LACE is a delicate kind of net work, which is much used for ornament in female dress. The meshes of this kind of net are of a hexagonal figure, and are formed by twisting or plaiting together very fine threads of silk, flax, or cot ton. Thick threads arc also woven into the net to form the figures or pattern, according to some design ; and these thick threads, which are called gimp, form the ornament of the lace.
There are several different kinds of lace, which are more or less esteemed, according to the fashion of the day ; and like jewels, and precious stones, they are valued in propor tion to the difficulty of procuring them, rather than from any real difference in their appearance or qualities.
The lace manufactured in England is generally called Buckinghamshire, or Bedfordshire lace, after those dis tricts wherein it is made ; it is also called pillow lace, or bobbin lace, because it is woven upon a pillow or cushion by means of bobbins. The latter terms are chiefly used to distinguish it from an imitation which is made by machine] y at Nottingham ; but by a recent invention, this lace is made in the greatest perfection by machinery, and is called bob bin-net. The bobbin lace consists of hexagonal meshes; four of the sides of each hexagon are formed by twisting two threads round each other, and the other two sides are formed by the simple crossing of two threads over each other. This is the same kind of lace which is known in France by the name of Lisle lace, being manufactured in that town.
Another kind of lace is made at Honiton in Devonshire, and is called Honiton lace. It is of the same kind as that made at Brussels, and it is also called Brussels lace ; two sides of each mesh of this lace are plaited of four threads, and the four other sides by threads twisted together. The plaiting renders it much more durable than the twist lace, and it therefore bears a much greater price.
The lace made at Valenciennes is very highly esteemed, but is not manufactured in England. All the six sides of the hexagon are plaited ; but two of the sides of each mesh are so small, that they appear like lozenges.
The Nottingham imitations of lace are of two kinds, point-net and warp-net. From the names of the machines in which they are made, they are both a species of chain work, and the machines are varieties of the stocking frame.
The warp frame makes a very close imitation of the Brus sels lace, but has very little durability.
The Buckinghamshire lace is woven on a pillow, or cush ion, which the woman or child who makes the lace places on her knees. The threads are wound upon bobbins, which are small round pieces of wood, each about the size of a pencil ; round the upper end of each, a deep groove is form ed, so as to reduce the bobbin to a thin neck, and on this part the thread is wound : a separate bobbin is used for each thread. To give form to the meshes, pins are stuck into the cushion, and the threads are woven and twisted to gether around the pins ; a piece of parchment is first fixed down upon the cushion, which has been previously pierced with small pin-holes, to shew the proper places for the pins, and on this parchment the design for the gimp, or thick thread, is also traced, to guide the woman in placing the gimp, so that it will be woven in between the fine threads which form the net-work. The work is begun at the up per part of the cushion, by tying the threads together in pairs, and each pair is attached to a pin, which is stuck through the parchment into the cushion. The round form of the cushion allows the bobbins to hang down by their threads, on different sides of the cushion; and on whatever side the bobbins are placed they will continue. At the com mencement of the work, all the bobbins are put on cne side of the cushion, and are brought to the front side, four hoh bins, or two pairs at a time, to be twisted together. The woman takes one pair in each hand, and, with the finger and thumb, twists the bobbins over each other three times ; the effect of this is to twist the threads of each pair together, or round each other, and this is done by both hands at the same time. When the twisting, which forms the sides of the mesh, is thus completed, the adjacent bobbins of each pair are interchanged, in order to cross the threads of those bob bins over each other, and make the bottom of the mesh. To render this clear, suppose the four bobbins numbered : Ne.1 is twisted round, 2 and 3 is twisted round 4. Then, in order to cross, 2 and 3 are interchanged, so that 1 and 3 come together, and 2 and 4; and the next time that the twisting operation is performed, these pairs of threads will be combined together.