LACE, TAPE, DUCHESS SET

Overview

Three attractive round mats worked in cotton tape lace design with needlelace embroidered connections, and fillings creating a lacey effect, is called Princess or Duchesse Lace.

Various shapes of machine made narrow cotton tape, called Princess tape, have been used to create floral motifs applied to cotton net, creating a lacey effect. Emulating Duchesse bobbin lace, this was a quicker way of making lacey items compared with hand needlelace and bobbin lace. Mostly a home industry.

Developed in Belgium in late 19th C, it is reputed to be called Princess lace because the Belgium Royal Family used it.

Princess lace is a form of tape lace, made in Belgium in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It originally developed as an imitation of Duchess bobbin lace. Some authors describe it as a form of lace assembling, rather than lace making which uses only thread with needle or bobbins. Mostly a home industry.

It is reputed to be called Princess lace because the Belgium Royal Family used it.

PRINCESS or DUCHESSE in Belgium – scalloped edged tapes and Princess tape are cut up and made into medallions, flowers and leaves which are then applied to machine made net.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-78-2023.21a-c
Last modified
Wednesday, 13 August, 2025
Completeness
61
Embroiderers' Guild of WA Textile Museum

Embroiderers' Guild of WA Textile Museum

Organisation details
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Tape lace mats
Tape lace mats

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