As a life-long artist and crafter, I have dipped my toes into many different methods of making, to varied degrees of depth. In the world of fiber arts, there are several core skills that carry through to most techniques: comfortability in threading and interlacing elements with a needle, and managing and handling fibers in various forms. The latter may seem obvious, but systems for managing fibers are the basis for any textile technique, and understanding the system is the first step to mastery. I am not in the pursuit of mastery, but I am in the pursuit of understanding- understanding of the history and significance of fiber processes, and understanding of the systems that define them. 

My goal with this project is to describe my path to understanding the making of needlepoint lace. The catalyst for this exploration came about in the form of curiosity surrounding the lace-making traditions of the island of Burano in Venice, Italy. Following preliminary research, I established a basic understanding that could inform my observations of the lace samples that the Textile Resource Center had to offer. From there, I began to explore various techniques, using resources in the TRC, and visual and textual information made available by generous internet users. As someone who learns by making, the most efficient path toward understanding was to experiment with those methods myself, and through trial and error, I was able to come out of this experience with my own lace samples. They aren’t perfect, but the understanding of the techniques, to me, is invaluable. 

A Very Brief History:

The development of needlepoint lace is attributed to lace-makers in Venice, who became known for their craft beginning in the fifteenth century. The particular lace-making technique that I focused my efforts on became known as punto in aria, which translates to “stitch in air,” reflecting the freeform quality of the design made possible by working up the lace independent of a fabric ground. Prior to the popularization of this new technique, artisans would make lace by either embroidering on cloth and cutting out negative space (cutwork), or by pulling out specific threads from a woven cloth and stitching around the open spaces created (reticella). 

Reticella lace was the precursor for punto in aria. Because this form of lacemaking uses pre-existing woven fibers as a base, the designs associated with this technique are distinctly geometric. During the mid-sixteenth century, punto in aria emerged, and early examples mirror the geometric style of reticella, though over time, this new technique became known for the organic and freeform designs that were now possible. In essence, punto in aria involves a process of stitching a continuous thread onto parchment, outlining the design of the lace. Lace-makers could then fill in the open areas of the lace with the same filling stitches that had been used during the making of its predecessor. Once the design was complete, the lace could be removed from the parchment onto which it was originally worked. This technique was revolutionary, and the process developed by the lace-makers of Venice spread to France and is now the basis of modern needlepoint lace-making.  

Further reading: 

• A Technical History of the Manufacture of Venetian Laces (Venice- Burano) by G.M. Urbani de Gheltof

• Lace and Its Development; Venetian Point and Punto di Milano by William Mathewson Williken

Starting my journey:

The Textile Resource Center does not have much in the way of lace, with most of the collection consisting of bobbin, crochet, and machine made examples. Prior to this learning experience, I had only ever worked lace in crochet. Quinan (Rivers) Zhu, who graduated with an MFA from the Fiber and Material Studies department in 2023, donated samples of their work to the TRC, which are the only examples of needle lace in the collection. Nevertheless, these pieces are excellent examples of what is possible with the technique. These samples also give more insight into the scale at which certain stitches are made, something that is not so easily translated when looking at images in books and on the internet. Through close looking at Rivers’ samples and with the help of youtube videos, I set out to make my very own needle lace pieces.

Basic steps:

The basic steps to complete punto in aria style needle lace are as follows:

1. Draw out the outline of the design onto paper, and stabilize the paper with fabric and vellum/mylar/transparent plastic.

   • • Introduction to Needle Lace by Michael Dennis (Video)

     • Make Your Pattern Template by Mathew Gnagy (Video)

2. Trace the outline of the design with a cordonnet.

   • • Written instructions with photos and illustrations 

     • Laying the Outline or Cordonnet by Michael Dennis (Video) 

     • Prepare the Foundation Threads by Mathew Gnagy (Video)

3. Fill in the design with filling stitches.

   • • Collection of filling stitches with photos and illustrations 

4. Cover the cordonnet with buttonhole stitches.

   • • Top Stitching and Releasing the Lace by Michael Dennis (Video) 

5. Cut the lace free from the base layer.

   • • Finishing the Lace by Mathew Gnagy (Video)

Notes on resources:

I am entirely self taught when it comes to creating needle lace, which means I relied on fantastic resources that are available on the internet, and like many other fiber techniques, there are many different methods to create needle lace. As such, I referenced YouTube videos, blogs, and vintage instructional resources that have been digitally archived. Below are the resources that assisted me the most in learning this new technique.

