Steps to Making Torchon Lace

Torchon lace, which falls loosely in the category of ‘grounded’ laces is one of the oldest types of laces around and is indigenous to Europe. It differs from other types of laces – heavily patterned stitch areas, by having lesser pattern stitch than ground stitch areas. In grounded laces, the threads travel directly from one section to another and have patterns and nets areas that were worked on at the same time.

Torchon lace making uses a combination of attractive motifs, a geometrical ground style and a simple range of stitches to produce exceptional fabric. The technique is so basic that it is the debut project for budding lace makers. Made popular by the middle class folks for its inexpensiveness, it uses small amounts of bobbins and thicker threads to make strong and significantly strong laces.

The uses of torchon lace was originally slated for sturdy usage – curtains, table cloths, bed covers, cloaks, undergarment trimming, etc. This is not the case today as the torchon lace making technique is used to produce whatever types of fabric that is desired. The patterns are played with to produce different results and the availability of different varieties of thread – fine, heavy, thick, thin, plain, coloured, etc. Torchon lace making design can be used to produce fabric for any kind of clothing as deemed necessary. Be it dress laces, decorative, household or other miscellaneous items; the many practical applications, decorative ground pattern and endless design possibilities has greatly increased the sophistication and demand for torchon style laces.

Torchon lace design is becoming a popular hobby once again and the number of people enrolling in lace making classes is on the rise. You probably won’t have the patience or commitment or resources to go commercial but the advancement of threading technology opens up a lot of small scale application for it even in the household. Find out how you can be a lace maker today!



Chris has written this article and he likes to write and share articles on topics like torchon lace making and torchon lace patterns.