the outlines are worked again with buttonhole stitches and emphasized by padding. To remove the ready made lace, the supporting stitches are cut from the underside between the two base layers of cotton fabric. Finally the supporting (here yellow) threads are pulled out from the back side of the lace with tweezers.
I’m planning to make a doily, or maybe some cuffs in this style of lace. It may well end up in the same pile of Unfinished Objects as the Reticella collar I planned ages ago!
The needle lace attempts alongside another of my experiments, a small fragment of Cantu bobbin lace. All three to be added to my collection of ‘bits and pieces of lace’ 😊
HandmadebyLiisa 
How cool is this? I’m fascinated by the making of lace because it seems like magic. I’ve done a little bobbin lace but not needle lace. I’m going to have to look for this book! Thanks for sharing.
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Yes! Isn’t it amazing how with just a few simple things, like knitting purls and holes or the simple turns in a special order in bobbin lace can make such beautiful things happen 😍 There’s a pretty good series of posts by Textiledreamer on the basics of needlepoint lace that will get you started 🤗 Happy lacemaking, xxx
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Thanks for the link! I’ll definitely check it out.
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All three are beautiful works!! But I especially love and appreciate seeing your process including your sketches and the progress steps with that flower in the middle in the last image. I do hope you do the cuffs!
I recently took an online workshop in needlelace and I am completely addicted!! I have done some tatting, a small experiment workshop in bobbin lace, as well as hardanger and Ukrainian cutwork….but something about the flexibility of needlelace– it seems like it can bridge drawing and lacemaking and become very contemporary.
I am curious what thread did you used for the padding inside the final cordonet in the final step? It looks very thick.
Happy lacemaking!!
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Thanks Lori for your lovely comments. I’m glad you enjoyed the posts 😍 And yes, lacemaking is very addictive!
The padding here was just some thicker crochet thread which was also a little softer than the cordonnet.
Happy lacemaking to you too 😁
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