• Michael Dennis’s Youtube series “Needlelace Made Easy”

• “How to Make Venetian Needle Lace” by Sew Historically on Youtube

• The Modern Maker’s step-by-step Punto in Aria demonstration

• Needle-Made Laces (1st Series)  from D.M.C. Library

• Royal School of Needlework needle-lace stitch bank 

Historical Examples:

• Punto in Aria Needle Lace Cuff courtesy of the Smithsonian

• Needle Lace Collar from Milan

• Needlepoint (Punto in Aria) Lace Edging courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

First attempts:

My first attempt at needle lace was only semi-successful. I started with black construction paper and scrap muslin as my base, and I used size 30 crochet thread. Very quickly I was able to get a sense of scale in terms of the size of the filling stitch that I was trying to recreate. I also made the mistake of covering the cordonnet with the buttonhole stitched before I filled in the area with the filling stitch. As a first attempt, it was successful as an orientation, but I was not confident enough in the sample’s structural integrity, so I did not attempt to remove it from the base layer.

My second partial attempt was even less noteworthy- I tried to begin with a larger twine for the cordonnet, and again I then covered this with buttonhole stitches before filling in the open design. I discovered that the twine was not suitable as a cordonnet material because it was too coarse and wide to be able to cover neatly with the buttonhole stitches. The black paper  I was using for a base was not providing enough structure to support the design, and I did not tack down the cordonnet well enough which caused the outline to pucker and distort. Ultimately, I abandoned this attempt when I realized that I was working the sample up in the incorrect order and decided to start fresh with a new attempt.

Samplers:

In order to learn the ropes and practice some new stitches before I ventured into a more difficult and complicated design, I began my first sampler (pictured below) with a simple square design split into four quadrants. Within each quadrant, I would be able to try out a different filling stitch. After doing a bit more research, I felt that paper alone would not be sturdy and durable enough to handle the design and the manipulation involved with stitching on top of it. As a solution to this problem, I first drew out the design on graph paper, and then I lined the top of the paper that would be up against the lace as I was working on it with a clear sheet of at-home laminating plastic. To complete the base, I added a layer of scrap cotton fabric to the back of the design sheet and sewed the layers together with a basting stitch. The next step involved sewing the cordonnet down along the outline of the design. For this, I used two strands of size 30 crochet thread tacked down by durable nylon upholstery thread. I did not pre-punch the holes into the base, though I would later reuse the same base for my second sample during which I sewed through the holes I had previously made.

After filling the quadrants, I finished off the sample by covering the cordonnet with buttonhole stitches and removing it from the backing. The total sampler size is approximately 2.5” x 2.5”, with each individual stitch sample measuring about 1”x1”.

I made the second sampler (pictured to the left) using the same base. Instead of two strands of size 30 crochet thread for the cordonnet, I used 4 strands this time. I worked it up in the same manner otherwise, testing out different stitches to fill the quadrants. An issue came up with this sample after I removed it from the base. The joining point of the cordonnet was not secured properly, so one side of the sampler came undone after I separated it (as seen in the top left corner of the image above).

Filling stitches used in the second sampler:

Finished lace:

After sampling, I moved on to a more complex design. The overall composition of my first finished lace piece most resembles the early punto in aria lace that was derived from the geometric patterns of reticella. Specifically, I used triangles and squares to create a design reminiscent of geometric quilt patterns. Since the outline was more complicated than previous attempts, the design required that I spend more time and use more stitches to secure the cordonnet to the backing, with the most important areas being the convergence points of multiple line segments. The skills used in the creation of the previous samplers translated easily into the angular design of this first piece. I also included some new techniques, including wrapping, spider webbing, and picots. I also used a finer, quilting thread, which allowed me to create tighter stitches, though I still used crochet thread to wrap the cordonnet with buttonhole stitches.

For my final lace piece, I attempted to emulate the style and quality of punto in aria, which is characterized by more organic and curved shapes, as opposed to a more geometric design. Doing so required the most intense cordonnet-making process of any of my prior attempts to ensure that the slight curves were all solid and secure. However,  the aspect of this final attempt that set it apart from the others was the use of fine quilting thread to complete the finishing buttonhole stitches on the outline of the design. This element produced the most accurate replica of the punto in aria technique and gave the piece an unmatched polish compared to the others. 

And that is how I taught myself how to make Venetian needle lace. It is always exciting to add another skill to my repertoire, and while by no means am I an expert, I hope that the information that I was able to provide will ultimately help others learn for themselves. 

- Sofia Herr