428 THE MODERN IRISH LACE INDUSTRY. 



away, and bars or ties are inserted. The design consists of a combination 

 of conventional with floral forms : the edge is formed by an arrangement of 

 flowers placed side by side so as to form a sort of festoon. There is a 

 certain quaintness about the treatment of the pansies which is not unpleas- 

 ing. Perhaps the only objectionable portion of the arrangement is the 

 manner in which the stem starts from the second flower at the left-hand 

 side (fig. I7«). The difficulty of concealing the starting-point of stems is 

 one that has constantly to be dealt with in designing. In this case I cannot 

 but think that it would have been better to have frankly accepted the start- 

 hig-point ; a small space might have intervened not only without detriment 

 to the design, but with a positive advantage to the construction and flow of 

 the curve. 



Fig. 1 8. — Perhaps it may interest you to see the preparation of a design. 

 Here is a photograph taken from the first rough sketch of the design for 

 Fig. 19. After the shape of the fan has been laid down, the leading lines of 

 the pattern are sketched in v/ith charcoal ; these are observable on the 

 right side of the figure. As soon as the leading lines are arranged, the 

 designer sketches in with charcoal the masses and chief features in the 

 design. Then, with a brush and some sepia, the design is advanced a step 

 further, as shown at the left-hand side of the illustration, all the forms in 

 which have been drawn at once by means of the brush. Lastly, an accurate 

 outline is made from this sketch, and forms the working drawing which is 

 handed to the worker. 



Fig. 19 is a photograph from the finished fan. It is a combination of 

 applique and guipure, and has worked out most successfully. The design, 

 which is very good, M'as made oy Miss Jacob of the MetropoHtan School 

 of Art. 



Greek lace (so called) is made at Miss Keane's Class, Mrs. Montgomery 

 Stewart's Class, Strabane, and at Killarney Presentation Convent. It 

 resembles the earlier forms of lace and is a true needle-point. It is often 

 used for insertions, and sometimes for trimmings. 



Cut linen work is made at the Convent of Mercy, Kinsale. 



Crochet lace has, for many years, been an important cottage industry. 



Some years ago the demand for this lace in the South of Ireland was very 



great, and several persons made large fortunes by 



Crorhpt La on dealing in it. I have been assured by a traveller for 



one of the large houses in Cork that, at the flourishing 



period of the trade, he could have sold ten thousand 



pounds' worth of crochet in one day if he had had the material with him. 



The result of this demand was that the crochet-workers became mere 



producing machines. No attention whatever was paid to pattern, and, 



after a few years, people refused to buy such a carelessly made fabric. 



Crochet lace is always received with favour in Paris, where it is known as 



" Point d'Irlande." I have been told by M. Lefebure that Irish crochet has 



a peculiarly distinctive character, which it is impossible to imitate on the 



Continent ; and that if the lace became really fashionable, and proper 



attention was paid to the effects which might be produced in it by careful 



supervision, it was still possible to make it one of the leading and most 



attractive of laces. 



It is interesting to endeavour to trace the origin of the peculiar forms 

 which may be seen in the antimacassars of bygone days. The original 

 patterns were derived from specimens of Venetian rose-point, but they have 



