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Irish Lace
Lace-making has always been an important part of the Irish needlework tradition. When times were hard women always had to find ways of supporting their family. This was particularly true during and after the great potato famine of the 1840's[1]. In those days most women could do needlework, so it was only a short step to lace-making. Irish Crochet and Tatting travelled particularly well as equipment needed was simple, a ball of cotton and a shuttle for Tatting and simple crochet hook and cotton for Irish Crochet lace[2].
Kenmare Lace is a Needlepoint Irish Lace. It is made with a needle and thread. It is based on the detached buttonhole stitch. (It is sometimes called needle-lace. This is to distinguish it from canvas needlepoint.) Linen thread was used by the nuns to make the needlepoint lace. Unfortunately we can no longer get a suitable linen thread nowadays so use cotton. To make Kenmare needlepoint Lace[3] you start off with two pieces of cloth. Over this is your pattern and over this you place a layer of matt contact. You couch around the outline of the design and work in from the outline to fill in your pattern using a very fine detached buttonhole stitch. The tension makes the pattern. If you want an open stitch you pull the thread so far and if you want a tight stitch you pull it tightly. When the work is finished you open it at the back between the two pieces of cloth snipping the thread holding down the outline and thus releasing your lace from it's backing.
Irish crochet is a type of lace, which has its origin in the famine years of the 19th century in[4] Ireland. Charity groups sought to revive the economy by teaching crochet lace technique at no charge to anyone willing to learn.[citation needed] This type of lace is characterized by separately crocheted motifs which were later assembled into a mesh background. Other types of Irish crochet include Rosslea and Clones lace.
Irish Crochet Lace is made with a very fine crochet hook and fine crochet cotton or linen thread. You start by outlining your pattern on a piece of cloth. You then crochet each motif separately. The motifs are then stitched onto the cloth in the shape of the pattern. You then take up the cloth in your hand and join up the motifs using chains and picots. When all the motifs have been joined together forming one piece of lace the whole piece is removed from the background thus revealing your completed Irish Crochet Lace
- ^ Nellie o’Cléirig;(2003) Hardship and high Living
- ^ Barbra Ballantyne(2007)Early History of Irish Crochet Lace
- ^ ] Kenmare Literary and Historical Society;(1982) Kenmare Journal
- ^ Eithne D'Arcy(1985)Irish Crochet Lace
Types of Irish Lace
There are many different types of Irish laces in addition to Irish crochet; these are:
- Kenmare Lace
- Crochet Lace
- Carrickmacross lace
- Youghal lace
- Limerick lace
External links
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