MACEIO. Bobbin lace of coarse texture and fiber design made, with cotton thread, by natives of Brazil. Maceio, in the province of Alogoa, is the center of the industry. MACHINE NET. Made as early as 1560 and dates its origin from the invention of the stocking frame by William Lee, a Nottingham weaver who experienced much difficulty in producing his machine, the English authorities opposing its construction as inimical to the interests of the working people. Lee died poor in France in 1610; his brother, James Lee, eventually introduced the machine. In 1760 lace was produced in such quantities in England that many efforts were made to adapt this stocking frame to its manufacture. From 1760 to 1770 Crane, Else and Harvey, Hammond, John Lindley, Holmes, Robert Frost, Morris, were all prominent in their efforts to accomplish this end. The warp machine devised by the Englishman Crane in 1775 was one of the most important steps. It was taken up by France, Spain, Italy and Germany. Even Louis XVI in 1774 adapted the Else and Harvey machine and fine French applique laces were mounted on this crude knitted netting. In 1778-1791 the French made their own machines. From that date down to 1810 when the English Heathcoat machine was obtainable, the lists of all the lace machines that were invented in France indicated extraordinary interest in the subject. A tariff was even placed upon English laces of this character in order that the French machine-made article should be properly developed. But all these early nets were produced on adaptations of the stocking frame and the mesh was of a character that unraveled.
For fifty years inventors struggled to build a machine that would make a fast mesh, but it was not until 1808 that Heathcoat succeeded, and by 1810 his net had become so successful that in Nottingham alone 1800 people were employed at needle-running and tambouring on this net. .
The first machine produced narrow strips only. They had to be joined together.
The first factory operating twisted mesh or fast mesh machines was built in 1810 in Loughborough and soon machines were in operation producing laces in eighteen, thirty, thirty-six and fifty-four-inch widths. .. The invention of machine net came at a time when the art of hand-made net was almost extinct. Queen Adelaide put the stamp of approval upon machine net by ordering a dress of Honiton (bobbin) sprigs on machine net. The wedding dress of Queen Victoria was of Honiton applique on machine net. Those of the Princess, Royal, Princess Alice and the Princess of Wales were all of Honiton, mounted on machine net. Royal approval soon gave to applique work great prosperity.
With the introduction of machine net the entire traditions of lace-making were upset and by 1830 lace-makers of Macrame cushion. all kinds produced simple motifs or parts which they applied to the net, destroying thus the consistency of their work and demolishing types. MACRAME. PUNTO A GROPPO. (It.) Often cailed by the Spanish Fleco Morisco. Macrame is one of the oldest types of lace, being one of the two kinds of knotted work; macrame and tatting. The term knotted does not apply to the knot or tie of the needle-point or crochet, but to the distinct knot made with the fingers, a positive knot. It must be obvious that the only way this knot can be made is where the operator has the ends of the thread in hand and as a result when the work is finished these end threads are frequently allowed to hang loose, fringe like; when they are cut close the macrame characteristic is not apparent and one is often thus confused in knotted lace.
Though frequently found in the work of the Eastern nations, the intricate knotted lace of Italy may be said to date from the Fifteenth Century. We find references to knotted laces in the very earliest Italian records. It was adopted for the ornamentation of church vestments and, for a long time, for dress purposes, especially for the poorer people, particularly for the trimming of underwear. During this period of its use the ends were tied close and there was no fringe or loose ends.
When pillow lace became popular, during the latter part of the Sixteenth Century, through the new methods introduced by Barbara Uttmann, that kind of lace was most commonly made, and knotted lace, more difficult to produce and usually heavier, went out for dress purposes. Under the name "macrame," it was applied mainly to household purposes, namely, the trimming of furniture, beds, household linens, and the fringe ends for this purpose became an added feature.
MADAGASCAR. A lace of little value, bobbin character.
MADEIRA LACES. Madeira bobbin industry imitates European examples. The islands are chiefly famous for their embroideries
MADRAS. Bobbin lace imitating the designs and nettings of Maltese black and white silk guipure, made in Madras. In trade the term Madras applies usually to an article that is not lace, but an open-mesh fabric. The Scotch or French madras goods are shown with double warp threads that twist around each other between each crossing of the filling shuttle. MADRID (Spain). As early as 1766 a factory was established in Madrid for the manufacture of silk and thread lace.
MAGLIA. (It.) Mesh.
MALINES. A term applying to bobbin laces of the Mechlin character. Before 1665 nearly all lace made in Flanders was called Maline. Mechlin is made with the finest thread. A shiny plait or cordonnet usually surrounds the sprigs and dots. 
MALTA. Real Maltese and Armenian laces made here.
MALTESE. Bobbin lace made in Malta since the commencement of the Sixteenth Century. At that time the character of design was like Mechlin or Valenciennes without the fine ground. Now resembles Greek guipures and is made both in thread and in black and white silk; known as the Barcelona silk. Occasionally some raised stitches are worked but usually the patterns are simple and geometrical in character, including the Maltese Cross and seed-like dots, called "mosca."
