Filet lace
was originally made in the sixteenth century mainly for ecclesiastical use by
making a base net, using a netting technique, and then skilfully embroidering
it with a form of darning to incorporate the design. It underwent a revival in
the early twentieth century and at that stage was being made in a variety of
ways. It could be made in the traditional way or more rapidly by working the
darning onto machine-made net, or even more rapidly by making the entire piece by
machine. However it also became a popular hobby and many ladies magazines
included instructions for making the net and working the darning stitches.
As this style
of lace became popular, many of these magazines also included instructions for
making ‘filet lace’ using crochet techniques and this is the way the tablecloth
edging in the main image was made.
Crochet is made
with a hook and thread and the stitches are a combination of chain stitches
that can be combined to form columns, which can be spaced to form a solid
fabric or, as in this case, are separated to form a lace. As with so many types
of lace, one technique is being used to imitate another that is fashionable at
the time.
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