Dutch lace

Pottenkant, Antwerp or Dutch lace characteristics and information about a Dutch lace workshop.

Pottenkant or Dutch Lace

Also called Antwerp lace, I believe. The 6 pointed star mesh is Kat Stitch. – or Point de Paris.

I wonder what kind of lace was actually made in Holland then – ‘s Gravenmoerse lace does seem to have been around in the 17th century, but I’m guessing the lace techniques that actually do come from Holland are generally more recent: certainly Withof is relatively recent.  Did come across a brief mention (in a Dutch publication) of a lace called Pottenkant (translated literally – pot lace) does anyone know anything about that?

Interesting that it’s called Dutch lace even though it was made in Flanders / Belgium. If you study it carefully I guess there is a certain similarity between the lace on the website and the picture with the workshop description! I’ve been revising my Dutch history (which is ridimentary to say the least – doesn’t get a mention in our schools apart from people like Abel Tasman!) The Netherlands didn’t exist as such in the 17th century and most of what is now Holland and Belgium was occupied by Spain (lots of religious persecution etc).

In Linens & Lace by E Kyrella  she says that it is a lace with “symmetrical,
mirror-image desings of flower-pots. It evolved to include any lace with a complex 6 pointed star or similar mesh.”

“Sometimes referred to as Antwerp lace or cap lace. Between the 16th and the 20th century, it was made in Mechlin, Lier, Turnhout and as far as Ghent.  This lace is a continuos bobbin type of lace, often with an unspun gimp with various grounds. The most often seen are the Paris Point ground (kat stitch) or the cinq trous ground.

It was developed by the Flemish manufacturers and was widely used in the
northern region of the Netherlands.  The design was developed in the 17th century and gradually changed to resemble what was made in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was highly influenced by the baroque styling with a symmetrical urn or pot, spilling out flowers.   Used for women’s caps, it was coarser than the light and airy Mechlins etc., but much better suited for the washing and wearing that these laces were subjected to.”

Claeys Lace shop is in Brugge and wonderful, you can spend many hours just browsing and purchasing.  If you are ever in Brugge it is certainly worth a visit

Linda and I looked up Dutch lace a couple of weeks ago when we found out we
got in to the workshop in Melbourne, and this is what we found:

Dutch lace 17th century Characteristics:
* Lace with continuous thread technique.
* The motifs are mostly cauliflower or chrysanthemum design.
* The motifs are worked very densely in clothstitch with jours or small holes.
* The motifs are surrounded by a ring of wholestitch.
* The motifs are not suurounded by a contouring thread.
* The borders are mostly straight, at one side with picots.
* The ground is mostly Point de Paris in clothstitch or whole stitch.
* As the linen thread is very fine the ground looks like being plaited.
Although it bears the name Dutch lace, the lace was made in Flandres

There won’t be any sewings so Midlands bobbins will be fine. To my mind
looking at the pictures and reading the article, it will be quite familiar in its method of working, to anyone who has done the other laces of this type (Flanders, Point de Paris, Valenciennes, Binche) – except with a thicker thread than what I am used to using for these laces (Bockens linen 80/2 is the recommended thread for the workshop).  I am really looking forward to the workshop.

The LOKK (Landelijke Organisatie Kant Kunst, the lace guild of The Netherlands has a page of Dutch lace terms with line drawings illustrating the technique, which would have come in useful a while back – eg vetergatslag is there.
http://www.lokk.nl/

The techniques are those used in their free patterns, archived on:

http://www.lokk.nl/gratispatronen/gratis_patroon.php
Assuming you are using Midlands bobbins, its a good idea to also pack 4 or more safety pins, the silver ones about 1 inch long.  When Victoria hands you some elastic bands for use with pattern 5, get out your safety pins instead, you’ll find them much more helpful – not telling why, you can wait and find out!

Would somebody who did the above class please look at the pricking for pattern 5. I think there may be an error in the 5th repeat on the right hand side. I am counting an extra pin hole in both the curve and the footside of the arch on the right side only – at least I think that is the problem.

Haven’t got that far down the pricking yet – but I’ve just had a look at it, and yes, you are right. Victoria did say she draws the patterns up by hand, so it’s easy to mis-count. Or maybe she did it on purpose to keep us on our toes!

Did any of the other workshops get onto Hollandse Kant (or Hollandaise, as some insisted on calling it)? the ground is similar to Paris ground but is supposed to be done without pins; I’ve done another couple of cm of my sample and there is NO WAY I’m leaving the pins out! Rationale – these laces were made when pins were scarse and very expensive. If they’d had limitless numbers of cheap pins they would have used them too!

I’ve made a note so that when I get to the 5th repeat on the pattern so I’ll
remember to change it!