Tunisian lace

 Some years ago we had a talk at Norfolk Lacemakers from a local lady, Monique Barns.I posted this on the internet at the time but thought it would be worth adding to my blog

Monique was born in Tunisia but is (I think) of French origin. She told us that as a youngster she made friends with some Arab sisters and used to visit them at their home. They used to do a form of Needlelace to be sold by the males (the females where confined to the home) of the family, at the local markets to help support the family.

She was taught by them to do make the lace, she calls it Tunisian lace or Point de Chebka. It is a knotted lace and she believes it to be common to most of the North African cost -with the same names being used for the different patterns.

She has tried to find a book about it, but has failed - however there must be at least one as a French friend has sent her photocopies of six pages about it. Two pages show how the stitch is made, two the patterns as both diagram and photos, one page contains details of a corner and one is a pattern for a doily.

Monique had never given the talk before and was so pleased that we were interested and had the aptitude to try the technique. She is very concerned that the skill might be lost, on a resent trip to Tunisia she tried to contact some one who is still making the lace, but the only answer she seemed to get was "Oh my Grandmother used to do that".

Materials / Techniques

With closeups of stich 1 and 2 

Monique used "DMC Cordony Special 80" Thread

Normal sewing needle

Brown paper folded and sandwiched with 2 to 4 sheets of newspaper or similar.

Use a sewing machine (on its longest length stitch) to outline the shape of the pattern through the paper sandwich. This works like a cordony but the thread is cut through between the layers of brown paper and completely removed, freeing the lace.

Wrap the sandwich around a firm cushion and pin the paper in place. Monique used a Sofa pillow squashed into a tube and had a long enough paper sandwich to pin the two ends together. She said a firm one is best. I think that I will use my needlelace pillow, this will mean that I only need enough paper to take the pattern.

 Monique had prepared some worked examples for us (see scans). As well as some outlines for us to work on, these where 1.5 inches wide and about 6 inches long (takes me back to bobbin lace bandages).

As you will see from the scanned image the pattern can be worked in different parts. There is a picot edge but we did not have time to learn about this - we are hoping that she might come and show us how to do it on another occasion.

Now I am going to do my best to give you some instructions -but do remember that I have only had a few minutes to try this out.

Starting at one of the short edges knot your thread (which is threaded onto a sewing needle) into the first upright stitch on the left side. Now work across making a knotted loop into each stitch of the cordony.

To work a stitch put the needle through a loop on the previous row and then make a loop of thread on the opposite side to your direction a travel, now pull this up to form a knot (see picture ) making sure that your thread is perpendicular to the stitch as you pull it tight as this helps to keep it even.

When you get to the end of the row, work a stitch up into the side of the cordony, in a position to start the next row. The stitches on the odd and even rows are slightly different as the thread is always looped away from the direction of travel thus forming two slightly different knots.

When you come to the end of your thread you start another one at the last knot. I think of it as being similar to filly crochet in that the density of the stitches forms the pattern and like crochet the last stitch on a row starts the next row.

Patterns (click to enlarge)