We will be sharing some thoughts on lace from the the turn of the century shared by Mrs. Lowes,  an expert and renowned English collector of lace and its historical stories. Here follows some of her comments on Honiton lace:

Honiton lace has always easily ranked first among British laces, although by many not considered equal to fine Bucks. Like the Midland lace, it has always been made with Flanders thread, and therefore maintained its popularity because of its wear and its colour. The early Honiton workers copied ‘Brussels’ lace, but because of their inability to produce an artistic design it was never anything more than a poor copy. Even when the Brussels lace influence was most direct the flowers and sprays were placed inartistically, while the scroll copies of the early Flemish schools can only be termed the imitative handiwork of a child.

The most prized specimens of old Honiton lace are those with hand-made ground  made of  Flanders flax. Very little of this real ground Honiton lace is left (this written at the turn of the 19/20th century!). Queen Victoria did much to make Honiton lace the lace of the land; but although a regular trade has been established, and much good work accomplished, Honiton of the past will never be regarded on the same plane as the laces of Venice, France and Brussels. Even in ts best variety it lacks the exquisite filmy touch of Brussels, the dainty grace of Alencon, and the magnificence of Point de France and Venetian Point.  The Honiton lace made since the introduction of machine-made net is especially poor. Flower sprigs and sprays are made separately on the pillow, and afterwards applied to the machine-made ground. These are often very sparingly applied over a wide expanse of net in order to make as much lace with as little trouble as possible. This is very different to the work of the old Honiton lace-worker, who made every inch of it herself-first the sprays and scrolls, then worked the ground round it, and received,  it is said, from the middleman (who purchased it for the town market) as many shillings as would cover the lace offered for sale.

We are glad to say, however, that very praiseworthy efforts are being made to introduce better methods and more artistic designs in the many lace schools which are being formed in various parts of  Devon. Mrs. Fowler, of Honiton, one of the oldest lace-makers in this centre, making exqusite lace, the technique leaving nothing to be desired, and also showing praiseworhty effort in shaking off the trammels of the traditional designs.

1909 Mrs. Lowes

Well, she certainly has strong opinions! Most true lace lovers do.
It is always so wonderful to read the old stories of lace. Stay tuned for more great tales.

This is a stunning French alencon lace runner in a pale ecru tone., It is filled with swirling scrolls, florals and wonderful hand whipped cordonnettes. This is a fine intricate pattern of alencon lace. Alencon is a fine French lace done on a machine with varied intricate net backgrounds. The cordonettes and patterns are then outlined by hand with a whip stitching. The pattern usually describes roses and delicate floral patterns. The effect of the hand whipping is to make these pieces appear three dimensional. This is a fine needle point lace and takes its name from a town in Normandy, France.

This is a stunning intricately done pull thread drawnwork lace sampler from the late 1800’s. This piece shows a high degree of skill in this art form and is done on white linen. It is in excellent condition and measures approx. 16 in. sq.

When making drawnwork or pull thread lace, threads were drawn from a linen ground fabric, both vertically and horizontally, and diagonal scaffolding threads were added. Then geometric starburst motifs were interwoven.

Drawn thread work is a created by removing threads from the warp and/or the weft of a piece of  fabric, usually linen. The remaining threads are grouped or bundled together into a variety of patterns.

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This wonderful intricate example of Irish crochet which is a highly collectible form of lace making is done in a white tone., It is in excellent condition and at longest and deepest measures approx. 12 X 4 in. This is a lovely example of this lace technique.

Irish Crochet is famous as far back as 1743 when the Royal Dublin Society awarded prizes for outstanding examples.  Some say this is the truest “Irish” lace.  Irish crochet is a type of lace, which has its origin in the famine years of the nineteenth century in Ireland. Charity groups sought to revive the economy by teaching crochet lace technique at no charge to anyone willing to learn. This type of lace is characterized by separately crocheted motifs which were later assembled into a mesh background.

