The warp-lare is more permanent than the point-net, be cause the sides of the meshes are made of two or three loops of chain-work drawn through each other, which is not so liable to unravel as the point-net when a thread breaks. These loops resemble the plaited sides of the Biu,sels lace ; but the warp-machine is capable of making sevt rag different patterns. In both the point and warp fmraes. the net is woven in vet) considerable breadths, even as Neat as a yard and a half ; but it is afterwards di vided into pieces of the breadth required, 'a row of wide meshes being Formed at the intended line of division ; but: before the piece is divided, it is extended in a frame like that used for tambour work, and the gimp, or thick thread, which represents flowers and ornaments, is worked in by the needle ; for, it must he observed, that the machine only weaves the plain net-Work. The ornamenting of the lace in this manner, takes more time than the weaving : It is performed by women and children. They have an enlarged drawing of the flower, or figure, they arc to work ; and this they are enabled to copy with great exactness, by observing the course the thread is to take amongst the meshes of the net work.
The Nottingham lace trade was very considerable some years ago, but is at present in a state of stagnation. The lace, when well made, is exceedingly beautiful and regu lar ; and hence it was much esteemed at first,- particularly the large pieces for making veils and dresses ; but, when the want of durability was detected, it lost its value : Still, as the manufacturers were able to make it at a very cheap rate, they sold immense quantities for some years.
It has long b'een an object of research with mechanics, to produce a machine capable of weaving the real twisted lace, like that which is made on the pillow : and no less than sixteen patents were obtained for this object heroic it was effected. The nearest approach to it was by John Morris, who invented the point frame in 1781.
The difficulties attending this species of machinery, are principally owing to the fineness of the meshes of lace ; and it is essential to any machine for making lace, in which the threads are twisted together, that the ends of the threads, or the bobbins on which they are wound, should be capable of passing one over the other, as before described in making lace on the pillow : Hence the bob bins must be detached ; and it is very difficult to make and also to operate upon so many small bobbins as a moderate breadth of lace requires. • Mr. Morris attempted to avoid this difficulty, by stretch ing all the threads in a parallel direction in a horizontal frame, and operating by machinery upon the middle part of the threads, to pass each one over its neighbour ; which, being repeated several times, produced a twisting of the threads round each other, at each end of the frame, so as to make two pieces of lace at the same time. The
crossing, which completes the meshes, was effected by interchanging the pairs of threads which were to be twist ed together. But this process could not produce the real lace ; because, though the threads actually twisted round each other, yet all the threads employed in the fabric proceeded in the direction of the length of the piece, and the meshes had a tendency to flatten themselves, or close up laterally.
A piece of bobbin lace is composed of two systems of threads, like the warp and weft used in weaving cloth. The warp threads proceed, in a zig-zag direction, longi tudinally through the piece ; and the others, which arc called diagonal threads, traverse across the breadth, not at right angles to the warp threads, as the weft in cloth, but they proceed in an oblique or diagonal direction, from one edge or selvage of the piece to the other, and then return in an opposite direction. It is the intersections, or crossings of these diagonal threads over each other, which form the upper and lower sides of the hexagonal meshes, as before mentioned ; whilst the twisted sides are formed by the union ofthe longitudinal and diagonal threads.
Mr. John Ileathcoat, in 1808, invented a machine for making this kind of lace, which answered the purpose very effectually. The ground-work of the invention, is to extend those threads which form the warp of the lace in parallel lines, and dispose the diagonal threads upon small bobbins, which are detached, and are capable of passing round the extended warp threads, so as to twist with them. By this means, the number of bobbins is reduced to one-half. In this machhie there are two hori zontal beams, or rollers ; one to contain the thread, and another to receive the lace ; also a number of small bob bins to contain the thread.
One roller is placed in the under part of the machine, and the other in the upper part, but both in the same perpendicular plane. The threads intended to form the warp, or longitudinal threads, in the piece of lace, are wound upon the lower roller, and ascend to the upper rollers, to which they are separately attached.
Those threads which are intended to traverse the piece of lace, (and are thence denominated diagonal threads,) are wound each upon a small separate bobbin. The bob bins resemble the pirns used in a weaver's shuttle, but they are made very small. Each bobbin is .a wire pin, round which the thread is lapped, in the form of a small cone ; and a slender spring is provided, to cause such a friction as will make the threads draw tight, when pulled off from the bobbin.