Chemical lace
Encyclopedia
Chemical Lace is a form of machine-made lace
. This method of lace-making is done by embroidering
a pattern on a sacrificial fabric
that has been chemically treated so as to disintegrate after the pattern has been created.
This embroidery is typically done on a multi-head or multi-needle
Schiffli machine
or loom
that has a very large, continuous and overlapping embroidery field. The lace pattern is designed such that the embroidery thread creates an interlocking series of thread
s that will, in essence, become a "stand alone" piece of lace.
After the embroidery is completed the embroidered fabric is immersed in a solution
that will not harm the embroidery thread but completely dissolves the sacrificial fabric leaving just the lace.
Utilizing these large machines and this technique a single piece of lace could be, using today's state-of-the-art machines, over 60" wide by 15yards long. In practice, this system is used to produce many smaller items with one setup.
The original composition of the disintegrating "bath" was not very friendly to the environment
and has all but ceased to exist in developed countries. However, the practice is still being used to create laces in third world
countries. Since the original development of chemical lace, other methods have been developed beyond the chemical washing method described above. This includes the use of base fabrics that are water
soluble
or that disintegrate under heat. These methods are generally too expensive or impractical for large-scale production. These are typically used by smaller embroidery facilities specializing in targeted markets, home-based businesses, or hobbyists.
Lace
Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was...
. This method of lace-making is done by embroidering
Embroidery
Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
a pattern on a sacrificial fabric
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
that has been chemically treated so as to disintegrate after the pattern has been created.
This embroidery is typically done on a multi-head or multi-needle
Sewing needle
A sewing needle is a long slender tool with a pointed tip. The first needles were made of bone or wood; modern ones are manufactured from high carbon steel wire, nickel- or 18K gold plated for corrosion resistance. The highest quality embroidery needles are plated with two-thirds platinum and...
Schiffli machine
Machine
A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...
or loom
Loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads...
that has a very large, continuous and overlapping embroidery field. The lace pattern is designed such that the embroidery thread creates an interlocking series of thread
Yarn
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or...
s that will, in essence, become a "stand alone" piece of lace.
After the embroidery is completed the embroidered fabric is immersed in a solution
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
that will not harm the embroidery thread but completely dissolves the sacrificial fabric leaving just the lace.
Utilizing these large machines and this technique a single piece of lace could be, using today's state-of-the-art machines, over 60" wide by 15yards long. In practice, this system is used to produce many smaller items with one setup.
The original composition of the disintegrating "bath" was not very friendly to the environment
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
and has all but ceased to exist in developed countries. However, the practice is still being used to create laces in third world
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
countries. Since the original development of chemical lace, other methods have been developed beyond the chemical washing method described above. This includes the use of base fabrics that are water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
soluble
Solubility
Solubility is the property of a solid, liquid, or gaseous chemical substance called solute to dissolve in a solid, liquid, or gaseous solvent to form a homogeneous solution of the solute in the solvent. The solubility of a substance fundamentally depends on the used solvent as well as on...
or that disintegrate under heat. These methods are generally too expensive or impractical for large-scale production. These are typically used by smaller embroidery facilities specializing in targeted markets, home-based businesses, or hobbyists.