English Rosettes (No. 8).—Another beautiful style of English point. It is a kind of spot, which looks like the miniature of the rosette on a baby’s cap, whence its name is derived. A single spot is only used in one space, and the size is to be suited to it. The open space is crossed with four, six or eight twisted threads; the last thread to be twisted only to the centre, where all are to be firmly joined by working one or two tight button-hole stitches. Make the rosette by passing the needle round one thread and under the next, then round that and under the succeeding; continue until you have made a rosette as large as the space requires, working from four to ten times round. Stop at the single thread, twist round it, and fasten off.
Mechlin Lace (No. 9).—This is one of the most beautiful, and at the same time, complicated stitches in the list. Those who have worked it, however, all confess that the effect amply repays the trouble. It is worked thus: A number of diagonal bars, each of a single thread, cross each other in the space to be filled up, at the distance of one quarter of an inch from each other. Then all the bars in one direction are to be covered with button-hole stitch. Begin in the opposite direction, in the same way, and work it nearly to the crossing of the two. Pass the thread loosely round the cross twice, slipping the needle under one and over another thread, so as to form the small circle seen in the engraving. This is to be covered with button-hole stitch; and as, from the looseness of the thread, it is otherwise somewhat troublesome to work it, pin it down on the paper with a second needle. In the middle of each quarter of every alternate round, a dot is to be worked thus: instead of drawing the thread tight, as usual, put in the loop a pin, which is to keep it about the eighth of an inch in length. On this loop work three button-hole stitches; and withdraw the pin, and continue the round.
Valenciennes Lace (No. 20,) has a very heavy appearance, and contrasts admirably with lighter stitches. A space to be so filled up has a number of radiating threads, meeting, in a common centre, to be very closely darned with extremely fine thread.
Henriquez Lace (No. 11), is, on the contrary, a very light and delicate stitch. It must never be done with coarser thread than Evans’s boar’s head, 120. With this make a diagonal line across the space to be so filled in, and return your needle to the point you began from, by twisting the thread back again. Make another line, parallel with this one, and not more than the tenth of an inch from it. Twist it over four times, then on the single and double thread form a spot, by darning the three backwards and forwards about sixteen times. To do this, you must separate the two threads twisted together whenever you make a spot. Continue twisting your needle round the single thread, for the space of one quarter of an inch, when you will form another dot. Repeat until this line is finished. Make similar ones at one quarter of an inch apart in the entire space; and then cross them with others, worked in precisely the same manner, in exactly the opposite direction. Take care that where the lines cross each other the thread is twisted between the first bar and the second, that a small, clear square may be maintained.
Cordovan Lace (No. 12), is similar to the preceding, but less delicate and less troublesome. Two twisted bars are made the tenth of an inch apart, and a third single one, in going back on which the spots are worked on two twisted threads and the single one. They are also crossed by similar ones, the crossing of the threads forming a diamond of four holes.
CONNECTING BARS are stitches used in the various kinds of point lace, to unite different parts. The most simple is the
Sorrento Bar (No. 13), which is made by passing a thread from one part to another, fastening it by a tight stitch, and twisting the thread back on the bar thus formed; pass the thread round until it appears as much twisted as a rope.
Bars in Alencon Point (No. 14).—This is almost the same as our common herring bone stitch, but the needle is passed under the last thread after every stitch before taking another, which twists the two together. Where the space is more than half-an-inch wide, it is requisite to pass the needle more than once under after every stitch.
Venetian Bars (No. 15).—Pass the needle backwards and forwards two or three times, and work the bar thus formed in close button-hole stitch. If it be a cross bar, work the button-hole stitch half the length; make the bar in the opposite direction, work that; and if another is required, do the same before finishing the first bar.
Edged Venetian Bars (No. 16) are merely the above edged on each side with Brussels or Sorrento edging.