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TO PLACE THE BRAID.--No. 442 shows the
design traced upon paper or tracing cloth, and lightly tacked to a
foundation of leather or toile cirée. Run on a straight line of braid
for the lower edge, with fine stitches, working as shown from left to
right.
Take another piece of braid, or the
other end of the same piece, and begin to lay the braid by "running"
stitches in its centre, keeping it as smooth and even as possible. The
outer edge presents no difficulty, but the inner edge will not lie
evenly without being drawn in by a needle and thread, as
follows:--Thread a No. 9 needle with No. 12 Mecklenburg thread about
20 inches long, fasten the thread to one point, and insert the needle
in and out of the edge of the braid, as if for fine gathering; this
thread when drawn up will keep the braid in its place. Two or three
fastening off stitches should be worked when each circle, half circle,
or rounded curve of a pattern is finished, as the drawing or gathering
thread remains in the work, and forms an important, though unseen,
part of its structure.
The stitches used in point lace may be
divided into--
STITCHES PROPER, or points.
CONNECTING BARS.
FINISHING EDGINGS.
WHEELS AND ROSETTES
The term point lace, or lace stitches
(points), has of late been applied to every stitch executed
with Mecklenburg thread, and many stitches are erroneously named by
modern writers. As there are more than one hundred stitches employed
in this beautiful art, much study and opportunity of seeing specimens
of old point lace is required to give a novice any idea of the various
kinds of point lace; but by attention to the following stitches the
rudiments of the art may be easily acquired and very beautiful lace
produced.
The first stitch is POINT DE BRUXELLES,
or Brussels lace stitch. This stitch, as may be clearly seen in
illustration No. 433, is a simple
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button-hole stitch worked loosely and with great regularity. The whole
beauty of Brussels lace depends upon the evenness of the stitches.
This stitch is sometimes employed as an edging, but is more often
worked in rows backwards and forwards, either as a groundwork or to
fill spaces, as in the point lace collar, No. 496.
Brussels Point is the foundation of
nearly all the lace stitches.
POINT DE VENISE (Venetian or Venice
Point) is worked from left to right,
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like Brussels point. Work one loose button-hole, and in this stitch
work four button-hole stitches tightly drawn up, then work another
loose button-hole stitch, then four more tight button-hole stitches in
the loose one, repeat to the end of the row, and fasten off.
PETIT POINT DE VENISE (Little Venice
Point) is worked in the same manner as Point de Venise, but one tight
stitch only is worked in each loose button-hole stitch. This is a most
useful stitch for filling small spaces.
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