Vintage patterns and making

How to make Point Lace- vintage victorian instructions, patterns and pictures.

We have just digitised 2 booklets on how to make pretty and stunning point lace in the victorian style. Point lace is made by taking different types of fine braids and then infilling with stitches. Both booklets are by Weldons and are titled Practical Point Lace

You can see in the second cover how the lace is formed by the braid and infill stitches

Why is it called Point lace?well according to a victorian source, 'point' is the french word for a stitch of any description as used in needlework- so the name point lace signifies lace made in stitches- Point de Bruxelle, Point de Venise and so on. Modern (eg Victorian!) lace work is also known as renaissance work, which means a lace having the from of the design in braid, with the intervening spaces filled in with stitches. How those stitches are worked determines the beauty of the lace work.

You can see here some of the different stitches used- this example is also worked on a net base.

This is a lovely example of a victorian collar worked in Point lace- you can clearly see here the different filling stitches.

This pretty cake doily too shows the beauty of the different infill stitches.

Another pretty collar.

All of these designs are in the booklets along with many others. You can find the digitalised ebooklets  on our Vintage Visage website by clicking here 

How to make Limerick lace- vintage victorian instructions and photos

Limerick lace is so dainty and so beautiful.  This is a our second booklet that we have digitalised for you which shows how to make the stitches and examples of pretty Limerick lace to make.

Limerick lace is unusual in lace in that it is really embroidery onto net. You can see from the examples above and below how pretty it can be- its a very good lace for wedding and bridal items as nets and veils can be made to look very beautiful.

According to the introduction in the booklet, it is also unusual in that it differs from other Irish laces as it was a purely commercial enterprise started by an Englishman who married the daughter of a Nottingham lace manufacturer.In 1829 he settled in Limerick and took over a number of lace workers to teach lace making to the women of Limerick

This lovely and informative ebooklet was first published in 1902 so it is now over 100 years old, and it shows some wonderful examples of made lace, and also how to stretch the net over a frame, and has picture and instructions of how to make a large number of the fancy stitches to infill into the netting.

It is a craft which will not take long to master as the stitches are quite simple, but will take a long time to execute as the stitches are necessarily small as they are worked onto fine netting. If you are a design entrepreneur or a textile artist then you may be able to work out a way doing this in a large scale with bigger netting which might be very interesting.....

You can find the ebooks to purchase as pdf downloads on our Vintage Visage website by clicking here which will take you straight to the correct page

How to make pretty vintage irish crochet lace edgings

We have been digitalising a number of very old vintage lace edgings patterns lately which we have rescued from very old publications which were literally falling apart!

One of our favourites is this set of 3 irish crochet lace edgings

As you can see, they are all very delicate and pretty- and the bottom 2 have a lovely and simple to make irish crochet flower in the centres- you could also make these individually on their own to make pins and brooches. You can use the original fine yarns to make tiny flowers, or why not use some modern thicker yarns to make the flowers larger too?

In fact, if you used modern thicker yarns to make these designs, you could have some very pretty lariat scarves. 

All the instructions for making these edges are included in the pattern on the website which is available by clicking here   At Vintage Visage we include a translation of crochet terms from UK to USA terms- its actually much easier than you think to translate, as the stitches are the same, we just call them a different name! We also have lots more patterns and instructions for many other edgings too- enjoy browsing!

Victorian Vintage crochet doily patterns for afternoon tea parties

We have a large number of very pretty patterns on the Vintage Visage website for doilies. On this post we are gong to show you some of the lovely victorian doily patterns available- they are over 100 hundred years old and are so very pretty.....

You can make them in the original white fine yarns to make beautiful tea time table accessories, or you could make them slightly bigger by using maybe a 2 ly yarn and having doilies for the bigger cake or sandwich plates on the tea table- try using lots of different pastel colours too.....

This one has a linen centre and pretty little crochet butterflies that can be made on their own and scattered around the table- try making them in lots of bright colours, and also make them into pins ad brooches- soo pretty...

Another one with a linen centre and this time little carnation flowers which again can be made on their own and scattered around the table or used as pins or brooches...
This one has a cockle shell design and lovely pointy edges...

This diamond design doily is a little more complicated to make, but is lovely, 

With this doily design, you could make the circular design on its own with thicker yarn, make it twice and then sew the 2 together with an opening at the top to make a pretty little bag

This design is called a 'Manx' design as it has the familiar 3 part design reminiscent of the Isle of Man  3 leg logo 

This one is not to difficult to make - when you get past the pattern part then it is mainly chains and loops- which are nice and simple to do. This one you could find would also drape nicely over the top of a milk jug or sugar bowl to protect the content from flies and other wee beasty insects! Which would be another pretty addition to your vintage tea table

As always, the patterns for these pretty victorian tea time doilies can be found on the Vintage Visage website by clicking here- along with lots of others too!- Enjoy!

Vintage Victorian Hardanger Embroidery Instructions booklet pdf

We have 2 booklets of instructions for Hardanger Embroidery on the Vintage Visage website. The booklets date from the early 1900s Victorian era and have instructions and illustrations of how to work and make the embroidery.

Hardanger embroidery is said to have originated from Denmark where there is a city named Hardanger, and was also worked in Norway and Sweden. However- the origin of this type of embroidery can be seen as far back as ancient persia and Asia where it was worked in silk and a fine gauze netting.

