Claire's Carickmacross Lace

One of our skilled members, Claire Fitzgerald, has recently completed work on some Carickmacross Lace, a technique new to her. Carickmacross is a needlepoint lace which was introduced to Ireland in the early nineteenth century. It's often used in making communion and wedding veils (including that of HRH the Duchess of Cambridge whose Carickmacross wedding gown was made at the Royal School of Needlework).

Claire used the harp and shamrock pattern designed by the Carrickmacross Lace Gallery in Co. Monaghan, Ireland.

Claire says: "The base layer is a net, with organdie laid on top. The design is then applied using a series of couching stitches and then the organdie is cut away in the background areas to expose the mesh. A fine thread is weaved in between the net to create a lacy look. This creates an illusion of depth and layering of the design (i.e. foreground, middle-ground and background). It’s finished off with a few eyelets in the mesh and loops around the edges to give it a nice finished border."