Having done a etage at the Atelier National du Point d'Alencon in 1980, where I made a 1" square piece of lace that took 40 hours to complete, let me say that I disagree completely with the statement that needlelace made today with bigger threads is easier. There were 5 weights of thread in my sample, and two weights of horsehair. They used only the very finest thread, no longer made. I didn't need glasses, although all the other workers used them (which was through quite remarkable - I can't do it now). It was far easier to work with the fine thread than I ever expected. The thread itself was so limp and pliable that it just fell into place naturally - it was an absolute joy to work with. I've long had a big gripe with the way most people do needlelace today, it speaks to a total lack of knowledge how manufacturing of large pieces in an industrial setting evolved the most highly effecient needlelace stitches. Nowhere will you find professional working with the needle pointing toward the body. The needle pulls away from the body, and every finger, every joint, even the fingernails have their assigned place and function. When I visited Jesurum in Venice, they made a big point about telling me how the old factories even selected workers based on similar physical characteristics to do similar jobs in the making and assembly of needlelace. The stitches have evolved for maximum ease of execution, speed, and consistency from stitch to stitch. The point d'gaz mesh is a perfect example - exactly the same loop for the mesh is made going left as going right. This results in the twist on one row and twist-and-a-half on the next row, it's actually astounding in its effeciency. There are a few very old works that address these issues, mainly in German. Virtually no modern writers (Brigitte Delesque-Depalle, who was studing at Alencon at the same time I was, is a rare exception), understands this and puts it down on paper. Agnes Stevens and Irma D'hooge-Boone for Zele lace (which I also visited and learned to make) is also an extremely good writer. The pillow needlelace of burano is also an excellent example of how efficient stitches have evolved. There is a real need for a comprehensive work on Burano needlelace technique - Vima Micheli has a few publications, but they aren't widely known. I find most modern needlelace poorly made - without the technical understanding of stitch construction, things start to look twisted and lumpy - problems which could easily be corrected with a little attention to the fundamentals. I've had a book on the 'technical history of needlelace' in progress for years. Maybe I'll finish it now. Laurie
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