Cutwork
Also: point coupé
Cutwork is embroidery in which parts of a linen ground are cut away and the openings are edged or filled with stitches.
Cutwork is white embroidery with holes in it. Areas of the linen are cut out, and the cut edges are bound with buttonhole stitch so they do not fray; the openings may be left empty or bridged and filled with decorative stitches.
How does it relate to lace?
Cutwork is the starting point of needle lace. As embroiderers cut away more of the ground, the stitches did more of the work, through reticella to lace with no fabric at all. The first section of Federico de Vinciolo’s 1587 pattern book is devoted to cutwork designs; the second to lacis.
Sources
- Cutwork. Wikipedia
- Lacemaking pattern book. Folger Shakespeare Library, The Collation
- Reticella. Textile Research Centre, Leiden
See also
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