This is a stunning antique needle lace tablecloth in fabulous detailed and varied floral Point de Venise. This piece is in a two tone ivory and ecru and works wonderfully to accentuate the intricate work on this piece!It is in excellent condition and just filled with florals, cordonnetes and scrolling trails of pattern. It just takes the breath away! It measures approx. 94 X 59 in. and will be an eye catcher on any table it is displayed.

his is a truly exquisite Normandy lace spread which would also be perfect for a tablecloth. It is filled with stunning hand whitework in 15 medallions. These whitework medallions usually came from the night caps worn by the ladies of the era, and is done on a wonderful lawn fabric with intricate embroidery. The net lace connects the whitework medallions with tambour stitching and valenciennes laces. The ruffles are filled with lovely basket designs, an unusual touch, which makes this piece all the more outstanding! It is in excellent condition with no noted problems, no rips, stains, repairs, or tears. It is done in a pale ivory ecru and measure approx. 96 (8 feet) X 69 in.

From one of our well known eBay lacemakers: “This gorgeous piece is Nanduti, which is from Paraguay. Nanduti is related to Teneriffe lace, both of which are forms of needle lace. Hairpin lace, however, is a form of crochet. The identifying characteristics of Nanduti from Teneriffe are that Nanduti has several more standard elements than Teneriffe, which concentrates on wheels. Nanduti also uses the elongate half oval or palm shape for scallops on the outside border. The chief identifying characteristic is that spaces between the wheels are filled with needle weaving. The whole center of this cloth is needle woven. Nanduti as a whole is usually quite fine and often in vibrant colors. Warm Regards, Patty Dowden lacemaker and student of the history of lace”

This is a type of lace in which woven tape motifs (Battenburg tape lace) are joined by a variety of flat stitches usually in an intricate pattern with a lot of handwork. When there is extensive handwork, Battenburg graduates to Renaissance Battenburg lace. I have a piece of this lace listed on eBay , if you’d like to see it, go to the tab marked ‘lace on eBay’. Here is a description and photos:

This is a lovely handmade centerpeice in a white tone with tape lace and battenburg work. It is in excellent condition with a few tiny storage dots, mentioned only for accuracy. It measures approx. 19 X 12 in. This will be the perfect cloth to highlight one of your treasures or to sit as a centerpiece and grace you home with handmade antique elegance. Here is a comment sent to me by eBay’s wonderful lacemaker Kate: “Dear Maude, because of all the extra needlework in this, it gets moved to a higher category. It is not ‘just’ Battenburg anymore. It is Renaissance Battenburg. Super piece! Kate.(well-known eBay lacemaker and expert Identifier)

I have been a lover of fine lace and linen for over thirty years. I became fascinated when I lived in Europe and was lucky to be able to view many fine pieces and collections from both museums and private owners. I started almost immediately to study and acquire special pieces. As I shared my treasures with others, I was asked so often to purchase for them as well, that I began to do so. I’ve been studying and selling fine linen and lace ever since. For any of you passing through the southern California area, I can be found the second Sunday of every month in Pasadena at the R.G. Canning Rosebowl antique market and swapmeet in space N1. Its always lovely to see these pieces billowing gently in the wind.

For more linens and lace to purchase, visit me on ebay under the user ID laceandlinen.

Tambour is the name of a specific chain like embroidery stitch. It was named for the frame, much like a tambourine or drumhead, that the background net is stretched over. It was worked in China, Persia and India and the Middle East long before it reached Europe.

When machine nets were invented in the early nineteenth century, it was a natural technique to embellish these nets. The tambour industry began in Ireland, England and Belgium in the late 1820’s. Thousands were employed during the 19^th century especially in Nottingham where the nets were made.

Reference – Guide to Lace and Linens – Elizabeth M. Kurella

Reference – History of Lace – Mrs. Bury Palliser…”in the year 1829 the manufacture of Limerick tambour lace was first established in Ireland. Tambour work is of Eastern origin, and was known in China, Persia, India and Turkey long before it spread to the United Kingdom.”