Hi Everybody: My thoughts:
You need a top quality thread to make lace, because the thread must be strong as well as very thin. Linen thread was the normal one to use because having a long staple length (the individual fibres run the height of the plant stalk) it could be spun very thin and still retain strength. Also, lacemaking derived from weaving and from techniques used to decorate woven linen, so it was natural for lace to be made of the linen thread that the lacemakers would be familiar with. The best quality linen was creamy white bleached linen, and naturally you would use the best quality thread to make a luxury good like lace. Linen is also quite difficult to dye, and dye processes that did work weakened the linen, so they would use undyed thread, and would be reluctant to dye the finished lace in case the dyeing process destroyed all their work. Hope this helps. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) On 2011-07-15, at 1:51 AM, Nathalie wrote: > Why was lace white from the beginning? > Why was the white colour dominant through the centuries and even nowadays? - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
