Youghal lace
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_LACMA_M.68.20.jpg) Wedding handkerchief of linen trimmed with Youghal lace | |
| Type | Lace |
|---|---|
| Production method | Needle lace |
| Production process | Craft production |
| Place of origin | Youghal, Ireland. |
| Introduced | 1845 |
Youghal lace (or Point d'Irlande) is a needle lace inspired by Italian needle lace and developed in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland.
Youghal Lace was perhaps the most successful of the nineteenth century Irish needlelaces. In 1845 Mother Mary Ann Smith (d.1872), one of the Presentation Sisters, unpicked some Italian lace to discover the techniques used to make it, and then taught them to local women.[1] The Convent Lace School was opened in Youghal in 1852.[2] Youghal lace was made to a high standard and employed a wide variety of motifs. It was therefore able to survive as a commercial product until the First World War, which saw the general demise of handmade lacemaking.[3]
Characteristics
Youghal Lace is considered a true lace as it is created with a sewing needle and thread only. It was created in Youghal and Kenmare.[4] It was mostly used for fans, collars, cuffs and ecclesiastical trimmings. It is a flat needlepoint lace with no cordon nets. It uses a ladder like buttonhole stitches around each motif and edges decorated with a 'Venetian Stitch' or knotted border. The designs are primarily of flowers such as roses, anemones and fuchsia, with spiky shaped leaves. The shading of the petals are a result of the closeness of the buttonhole stitches.[5] There were at least fifty distinct stitches associated with Youghal Lace.[6]
