Netted-Fabrics-art - 6/9/19
"Netted Fabrics in Period Clothing" by HL Giraude Benet, CT, CGCS.
NOTE: See also the files: netting-msg, embroidery-msg, Finger-Weavng-art, knitting-msg, macrame-msg, lace-msg, crochet-FAQ, Bobbin-Lace-art.
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Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
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Netted Fabrics in Period Clothing
by HL Giraude Benet, CT, CGCS
Clothier's Seminar AS XLIV Clothier's Seminar AS XLIV
What is Netted Fabric?
Several types of lace fabrics are created on a knotted net. These include:
•Filet or Lacis
•Mezza Mandolina
(Many other types of lace are created on net-like woven backgrounds, like Buratto, Reticella, and Drawn Work)
Filet
Filet, or darned netting, is one of the oldest forms of lace. It consists of a plain knotted net background embellished with figures worked in various stitches, most commonly "cloth stitch," "loop stitch," and "leaf stitch."
Cloth Stitch Loop Stitch Leaf Stitch
Mezza Mandolina
Mezza mandolina is another type of netted fabric, but unlike filet, the pattern is formed by varying the size of the meshes in the net, or by increasing or decreasing the number of meshes.
Detail of a fragment of 16th-century mezza mandolina
(From Old Italian Laceby Elisa Ricci)
How is Netting Made?
Tools
Modern netting needle and netting shuttle The tools for making netting for lace fabrics are the same as for making a fishing net. For fine network, the thread is carried on a netting needle. The size of the meshes of the net are determined by the use of a "mesh stick," which can be any flat or round stick with a uniform thickness.
Modern netting needle and netting shuttle
Young Woman Netting, 14th Century
The basic netting knot is called the "Sheet bend"
Netting is worked from left to right, with the working thread wrapping around the mesh stick as the knotting proceeds.
Materials
Most authoritative texts on lace describe net based lace as being worked on a linen ground and embellished with darning in linen, silk, or sometimes metallic threads.
Diamond Mesh vs Square Mesh
Filet can be worked on either diamond mesh or square mesh. Square mesh is actually diamond mesh that has been shaped so that it appears to form squares.
Daughters of Giovanni II Bentivoglio 1488 Lorenzo Costa
(From Old Italian Lace by Elisa Ricci)
Detail
Lady with a Hare (Toledo) c. 1505 Juan de Borgoña
The lady is wearing a hood-like net over another headcovering. She is also wearing a netted partlet
Details
Portrait of Isabella de'Medici 1540 Agnolo Bronzino
(from Lace: a History by Santina Levey)
Eleanor of Toledo c. 1550 Agnolo Bronzino
She is wearing a partlet is of mezza mandolina. (From Old Italian Lace by Elisa Ricci)
Detail
Portrait of a Lady 1560s Agnolo Bronzino
(from Lace: a History by Santina Levey)
Detail
Queen Elizabeth I c.1575-80 (artist unknown)
She is wearing a partlet of network
Detail
Lavinia Fontana c. 1580s Self portrait
(From Old Italian Lace by Elisa Ricci)
She is wearing a chemisette or partlet of filet or buratto.
Detail
Detail from Portrait of a noblewoman c. 1580 Francesco Montemezzano
Habiti delle donne venetiane ca. 1591–1609 Giacomo Franco
Detail
Bibliography
Dillmont, Thérèse de. The Net Work. DMC
Earnshaw, Pat. A Dictionary of Lace. Mineola, NY: Dover, 1984.
Gwynne, Judyth L. The Illustrated Dictionary of Lace. London: B.T. Batsford, 1997.
Levey, Santina M. Lace A History. London: Leeds, 1983
Ricci, Elisa. Old Italian Lace, Vol.1. London: William Heinemann, 1913
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Copyright 2018 by Jill Sibley. <giraudebenet at hotmail.com>. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited. Addresses change, but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author is notified of the publication and if possible receives a copy.
If this article is reprinted in a publication, please place a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
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