As you can see from the illustrations, its a sort of mixutre of embroidery, cut work and drawn thread. It was used to make 

"pillow slips, tea-cloths, sideboard cloths, tray cloths, mats, sheet decoration, centre pieces, collars and cuffs, aprons, blouse trimmings, belts and button ornamentation. Indeed, each and every article designed for  household or personal use can be ornamented with this work, which is not difficult to learn and not expensive to do...."

And as you can see from the illustrations above, the ebooklets give you comprehensive instructions and very good illustrations to show you exactly how to work the stitches

Its an interesting skill to learn, and inside each of the 2 booklets there are lots of ideas and designs for anyone wishing to research more about Hardanger, or as it says on the second booklet, Hardangen, embroidery

If you wish to purchase the ebooklets along with other Victorian Embroidery instructions-- they are available by clicking here which will take you directly to the Vintage Visage website- enjoy!

Joan of arc helmet hat crochet pattern

Sometimes in our researching we come across interesting  and intriguing little items like this one. This Joan of Arc helmet hat dates from the early 1900s and we are racking our brains to think what it may have been designed and used for at that time. 

We must admit that we do rather like it, although we would possibly make it a bit less austere by adding some crocheted or fabric sewn flowers to the side.

Has anyone got any ideas what this hat would have been designed for at that time? Was it a fashion item (and to go with which fashions?...) or somehow a functional item? But for what? All ideas and suggestions gratefully received. The pattern is available on the Vintage Visage website for those interesting in making it.

Vintage Carrickmacross Lace patterns and instructions ebook

Carrickmacross is a very pretty lace which is not dissimilar to Limerick lace. Here at Vintage Visage we have several antique lace making publications that we have digitalised, and this wonderful ebooklet dating from over 100 years ago shows you exactly how to make Carrickmacross lace,and has photos of how to sew each filling stitch too.

We have carefully digitalised each page so that it is a wonderful instructional item for you to use. it has instructions for working Carrickmacross applique too- see how clearly it shows you how to do it

It takes you step by step through Carrickmacross lace, Carrickmarcoss applique and Carrickmacross guipure. If you are interested in making antique laces or also updating the techniques of antique laces to today fashion or home decor wear then its worth having a look at our digitalised ebooks on the Vintage Visage website- we have a range of ebooklets that can be ordered and then will be emailed to you within 24 hours of your payment so that you can get started making gorgeous items asp! Click here to go there

Vintage limerick lace patterns and instructions

Limerick lace is so pretty and delicate and beautiful

Like Carrickmacross lace, Limerick lace is worked on a background of net stretched over a frame. The design is first outlined with a fine cotton or flax thread, and then the various insides of the design are then filled with fancy darning and net stitches.

You can see from these photos just how pretty it can be. We think that there is a place for this to be modernised for an enterprising designer too- maybe made with a thicker net and yarns for an experiment perhaps?

Vintage Visage have a digitalised  publication which dates from over 100 years ago to instruct in the making of Limerick lace- this can be ordered from the website- the link is below the next photo-  and it will be emailed to you within 24 hours of your purchase as a pdf file. Its a lovely publication and is very informative, with very pretty illustrations.

Click here for your chance to order this lovely lace making ebook- 

We have many other antique lace making and embroidery ebooks on the site too, so please enjoy browsing..,,

 

Vintage ostrich feather crochet pattern from Downton Abbey era

Did you know that you can crochet faux ostrich feathers? We found this fabulous and quite rare very old antique vintage pattern to show you just how to do it....the pattern dates from the early part of the 20th century- just at the time when Downton Abbey is set. So, if you would love to emulate the wonderful feathered hats from  that era but would prefer not to use real feathers then this pattern is for you.

We think these crocheted feathers have great potential- once you have made one from the instructions and understand the process, then you should be able to make them in lots of different sizes and yarns- they would look fantastic made in lots of creams and whites, but equally as good in bright parrot colours too. 

Use them for music hall hats, decorating scarves and accessories and even for home decor!

You can find the pattern to download from the Vintage Visage website- you can go instantly there by clicking the text after the photo below- have fun

Click here to go to the pattern on the website

We do have crochet hats patterns for the same era too, so do take a look around

 

Vintage easy make shrug knitting pattern- over 100 years old

Shrugs are one of the more popular types of knitting and crochet patterns. Whether its because a lot of us like to have warm shoulders, or because they are easy to make (most shrugs are made in basically a straight piece of knitted or crocheted fabric ) or whether its because  they are easy to fit-(as they tend to stretch over the back and shoulders, then there is not a lot of fitting or worrying about sizing-) we are not entirely sure. But we do know that lots of people like to make them.

This one is quite beautiful and like a lot of old patterns, deceptively easy to make. Its knitted, and there ar eno complicated stitches needed to make this shrug- you just need to know basic knitting stitches. Its over one hundred years old but would still look good today with modern fashions. Anyone can wear this look, from youngsters to the elderly (who are young at heart, we know!) its not only practical , but pretty.

You could make it in creams and whites, either smooth or with textured stripes for wedding and bridal wear. You could make it in neutrals and earthy colours to go with linens and soft cottons- or you could make it in lots of vibrant rainbow stripes to use up lots of your  odds and ends of yarns! 

it looks as if it has a complicated frill at the neck- but when you see it from the back you can see how simple it is to make...

We have lots of shrug and bolero patterns for you to make- find them here and we are always adding more as we find them. Enjoy!