Limerick Lace- its a beautiful and very delicate irish lace which is worked onto a net mesh which makes it very useful for bridal and wedding use as it can be used to embellish veils and lace dresses. It has an interesting history and it is linked with the town of Limerick in Ireland. We will look at some of the issues behind that history in later posts- but have you ever wondered how it is made?

In truth the actual way it is constructed is not too difficult- the net mesh already exists and so it is made by sewing with a needle or tambouring (with a hook) different stitches and designs onto that net base. You can use a silk net or bridal net for softness. Its actually more embroidery skills that are required than traditional made lace such as point or bobbin laces. You can stretch the net base onto an embroidery hoop or wooden frame and work it that way. Once you then learn how the stitches are worked then you can make either traditional designs or even start to work your own style of designs of you wish....

You can see in the picture above an example of a handkerchief trimmed with limerick lace- if you look carefully you can see that there are several different types of stitches used as an 'infill' of outlined shapes...

We are in the process of digitalising some wonderful Victorian booklets which give you plenty of ideas, designs and ways to work the stitches- you can find the the first one here which you can purchase as an instant digital download pdf file straight onto your computer or tablet.. We will let you know when we have digitalised some more- there will also be similar Victorian booklets covering Carrickmacross and Point lace too....Enjoy!

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