Smyrna times., 1870-06-01
M[Sc eIIuu cOus.
A Chapter on Lace.

Z, Conspicuous AMONGST the treasures Of tho
.:''t" NciiNIhgton Museum III London are va.
| 'P.uG specimens OF needle work lace II !,
chiefly made by drawing the t6rnads of = A.. l.
nutch linen in various directions and tLn,
ming the lnterSticeS thus procured with dol;
cate embroidery. The larger ones are also oc
caSiohaiIy cut out, and then filled with lace
WORK SIDE by side with these sneciIorne oro
seen some OF the first books ever nrintad ~
England they contain minute Instructions an
many curious patterns tor making this kinJ
OF iace' which was then named "cntwork ;;
ana continued for great number of wears IN
lhe hlgheSt fashion. Writing in 1923, Peach.
dm say :. lie Is not a gentleman whose
T Ja"T VI lt1lah cutwoTk standeth him not in at
thG IeaSt three or four pounds yea. a semnstor
IN llolborn told me there are Of thron a,r, scnra
pounds pre- apiece. " The Fleminrs. whose
thread and linen were famous for incnrss
were were masters OF this art; although Venice and
Uenoa were tor ages celebrated for if also
NeeoieWork lace was as much a ladys ac
comPhShment as tapestry, in the castles ond
converts OF teudal times as almost all arti,.las
oi ,,n d'eHS Tor both sexes We're adorned with il
me Ee>tihehtS OF the priests, and the clothes
u>cu III Ihe churcheS: were bordcrcd with il
ana SO also were the finer kinds of household
llhch' SAINT Dun't'n himself did not dlsdain
~ invent ana 20 draw patterns for Church need
lework and the embroidered cane and mon;,Io
StlIl preserved in the chaptcr-bouse at DmrLar,a
a, ana winch are supposed to have been used bv
SAINT Cuthbert, are proofs Of the excellence to
Whlch TINS art had attained in E0gland bcfcra
,n,c 1nc conquest. In the reignS Of Richard the
lhIrd' Henry the Seventh, and Elizabeth Acts
OF Parliament were passed forbid lino the i'm
portatlon OF laceS Of silk. OF thread, or siIk and
goId INTO that country, whether from Flanders
H1rain' or France; but it was generally admitted
Inat % none OF these were superior to those Of
British manufacturer
IN l''I noble dame named Barbara TTtt
was ChrlStopher-in the Castle of Saint Anna
burg on the borders of Saxony. Tbqvwcro s1Ir-
rounded by numerous family of cLildron and
many servants and their home was a centre of
INDUSTRY Tor the whole nCighborh0od- for moth
er daughters and attendant maid, ms were fam
ed Tor their beautiful needle work Damo Ror-
bara daughters were early soughtin marr;aga.
ana as one after the other left the Maternal
TOof, she carried to her own home. AMONG other
household goods, wells "emi roidered after the
!. l'ahah practIre. homespun linen OF delicate
tissue trimmed with plated lace fringe, rich
networks for quilts, and such point lace cans
and wldespreading capes as may still he seem
IN old Flemish portraits.
w hlle the careful mother year bv year nra-
pared the carved bridal-chcsts with their dps-
thed outfits, she gradually thought of an easier
way OF getting the work done. She had al.
ways shown clear head and strong nract;cal
good sense; but she now applied her inventive
genius to making lace cushion, of which no
one ever seems to have thought before.
Hitherto those elaborate lace frinoos or
"hleh , she required such endless lenptbs had
e eecn made by unraveling the cross threads
rom pieces OF linen; but it now luckily strncL
r'ei m UiidC 'hreadS might be used from separate
ITes ana? acting on this novel idea, Barbara
= Cttmann tItted the first ldce bobLius N@vt |
she made a round pillow, to which She fasten.
ed the ends of her fiaxen threads. and left tho
Dobblns hanging from them as weights Ry
throwing these bObblns over each other. she
twisted each pair of adjacent threads three
halt turns. But her next object was to form
the rcgula lar network, and for this purpose She
united the threads sideways and then the |
twisted threads were severally separated. and
crossed over pins stuck in the face Of her cush- /
ION IN row: by repeating the separation and
-"i>ul'E' ana proceeding Onwards, she obtained |
lt last, PLAIN net fabric of any length She re-
1uired.
1t must have been joyful day at the castle
when the mother and mistress Of that indus
-rlouS household first showed the complete re-
suit OF her patient experiments The Dlain
nett thus expeditiously made, was of course
easily embroidered with the needle and ex.
lulslte lace was produced with much less labor
han by the old method.
St Annaburg stood in the midst of MINING
population; and while the men were under
ground their wives and daughters had lone
]een accustomed to make the same sort of lace
Is that made at the castle The fame of their
rood lady invention soon spread through the
district, and they begged her to teach them how
o use her wonderful cushion, with it's nins
md bObbins. Not only did she comnIv with
heir request, but, having carefully instructed
Ter daughters and servants, she devoted the
ourteen remaining years of her useful and
IGNORED life to this work With their helm
he taught all the women of the whole country.
lde how to make pi!low-lac and SO enriched
10Th her own family and her native land bv Il
Ter discovery. Barbara Uttmann died at the
&c of sixty, leaving sixty-lour children and
grandchildren to profit by her example and
cr legacy OF the lace pillow. Her tomb On
'hich the facts We have mentioned are dulv re-
orded, may still be seen in the quaint old town
st. Annaburg, where her memory is revered :
5 that OF national benelactress, :
PillOW-lace however did not for n Iopo ,;r,o :