NEEDLE LACE

'Needle lace' or 'needlelace' is a type of lace created using a needle and thread to stitch up hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself.
In its purest form the only equipment and materials used are a needle, thread and scissors. This form of lace making originated in Armenia where there is evidence of a lace making tradition dating back to the pre-christian era. Turkish needlelace is also very popular around the world.
Beginning in the 17th century in Italy, a variety of styles developed where the work is started by securing heavier guiding threads onto a stiff background (such as thick paper) with stitches that can later be removed.
The work is then built up using a variety of stitches - the most basic being a variety of buttonhole or blanket stitch. When the entire area is covered with the stitching, the stay-stitches are released and the lace comes away from the paper. See reticella.
Needle lace is also used to create the fillings or insertions in cutwork.

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References

★ Structures of Antique Lace