In a message dated 11/18/04 4:46:37 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> The history of linen thread was fascinating. > > Another fact I found out when researching family history, was that > Nottingham lace was bleached after it was made. Presumably if the thread > was bleached, it would be more likely to break on the lacemaking machines. > If anyone can confirm this I would appreciate it. In my family line I have > a family of dyers and bleachers living in Mansfield and Nottingham in the > 19th century. > This would be true. Also, the machine oils and grit present in the weaving rooms would have made the lace very dirty. In 2001, I purchased a book in Nottingham that I have previously reviewed on Arachne - one that Devon has used and subsequently obtained from the author for the Ratti Center's library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ask your local library to get it for you to read. If it is not on the shelves, inquire about the InterLibrary Loan program. Another lacemaker in the U.K. uses this book loan service, so I know it is available to you. The book: "Nottingham Lace - 1760s-1950s - The Machine-made Lace Industry in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire" by Sheila A. Mason, 1994, ISBN 0-9524500-0-3. Sheila Mason is a major expert in the field of machine-made laces, and is custodian of the Mason collection of machine-made lace, which includes a Battle of Britain panel and other rare items (which have been written about on Arachne). Her family has been in the business of machine-made lace manufacturing for several generations. Having been trained in textile conservation, I spend a lot of energy reminding people who collect laces NOT to use bleach on them. It weakens the fibers. And if the thread or finished lace was bleached previously (in the manufacturing process), the chemical reactions of various bleaching formulas used today can cause the fibers to disintegrate or change to a yellowish color that can never be reversed. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace & Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
