DIY "Venetian lace" technique: description, diagrams and recommendations

A bit of history

The birthplace of the world-famous Venetian lace is a very small village, located far from large settlements. Perhaps that is why the secret of creating amazing picturesque ornaments was hidden from the public for quite some time.

The technique of Venetian lace was developed at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries. In those days, it had signs of a border, that is, it was a long strip with a simple pattern and an edge in the form of teeth. It was used to decorate collars, cuffs, aprons and dresses.

Over time, the ornament became more complicated and new elements were added. The very configuration of the lace fabric also changed, it became wider and wider,turned into a full-fledged fabric. Now dresses, underwear, boleros, shoes, accessories and other products are made from it.

Legend about the origin of technology

Venetians are happy to tell everyone about how Venetian lace was invented. This legend has become their property.

According to the story, this unique technique was invented by a skilled girl who was given an unusual seaweed as a gift by her lover, a sailor. Then it was called "mermaid lace".

Waiting for her beloved from swimming and escaping boredom, the girl began to weave lace, choosing unusual algae as an example.

Features of Venetian lace

The appearance of this type of lace is very specific: its front side contains convex elements (lines, knots, flower centers and small petals), while the reverse side remains smooth. In the original, when working on the creation of the next pattern, the craftswomen did not use any basis. The outline was a thick thread folded several times. It was laid along the lines of the pattern marked on the parchment and fixed at the intersections.

Then, using thinner thread and needles, the craftswomen filled in the gaps between the main lines with a grid and other decorative elements. To get voluminous fragments, lace-makers put horsehair inside the lines. They were then very tightly sheathed with thread, not allowing the base to look through the layer of threads. This method is called "stitch in the air".

Popularitylace

Today, the original voluminous Venetian lace is extremely valuable, as the process of its manufacture is very laborious. Of course, the high cost is not an obstacle for eminent fashion designers. They are happy to use this decor to decorate dresses, bags and other creations.

Such products invariably come out delicate and luxurious. Among the latest developments of the famous brand Dolce & Gabbana, you can see many models containing elements of Venetian lace.

Magical Metamorphosis

There is good news for those who like to knit - the technique of creating Venetian lace can be embodied in a hook. Thanks to the innovative approach to knitting introduced by Mademoiselle Riego de Blancardier, patient and careful craftswomen can knit Venetian lace with their own hands.

True, the resulting canvas only superficially resembles the work of Italian enthusiasts and is called Irish lace.

This name is familiar to many who have tried to crochet something more complicated than booties. Extremely beautiful, openwork fabrics of Irish lace are collected from separately connected motifs and elements. The gaps are filled with an irregular mesh of very fine thread.

Learn more about the technique of Irish lace

Irish or Venetian crochet lace is knitted from yarn of completely different colors. True, the production of white or pastel cotton products can be considered a classic.

Elements and motifs can be of any shape:

Traditional flowers.
Leaves.
Curls.
Birds, fish and butterflies.
Geometric ornaments.

The selected fragments are knitted, trying to give them maximum rigidity. It is not necessary to form relief lines, but such a technique will make the canvas look like Venetian lace. Patterns for knitting long openwork stripes are also relevant when working with stacked lace.

How to collect elements into a whole canvas

When all the planned motifs are connected, they should be laid out on a full-size pattern of the future product. Placed items must be securely fastened.

To do this, the pattern is placed on a board stuffed with foam or foam. It is very convenient to pin placed elements to such a basis. Then the points of contact of the motifs are sewn together with a needle, and the gaps are filled with an irregular grid.

There are many subtleties inherent in the manufacture of Irish lace. Within the framework of this article, only the most important ones will be indicated:

Grid cells must be of minimum size, otherwise the canvas will come out shapeless.
The canvases look good, in which the mesh is knitted from yarn much thinner than the material of the motifs.
The bottom edge of the product, neck, cuffs and open armholes must be tied. Otherwise, the edges will quickly stretch and will not hold their shape.
Care should be taken to securely hide the tails of the cut threads. This can be done with a needle.
Steam finishedthe canvas needs to be inside out.

Venetian lace: decoupage applications

Elements characteristic of the Venetian lace technique are often used to decorate various items. Narrow ribbons are wound or glued to glass vases, flowers and leaves are cut out and used in decoupage. In the world, such a technique is called Pizzi Goffre, and in the Runet - Venetian lace.

A master class on its proper use is suggested below. This technique allows you to create a voluminous and very beautiful decor on a variety of surfaces: on bottles, jewelry boxes, photo frames.

Materials and sequence of work

To decorate a bottle, you will need:

The bottle itself (glass jar, vase or other item).
A piece of lace (a new canvas or a piece of unwanted clothing).
Other decor for decoupage (cards, rice paper, patterned napkins).
Strong adhesive for bonding fabric to glass.
PVA glue for other works.
Acrylic primer and paints.
Water-based varnish.
Acrylic putty and a tool for its application (small spatula, palette knife).
Brushes, napkin for drying hands.

First of all, the bottle should be wiped with a degreasing solution (alcohol or acetone). Then a primer is applied to its surface, usually light-colored acrylic paint.

The next step is to cut out a section of laceand glue it to the side of the bottle. When the fabric is attached to the surface, carefully glue it with a brush on the front side.

In this position, the work should be left for a day to dry.

Then you can start applying putty. Often this material is used to neutralize the defects of wooden surfaces and facilitate decoupage. Venetian lace is quite voluminous and dense, so you can't rely on glue alone. You should play it safe and treat the protruding edges with putty.

To obtain careless irregularities, this material can be randomly distributed over the rest of the surface. This layer should also dry thoroughly (at least a day).

Next, you need to completely varnish the entire bottle. After it dries, the lace should be tinted with oil paint, and the remnants should be wiped off with a damp cloth. As a result, the paint remains only in the recesses, which gives the product an antique effect.

The next step is to continue decorating: apply the background color, place the roses cut out of the napkin. Paper fragments must be carefully and carefully smeared with a brush with PVA glue.

Shutting down

After the bottle dries well, it must be covered with several layers of varnish. Now the product can be considered complete.

If desired, before this stage, you can apply a two-phasecraquelure varnish for the formation of decorative cracks. It should be noted that its use requires drying the work for another day. The resulting cracks will need to be touched up with oil paint, and then varnished.

Products in this technique look good, decorated with paint with a metallic effect, beads, ribbons and twine.

Two-color pattern: diagrams and description of the technique

Surprisingly bright, unique and extremely simple two tone jacquard pattern. Lazy jacquard can be done by beginner needlewomen, and products with this pattern are stylish, elegant and very warm

Romanian lace: principles of work, diagrams and description

Laid out and fixed in the desired sequence, the cord is complemented by openwork fragments made with a needle. In this way, webs of various configurations and degrees of filling are obtained. Often, lace lace includes crocheted elements: leaves, berries, voluminous or flat motifs