Summary
The Irish tradition of lace making staggers the imagination. It includes crocheted lace with picots and flower forms, Youghal needle lace with the design outlined in couching stitches using fine thread, Inishmacsaint needle lace with a raised three-dimensional effect, Carrickmacross lace of applique and cutwork worked over netting, and Limerick lace created with chain stitches done with a tambour hook and darning stitches. This was not needlework for the faint of heart. It took a great deal of time, infinite skill, keen eyesight, fine dexterity and great patience to create. Its beauty was legendary in decades past and sought after by ladies of all walks of life who wished to be fashionable and to wear gorgeous handmade clothing.
In 1912 Irish lace jabots, cuffs, collars and frills had become so popular with American women it prompted an investigator from the National Child Labor Committee to trace the origins of the lace. A story about the investigator's findings was published in the May 18, 1912, edition of The New York Times.See the full content of this document
Extract
Lace Making Riddled with Irish Tradition
According to the story, Irish lace made in New York City, was not created by the Irish. It was fashioned by Italian immigrant women and girls who worked from original Irish patterns and incorporated ...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
