Lace has had an interesting history in the textile industry. It can be handmade taking hours if not months or years to make. Or, it can be machine made taking just seconds to make. It can be used in a variety of different industries including clothing and home decorating. It can be part of a wedding in shades of white or it can be part of a funeral in shades of black. Lace also tends to be in or out of fashion quite regularly.

Hollie Point Lace (aka Holy Point Lace) had a brief appearance in the fashion industry in the 18th century. It was used primarily on baby bonnets, as seen in the image above, or christening sets. It uses two very basic stitches to create - a Back Stitch and a Twisted Blanket Stitch. What is interesting is that the Twisted Blanket Stitch is detached in the middle and grounded only on the sides. The gaps between the stitches actually form the shapes or design of the lace.

Imagine how much time was spent making just the center of this bonnet using only sunlightor candle light. Imagine the skill that went into each piece to be used for one special moment. Imagine the skill necessary to create this tiny bit of lace. It is a skill that I would love to learn and think I can recreate.

I am intrigued by this tiny bit of lace and the history it represents. The textile industry at this time was mostly by hand including the fabric. Production was starting but it hadn't been fully realized quite yet. It interesting to note that Hollie Point Lace went out of style about the same time as machines started to replace people. 

*Image borrowed with permission from The Lace Museum