Battenburg tape lace piece use.

Hello Leslie, I see you have just posted a lace lesson about this lace type @Northern Lights Lodge. I had been meaning to ask about this piece and it seems its the right time! I had already discovered it was tape lace and I think it’s Battenburg but I don’t know what this piece was used for, it may just be a remnant of a table cloth or curtain but I thought it might be a stole? It’s 56 inches long and 14 inches wide. I can’t get it all in on the photograph. Jumble sale purchase some years ago. It’s actually ivory coloured not as white as in these photos.

 

Hi @Houseful!
OOOH! a treasure! Yes, I'd say it was a Battenburg/Battenberg style tape lace. BUT, unusual in the sense that it is constructed totally of machine tapes?? Still hand assembled; but entirely with tapes. Hard to tell for sure... but I think even those adorable little "bridges" (braids) with the little baubles on them are machine! Can you take a close up of the back? The heavy flowers featured in photo #2 are very unusual also!... very pretty for so dense! I'm tempted to say that it is a hem flounce... just a leftover from a gown? Circa 1900. I can really see it highlighting a hem... with the straighter edge down and the four petal flowers up.... it is just a guess of course. But wow! Wouldn't it be stand out in that use?

Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks Leslie. Here’s a few closeups of the bridges.

 

Leslie
I was also wondering what was used to create the thick oversewn four petal flower shape in picture 5 and it’s in other areas too. Would that be a machine made piece to incorporate too? Thanks.

 

This is as close in focus as I can get.

 

Wow! That is FASCINATING! Those adorable little bubble bars MUST BE HANDMADE! You can see that the thread passes through the tape as a SINGLE thread... but then it twists around itself and there is the little bubble! The hole in the tape is too small for the bubble to have passed through; therefore the bubble MUST be some sort of hand made operation! I am going to have to experiment and see if I can figure out how they did that!!!! I will have to give this some thought and get back with you! Wow!
Leslie

 

More thoughts! I'm really intrigued now! If I wasn't before! This is VERY interesting! The close up really brings much more into focus - as it were! #1.. yes, these tapes are hand whipped together... you can see the tiny diagonal single thread stitches at 1. Number #2! WoW! I have never seen this with a Battenburg/Battenberg style lace! I was pretty sure that the adorable little "bubble bridges were hand done; but I rather think this feature clinches it! **The large "C" shape padded feature is really more of a "gros point" lace element. I'm not sure how it would have been created in this setting; but - ultimately, many threads would have had to be laid out (neatly, uniformly, "tightly" in this "C" shape and then "buttonhole stitches" laid down over the entire "C"....at the same time taking time out to create the little bubble star in the center of the "C".)... There is NO way that that "C" was "cut and pasted" into the center of that flower! It has "got" to be handworked as the design was executed! #3. Yes, these narrow machine tapes with little picots on the edges were" cut and sewn on, and then spanning the opening, sewn down on the next tape, spanned over to the next tape, sewn and then after reaching the last tape...sewn and cut. #4... the blurry thing on the right. I was trying to highlight the buttonhole stitches along the edges of the decorative tapes. I have never seen this on a Battenberg/Battenburg tape - however, I'm inclined to believe that the tapes were produced with that buttonhole stitch edge...as it seems like it would have been too time consuming to buttonhole stitch yards and yards of that decorative tape. Although possible, I believe that part to be machine produced. #5. Those darling little bubbles! The fact that they "operate" as hand made bars... ie" leaving one bar, attaching to a tape, working back to the center three way join and then returning to the original bar on the left...absolutely truly clinches it for me that these darling little bubbles are hand made! I am ENCHANTED by them! The fact that the bars are "twisted" - indicate to me that the bars and the "bubbles" were "built" by needle rather than crochet hook. But as I said; I'm GOING to experiment and see what i can come up with... they are just TOOOOO cute!

**I'm examining the close up of the 4 petal flower with the "C" shape petals... I may have to rethink that "C' feature! It is possible that the "C" shape feature and the 4 petal flower are indeed actually a machine made "chenille".... I'm doing further research!

A fascinated Leslie!

 

Great, I’m very pleased you are interested in it Leslie.
I shall try and get a photo of the whole piece as these little hand done bubble areas seem to be randomly placed.

 

Hi @Houseful

Well, NOW... I am truly flummoxed! LOL! I spent quite a spell trying to duplicate it with needle and thread; I still have a couple methods to try. In the meantime; I ended up browsing my lace book collection to see if I could find it shown, mentioned or directions for working. HA! I found at least 6 references and even some directions for cute little bubbles... but not worked the same way as the ones in your piece! The ones I found all sprout off much heavier buttonholed bars; not simple two thread twisted bars. Undaunted; I shall persevere tomorrow and see if I can "crack it"!

What an interesting piece! Till the morrow!
Leslie

 

Here’s the length Leslie. It does look unfinished regarding the bubble areas.

 

Well, they are pretty darn clear... Now back to the drawing board for me!
LOL... I still think it goes the other way around! Straight edge down!

Leslie

 

Oh, those four leaf flowers are quite heavy so I thought they were ballast!
Are these pieces hard to date?
I don’t know what I can do with it, I’ve got large frames but nothing this shape or length that would do.

 

Hi@Houseful,
As for dating ... no... it was pretty limited. 1880-1910 or so. And particularly that one which is so ornate... would fall right in to the mid time frame I think!

LOL... I get what you are saying about "ballast"! Hmmmm... although it could be...
I still see it this way... trimming the bottom of a skirt. If it does go "ballast" down; the only use I see for it is a flat valance. Actually, I can see it like this "ballast" up - with "O" rings behind the 4 petal flowers to act as a flat valance at the entrance to a parlor also... hmmm... lots of juicy possibilties! Is the area about 3/4 of the way across to the right - the area that you thought had a lack of bubbles?? It looks more "open" in this photo.

I spent the day going through more lace reference books - OMG I have too many! I did see a few photos that kind of looked like your bubbles... but; nothing that was clear enough that I could be sure. Tomorrow, if I get a chance I'm going to experiment around a little. Too tired tonight.

I love the research and trying to figure things out! This one has been fun!
Cheerio,
Leslie

 

Hi @Houseful Ok... I think maybe I have it... This was found in Mary Thomas's Embroidery Book originally published in 1936. I have a Dover Reprint. Anyway; they show three different "bubbles" which they are calling picots.


Although your example 'appears' to just be two twisted threads (which make up the bar - off which the picot pops)... I can't find any reference to any thing being made that way. My own tries resulted in nothing - the method would just "fall apart". Therefore; perhaps the bars in your piece are just very quickly made - more less sloppy bars with only one or two button hole stitches on the span of the bar. Then employing one of the latter two methods (fig 107 or 108) to make the "bubble" picot.




#2. shows the "bubble" picot coming off a double bar - your's is definitely not like that. But #1 shows it coming off a single bar... and I think that looks quite similar! So perhaps we've figured it out! Whew! Hope you enjoyed the search as much as I did!
Leslie

 

I did enjoy the search thanks. This has been sitting around in a drawer for years so it’s been nice to find out more about it.