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    Masterpieces of Irish Crochet Lace: Techniques, Patterns, Instructions
    Masterpieces of Irish Crochet Lace: Techniques, Patterns, Instructions
    Masterpieces of Irish Crochet Lace: Techniques, Patterns, Instructions
    Ebook141 pages1 hour

    Masterpieces of Irish Crochet Lace: Techniques, Patterns, Instructions

    By Therese de Dillmont

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    About this ebook

    In recent years Irish crochet lace has enjoyed a tremendous revival among needleworkers. Nearly lost in the early twentieth century when machines took over the manufacture of most lace, the craft is now being rediscovered by enthusiasts who recognize it not only as one of the most durable, serviceable, and beautiful forms of lace but also as a type that provides a unique opportunity to be creative.
    This inexpensive volume presents authentic motifs and grounds used by the most skilled Irish needleworkers of the late nineteenth century. Collected and edited by one of the best-known experts of the time, Thérèse de Dillmont, it offers patterns, complete instructions, and/or detailed photographs for 30 motifs, 12 intricate grounds, and various traditional footings and borders.
    Crocheters can use these versatile motifs of delicate raised flowers, leaves, sprays, and more to transform ordinary bedspreads, doilies, tablecloths, and clothing into works of art to be treasured for years. Make your own unique designs for new curtains, fancy collars, delicate cuffs, and so much more. Each of these motifs can be altered in shape, enlarged, diminished, or combined in new patterns — there's virtually no limit to the results you can produce.
    Beginners should practice making individual motifs before attempting an entire piece of lace, and experienced crocheters may want to follow the directions exactly before experimenting to form new motifs. With practice, you can invent your own patterns just by employing these authentic, elemental motifs and their complementary grounds. A new introduction relates the history and technique involved in Irish crochet lace, and a conversion chart translates outdated terms.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateMar 5, 2014
    ISBN9780486163444
    Masterpieces of Irish Crochet Lace: Techniques, Patterns, Instructions

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    • 5/5
      This is a great book if you want to make Irish crochet lace. The instructions are very good, and there's a bit of a history.

      1 person found this helpful

    Book preview

    Masterpieces of Irish Crochet Lace - Therese de Dillmont

    MASTERPIECES OF

    IRISH

    CROCHET

    LACE

    Techniques, Patterns and Instructions

    Edited by

    Thérèse de Dillmont

    Dover Publications, Inc.

    New York

    Stitch Conversion Chart

    Copyright © 1986 by Dover Publications, Inc.

    All rights reserved

    This Dover edition, first published in 1986, is an abridged republication of Irish Crochet Lace, originally published in the D.M.C. Library by Th[érèse] de Dillmont, Mulhouse (Alsace, France; n.d.). The original introduction, the chapter Imitations of Irish Crochet Lace, one additional text page, one photographic plate and three pages of patterns have been omitted. A new introduction has been written for this edition.

    Library of Congresss Cataloging-in-Publication Data

    Masterpieces of Irish crochet lace.

    (Dover needlework series)

    Originally published: Irish crochet lace, Mulhouse, France: D.M.C. Library, ca. 1990.

    1. Irish crochet lace.   I. Dillmont, Thérèse de, 1846–1890.    II. Title. III. Series.

    TT805.175   1986      746.2′2      86–2031

    e-ISBN 13: 978-0-486-11177-3

    Manufactured in the United States by Courier Corporation

    25079212

    www.doverpublications.com

    Contents

    Introduction

    Directions For Making Irish Crochet Lace

    Various subjects in Irish crochet lace

    Groundings for Irish crochet lace

    Footings for Irish crochet lace

    Scalloped borders for Irish crochet lace

    Patterns of Irish crochet lace

    Directions for working the patterns of Plate II

    Directions for working the patterns of Plate III

    Directions for working the patterns of Plate IV

    Directions for working the pattern of Plate V

    Patterns

    Introduction

    The delicate three-dimensional flowers, leaves and sprays that characterize Irish crochet are considered by many to be the finest example of the crocheter's art. This beautiful craft was originally developed in mid-nineteenth century Ireland as a method of imitating expensive Venetian point laces. Within a few years it was being taught in almost every convent in the country and by the 1880's there were at least 12,000 women in Cork and its surrounding area alone engaged in making crochet lace. In the early twentieth century, competition from machine-made laces began to drive Irish crochet lace from the market, but it never completely disappeared and in recent years has begun to enjoy a comeback.

    Masterpieces of Irish Crochet Lace was originally published (as Irish Crochet Lace) in the early 1900's when Irish crochet was enjoying its greatest popularity. Intended as a practical and complete guide to the making of Irish crochet lace, it offers instructions and detailed photographs of 30 different motifs, 12 grounds and various footings and borders. The book's publisher, Thérèse de Dillmont, was one of the best-known needlework experts of the time and her Encyclopedia of Needlework is still considered a classic.

    In Irish crochet, separate motifs are worked, often over a foundation or filling cord, then joined to one another with an openwork ground. Each Irish crochet piece uses three different sizes of thread—a thick thread (Nos. 1–6) for the foundation, a medium thread (Nos. 30–100) for the motifs themselves and a fine thread (Nos. 60–200) for the ground. Both cotton and linen threads were used, usually in white. Today the range of thread sizes available is much more limited than it was when the book was first published, and most of the threads called for in the instructions are no longer being made. D.M.C., one of the largest distributors of threads for needlework, makes cotton threads suitable for crochet in sizes up to 100, with No. 70 being the finest thread commonly found in the stores. Because of the renewed interest in lace and lace making, it is now possible to order cotton threads as fine as No. 180 and linen threads as fine as No. 140 from distributors that specialize in lace-making supplies; however, these threads are still difficult to find. The trend today, partially because of the lack of availability of finer threads and partially because modern crocheters find the fine threads difficult to work with, is to use thicker threads, such as No. 5 pearl cotton for the foundation, No. 30 crochet cotton for the motifs and No. 70 for the ground.

    The actual-size patterns included in the back of this book were originally printed on fabric. After the individual motifs were completed, they were basted in place on the pattern, then joined, following the dotted lines indicating the direction in which to work the openwork ground. To use these patterns in the traditional way, you must make motifs that are the same size as those in the original. To do this, you will need to use the size thread called for in the instructions, or as close a substitute as possible. You can use the patterns as is, or, to make them last longer, trace them onto unbleached muslin or other lightweight fabric. If you wish to enlarge the motifs, you can either enlarge the pattern to the size desired or baste the motifs to a plain piece of fabric, using the pattern merely as a guide to placement.

    Before attempting to make an entire piece of lace, practice making the various motifs, working as tightly and evenly as you can. If you have trouble understanding the instructions (and they do sound unfamiliar to our ears), study the picture carefully. In many cases you can see the stitches clearly enough to understand how the motif is worked. Irish crochet is not for beginners, but it is well worth the effort it requires.

    The terminology used in this book is not the terminology that is familiar to American crocheters today. A conversion chart for stitches is given on opposite page.

    Mary Carolyn Waldrep

    Needlework Editor

    Dover Publications, Inc.

    Fig. 1

    Collar and Cuffs in Irish, crochet lace.

    DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING IRISH CROCHET LACE

    The making of Irish lace, — To make Irish lace some skill in crochet work is requisite, as well as some acquaintance with the pattern. The patterns are not worked in consecutive rows, as in ordinary crochet, their execution is more complicated and somewhat resembles that of needle-made lace. You begin by crocheting all the subjects that form the pattern properly speaking; these subjects are worked over a cord foundation, which is laid sometimes in straight lines, sometimes in curved, thus admitting of the composition of the most varied shapes.

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