When I was in Amsterdam I saw many Lace Shops. Dutch lace can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. This is a guipure lace with many cloth stitch and half stitch motifs which are connected to each other by braids. The motifs are mostly geometric or they are stylized flowers.
Netted Lace by Klinker
In those days several lace schools were founded in the Netherland to give girls the opportunity to learn how to make lace and with that knowledge have a means to provide for themselves. Most known are the “Rijksschool voor Kunstnijverheid”, a government school for crafts in Amsterdam, the lace school “Ieder voor allen” in Wijdenes and the Dutch Lace Society “Het Molenwiekje” among other places in Westkapelle.
Lace is created in two ways with a needle and thread and in the Dutch manner using wooden bobins that are crossed over each other twisting the thread into intricate design. Some lace makers work at lightning speed as you can see in the video below.
Originally undergarments received lace, but over time having ones clothes adorned with fancy lace became a status symbol of the more affluent members of the community. In the Netherlands small towns and cities would name their lace based on where the lace was created at.
Lace that was created sometime during the 16th century up until the French Revolution is now on exhibit in many museums. During the latter half of the 19th century lace was being manufactured using machines. While a lacemaker would require a full day to create 8 millimeters of lace, weaving machines can produce 1.50 meters in one day.
Do you like lace? Perhaps you know how to make it? Please share your links in the comment section.
