Lace developed from embroidery, for which records exist from antiquity. Its origin lies in Italy around 1500 – at the time, an extraordinarily artistic, handmade luxury article reserved exclusively for the nobility. In the 16th century, a distinction was first made between hand-sewn and hand-bobbin lace; names such as Venetian or Brussels lace refer to places, patterns and production methods.
Mechanical lace production emerged in the 19th century: the Englishman Leavers invented the bobbinet lace machine – this woven lace is still called Leavers lace today. Most laces used today come from lace raschel machines (warp-knitting machines); a modern lace machine produces as much lace in 10 minutes as a woman formerly made in her whole life. With electronic pattern control, elastic Jacquardtronic laces appeared from the 1980s, along with Comfortronic lace with a high cotton content and Textronic laces prized for their filigree grounds and rich motifs. Lace centres developed in France (woven laces), in Switzerland and Austria's Vorarlberg (embroidered laces) and in Germany (raschel laces).
Appliqué means that fabric pieces, embroideries or laces are glued or sewn onto the base fabric; the cut edges are usually concealed by decorative seams. With incrustations, the fabric is cut out along the lace's edge after or while it is sewn on – the less symmetrical the lace, the more elaborate the cutting. Price and quality of a lace depend on the raw material, the thread, the stitch density, the edging of the openwork, the workmanship, its stability combined with softness, and the size of the lace insert. As a rule of thumb: the more openwork, the finer and the softer – the higher the quality of the lace.
You will find all terms around materials and workmanship in our Underwear Glossary.
