Image from Marcel Wanders
Crochet rug by Patricia UrquiolaLace …lots of tiny holes and delicate threads being woven into fine, intricate webs of beautiful patterns :-) Since Lace is an ancient art lets talk a bit about its history. The most ancient surviving specimens of lace are pieces of knotted hairnets found in tombs of Thebes and other parts of Egypt dating back to 2500 BC. But true lace only began to be made much later and the popularity of lace did not increase till the 16th century.
There is an interesting history about lace published in the The International Lace magazine. Humans have always been motivated to make clothing more attractive. The ancient Greeks and Romans used flax cloth for their togas and ornamented it with gold or colored threads woven in geometric designs. But as the garment became old, and the edges became worn and frayed, the threads had to be twisted and stitched together. These twisting techniques used in decoration of the frayed edges gave birth to lace making. The birthplaces of lace are generally recognized as Flanders and Italy. From there lace traveled far and wide to all over Europe, Russia, and Asia. There is a theory that lace was also being simultaneously developed in china as some lace had distinctive oriental patterns but it doesn’t have any claims in today’s pattern books or surviving lace.
True lace flourished into a cottage industry throughout Europe only in the 16th century. This art particularly prospered in countries like Belgium, France, Italy, Holland, England, and Spain. It was mostly women who dedicated their time, deft fingers and eyesight to this delicate art. Infact lace makers were in demand as brides as they could bring an additional income to the household.
Another interesting fact is that starch was developed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It then became fashionable to starch lace and use it as a huge ruff around the neck.
The first machine was discovered surprisingly much earlier in 1598. A successful machine was invented by 1810 changing the entire lace making industry.
Till today lace making continues all over the world as a hobby, as cottage industry and also as a big business. And its being reinvented all the time and contributing much to our modern times and decors. I have been watching this trend of lace for quite some time. It’s making its reappearance as starched coasters, cup holders, and linens. The lace patterns are being copied on to on furniture, lampshades, dinnerware, ceramics, wallpaper, decals etc. Its new avatar is so much more fun. Its presence lends such a feminine, playful, romantic, fairy kind of quality to these products. I checked a wonderful swedish blog http://emmas.blogg.se/ where i came across these lace inspired lamps by Charming Unit. Thanks to Holly of decor8 who has posted about emma's blog.
Check out the wonderful work done by designer Marcel Wanders. Truly inspiring.
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