[lace] Torchon lace - history
Gidday all, I am in urgent need of historical info on specifically Torchon lacemaking. I have wracked my brains, my books and the internet, but everyone seems to talk about lacemaking in general, or the earliest records of lacemaking, or else goes into great detail about lacemaking in England, the many European laces etc., but Torchon itself seems to be just glossed over, even though it is so widespread now and the basic lace that most people learn first. I know the word Torchon comes from the French for dishrag or something similar, and I've seen a vague reference in Mincoff Marriage about Scandanavian areas making Torchon early on, but it didn't elaborate. I also found that Torchon was (supposedly) rarely made in England until the end of the 1800s, but that's about it so far. Lori's history links on the wonderful Sewfairy site are terrific - but again I haven't been able to find anything specifically relating to Torchon and its origins. If anyone can point me in the right direction in a hurry I would be most appreciative. I don't have access to a guild library where I currently live so I was hoping there'd be info on the internet somewhere. Now its back to Miss Channer's Mat for me. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa where it is hot and sticky and I was going to the movies but the garage remote isn't working so I can't get my car out until someone comes to investigate! Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Torchon lace - history
Hi Michelle - An excellent resource on the internet is the Digital Archives of Documents Related to Lace which has been put together by Tess Parrish and Ralph Griswold. The articles on the website are mixed in with articles about weaving and textiles, but there is a wealth of information there. http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/books.html Other arachnids may remember whether there is a discrete area for lacemaking - I've gotten the CDs, so I don't use the website. Clay - Original Message - From: Ian Chelle Long [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Lace-Digest [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 3:42 AM Subject: [lace] Torchon lace - history Gidday all, I am in urgent need of historical info on specifically Torchon lacemaking. I have wracked my brains, my books and the internet, but everyone seems to talk about lacemaking in general, or the earliest records of lacemaking, or else goes into great detail about lacemaking in England, the many European laces etc., but Torchon itself seems to be just glossed over, even though it is so widespread now and the basic lace that most people learn first. I know the word Torchon comes from the French for dishrag or something similar, and I've seen a vague reference in Mincoff Marriage about Scandanavian areas making Torchon early on, but it didn't elaborate. I also found that Torchon was (supposedly) rarely made in England until the end of the 1800s, but that's about it so far. Lori's history links on the wonderful Sewfairy site are terrific - but again I haven't been able to find anything specifically relating to Torchon and its origins. If anyone can point me in the right direction in a hurry I would be most appreciative. I don't have access to a guild library where I currently live so I was hoping there'd be info on the internet somewhere. Now its back to Miss Channer's Mat for me. Michelle Long an Aussie living in Richards Bay, South Africa where it is hot and sticky and I was going to the movies but the garage remote isn't working so I can't get my car out until someone comes to investigate! Ian Chelle Long +27 35 788 0777 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [lace] Torchon lace - history
Michelle There is actually a small amount of authentic historical information on torchon. The book LePompe 1559 is a pattern book published in 1559 which consists of woodcuts of patterns for bobbin lace. It is the oldest pattern book in existence. Most of the designs are for braided lace (lace made of plaits) but some are tape lace and some show designs which could easily be interpreted as torchon. In 1983 Santina Levey, Patricia Payne and Bridget Cook collaborated on a facsimile printing of part of the volume, in paperback (published by Ruth Bean) ISBN 0 903585 16 2. If your local lace guild has a library, maybe they have a copy. So, from this book, we know that torchon existed from a very early date. Nobody has been able to date any bobbin lace earlier than 1485. So this is pretty early. But there is no evidence that torchon was the first form invented. Remember that this book, published in 1559, is mostly braid based laces, with some tape lace and some torchon. So all three of those forms existed simultaneously, and very early. One does find early torchon or similar laces as insertions in household linen (pillow covers, etc.). I have seen some torchon worked in gold thread at the Art Institute of Chicago dating from the 1600s. This gold lace would have been appliquéd onto fabric, rather than used as an edging, possibly on thick velvet or brocade garments, possibly on a coverlet or cape. I have also seen photographs of Russian torchon dating from the 1800s, worked in color, many still attached to towels and coverlets. Lorelei - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
