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Lace making is an ancient decorative needlecraft that is ever popular worldwide. Lace is a lightweight, open worked fabric, highly patterned with open holes in the work, made by hand or by machine. Lace is often sown on to a garment as a decoration.
Popularity
Lace Making is a fine craft that has been passed down through the years usually from grandmother to grandaughter and mother to daughter, in the days before television this was seen as a conventional and pleasing past time and this is still so today.
Location
Lace making is an activity mainly carried on in the home, but with many local groups meeting together, to share ideas. Exhibitions and competitions are held across the country throughout the year attracting thousands of visitors.
Age
With the basics being easy to learn, this safe and satisfying craft is both useful and an artistic craft that is suitable and compelling to a wide age range from young children to the elderly.
Ability
A fine lace is a true work of art, to create such pieces takes a life time of practise and sowing experience. necessary abilities to posses to create the finest of laces are; good sight, nimble fingers and patience.
Description
A true lace is created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to others threads independently from a backing fabric. There are many methods of lace making, among the commonest are; Needle lace, made using a needle and thread. This is the most flexible of the lace-making arts. Cut work, or white work; lace constructed by removing threads from a woven background, and the remaining threads wrapped or filled with embroidery. Knitted lace. Knotted lace, which includes Macramé and Tatting.
Dedication
Lace making as a recreational pastime demands no set amount of dedication, but be warned the desire to create ever finner examples can become a life filling passion. One of the finest and most spectacular works is often said to be the wedding ring shawl, a lace shawl so fine that it could be pulled through a wedding ring, (a tradition in which a bride showed off her needle craft skills to her new husband).
Potential
Lace making can be a relaxing pastime to be enjoyed by the individual and admired by the family and friends, or it can be a highly competitive activity. With competitions held locally, nationally and internationally.
Closely
Related Activities
Cross Stitch 164, Embroidery 223, Knitting 352, Macrame 363, Needle Craft 442, Patchwork 459, Quilting 480, Tapestry 600, Crochet 780.
Further
Reading
A true lace is created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to others threads independently from a backing fabric.
Cost
Making hand made lace involves the simplest of equipment, that will cost only a few pounds and will last a lifetime. The largest and most variable cost is the type of fibre used to create the lace, gold and silver fibres being prohibitively expensive, silk less so, cotton and the modern synthetic fibres being the cheapest.
Level of Demand
The table below shows the maximum levels of demand that this activity requires. NOTE: These are not entry levels or levels of requirement and has nothing to do with ability.
Energy |
Arms
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Legs
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Sight
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Hearing
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Speech |
Learning |
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