MANILLESE. Kind of drawn threadwork combined with embroidery; does not resemble lace to a great extent. Sometimes the fiber is tatted or twisted in loops. Made in the Philippine Islands with Manilla grass.
MANTILLA. Principal form of lace manufactured in Spain and used in the national head dress of the women. There are three kinds: light, which is the color for the Spanish lady on state occasions; black blonde lace Mantilla; head dress for ordinary wear made of silk and trimmed with black velvet and lace.
MANX. A great smuggling depot for French laces. Native laces were on the order of coarse Valenciennes.
MARGHERITA. Lace-like fabric made by embroidery on machine-made net. An invention of the Nineteenth Century named after the present Queen of Italy and made in Venice in large quantities.
MARIS ANTOINETTE, wife of Louis XVI, patron of the French arts. The name to-day is applied to a type of lace curtain with cord applique sprays combined with tape bow-knots, flowers and leaves appliqued.
MAELI. French pillow-made lace of the Eighteenth Century. Consists of innumerable little square spots covered over with gauzy tulle, which was frequently further embellished with light embroidery. The patterns, whenever there are any, are composed of different little dots, or rosettes, but more often of little spots called point d'esprit.
MASCHES. OUVRAGES MASCHES. Medieval darned net of Italy.
|
MECHLIN. Light-looking bobbin lace, the close portions of the flowers and ornaments being more filmy than those of Valenciennes laces. It is the most supple of all laces, but a
fine bright thread that outlines all the ornamental shapes in it. At first the ornamental shapes in it. At first the snowy ground (fond de neige) was used, but later a normal type of net ground, the small hexagonal meshes somewhat resembling Brussels pillow net but with shorter plaited sides to each mesh, was adopted. Mechlin ground greatly Mechlin lace was in great demand during the reign of Louis XV and rococo style of ornament prevailed in the designs. Under Louis XVI floral sprays and delicate interlacing designs were used and later the patterns consisted of odd scatterings of tiny blossoms, usually carnations or roses, tiny dots, etc. The district between Mechlin and Louvaine has always been celebrated for its make of Mechlin lace. Lille Arras laces are of nearly the same character, the meshes being twisted instead of plaited. The country about Bayeux makes a similar lace of fine thread.
MEDICI POINT. French needle-point relief outline, heavy 'lace of the_ Sixteenth Century.
MEDICIS. This lace occupies a position between torchon and Cluny and resembles each. It is heavier than torchon and in most respects is the same as Cluny except that the small elliptical "paddles" that appear in all Clunies are omitted. The finest is made at Creponne, but Le Puy and Mirecourt also produce it.
MENIN. A town in West Flanders, Belgium, famous for its Valenciennes laces.
MERAN. ' Village of France, near Lyons, where considerable blonde laces are made.
MERLETTI A PIOMBINI. (It.) Lace made by the use of lead bobbins.
MERLETTO. {It.) Lace.
MIDDLESEX. English district famous for early bobbin laces. Early black and white blonde laces.
MIGNONETTE. Light, fine bobbin lace popular in the middle of the Sixteenth Century. Made in Paris and Lorraine. Won favor because of its lightness and delicacy.
MILAN POINT. Heavy plaited lace of Sixteenth Century made in Italy. Patterns usually of flowing scrolls and blossoming flowers. The flowers were flat and wrought with the appearance of compactly woven linen. Here and there, somewhat sparsely, would be introduced open filling or else small holes would be left to lighten the tapelike effect of the close web. Repeated parts or ties used as a ground in the earlier patterns were admirably set off in curved and scroll devices. Milan point is now used as a trade term for a machine made lace, the edge of the pattern silk run.
MIRECOURT. Bobbin-made lace, resembling that of Lille lace, has been made in the neighborhood of Mirecourt since the Seventeenth Century and the town has formed the headquarters of the district. About seventy years ago flowers and sprigs, imitating the Brussels patterns, were attempted with great success at Mirecourt. These sprigs are mounted upon a machine-made ground, as in the modern Honiton applique.
MONAGHAN. County in Ireland, where some types of Carrickmacross and Irish crochet are made.
MONTMORENCY. In the neighborhood of Arras, where bobbin laces were at one time made in great quantities.
MOORISH LACE. Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century lace, similar to Maltese; made at Morocco. MOSAIC LACE. Term used for certain patterns in Veuise lace. In modern examples it is applied to laces of Duchesse character. Sprigs help to build up the patterns which are sometimes enriched with medallions and needle-point.
Moscow. Old Venise point lace of a coarse type, is often sold as Point de Moscow, although the term is applied to the earliest Italian reproductions in Russian laces.
MZERESK. Town in Russia where simple and coarse quality bobbin laces were made |