Lace fabric is an open work fabric that consists of a network of yarns that are formed into intricate designs. There are two main types of laces: hand and machine made. Although, the two types come with their pros and cons, it's usually difficult to differentiate the two using your naked eyes. The easiest way of going about it is using a magnifying glass.
If you take a look at the fabric and the lace lacks an obvious path, chances are that its machine made. If on the other hand you take a look at the fabric and you see that it has an obvious path, it's most likely handmade especially the Lace Lagos Nigeria.
Lace's rich legacy of elegant fashion trends can first be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries. Since those early times, many styles and techniques of lace-making have been developed. Belgium is often described as "the cradle of modern lace" and today's lace techniques can still be traced back to the traditional lace-making techniques from the Flemish provinces of Belgium. "Needle Lace", also called "Renaissance or Brussels" Lace, for example, is manufactured in the region of Aalst. "Bobbin Lace", is an exquisite specialty of Bruges, a magnificent city in western Belgium. These are very expensive types of laces to produce; therefore, they are not manufactured for commercial purposes.
As history tells us, this beautiful fabric was so influential in society that in some European cities only people above a certain social class were allowed to wear it. Inspectors were positioned at city gates and if someone non-deserving of lace was to enter the city, they were ordered to trim it down or face it being burned.
Did you know? - the term "straight laced" commonly used for someone being honest, originated from the fact that European ladies wore corsets which would lace up in the front, therefore considered proper and dignified.
Uses of Lace Fabric
The fabric has many applications. For example, it's used in decorating apparel and home furnishings where the narrow laces are used for trims and insertions. Wide laces in Ankara are used for curtains, table cloths and garments.
Laces are made using different designs. The most common designs are:
All-over laces: these are 36" in width and they are made in such a way that the pattern spreads all over the width of the fabric. The pattern also repeats itself in the fabric's length.
Flouncing: these are laces that are 18-36" wide and come with a plain edge at the top. They also come with a scalloped edge at the bottom. The flouncing is used for wide ruffles. In most cases the ruffles are arranged in tiers in order to form a skirt.
Edging: this is lace that is no more than 18" in width. It's usually straight at the top and scalloped at the bottom. It's usually sewn to the edge of a gown, dress, lingerie, blouse or handkerchief.
Medallion: the lace comes in a single design that is applied to a fabric that is ground for ornamentation. The lace is usually used in the corners of towels or napkins. Here it's used as an ornament for blouse, lingerie or dress.
