What is this lace thing?

[Omri L]

I recently grabbed this thing from the $1 handkerchief bin at a local thrift store. I was focused on something else so I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time, just thought it was a good deal on a nice bit of lace and took it. When I went to wash it I noticed it was an odd shape and had little loops all around it. It’s also a type of lace I’ve never seen before, buratto or something like that. It seems like cotton or linen and has a gauzy texture. About 14x7 inches or 35.5x18 cm. The loops look too fragile for hooks, so I’m guessing it would have been buttoned to something. Does anyone know what this is/what it’s for?

Both sides:


Close-ups:


These two spots are the only noticeable damage:

Can I do something to fix these/prevent them from worsening or is it too fragile to mess with? Where the loop is coming off seems like an easy fix (I can see how it was attached and it’s simple) but where the lace is unraveling is a bit more worrying.

For scale:

 

[Marzilli_Vintage]

I think this is an antimacassar, a type of doily used on the arms and backs of chairs, and may not be true Buratto lace, though I'm not sure about that as I can't make out how the ground was made or how the stitches relate to the ground's weave. Buratto is embroidered on a ground with twisted warp threads, which your piece has, but single weft threads, which your piece doesn't have. It looks to me like a machine made facsimile of Buratto lace.

 

[retro ruth]

Agree it could be an antimacassar, or similar - household lace rather than clothing, I think.

I think it's mimicking filet crochet, rather than Burrato. Filet crochet is an often used technique for antimacassars. This is not true crochet, which is always handmade, but definitely it has the same look.

 

[Omri L]

Interesting. Are the loops for pins or something?
If it’s machine made, I feel less bad about trying to fix it (I’ve never repaired lace before).

 

[retro ruth]

Interesting. Are the loops for pins or something?

I'm really not sure. I wouldn't expect an antimacassar to button all around, if at all. I think it may be something along those lines, but it's obviously made to fit something in particular.

I'm pretty sure this is machine made, yes. Although the loops do look to have been handsewn on.

 

[retro ruth]

Here's a closeup of true filet crochet, for comparison.

 

[The Vintage Merchant]

my mom always used a vintage lace tablecloth (well, a couple of them over the years...) on her antique dining room table. It had those similar little loops on one of them, i think it's just a decorative stitch.

I agree, your piece is probably an antimacassar, and probably for an armrest since it's 14" long.

 

[anothertimevintageapparel]

The loops are just a decorative design.
These were also used on dining tables and buffets for a decorative touch. Sometimes in different sizes.

 

[Avantbo]

While antimacassars is a good call I'm just wondering if a little to delicate or short to be used as such effectively, even on the arms of furniture.

Used decoratively more likely, can't think on what tho'.

 

[plousia]

It's funny how something is just a part of everyday life, and at some point it stops being and you don't even notice.

I'm pretty sure antimacassars were still a thing when I was a kid in the 80s, but now they seem to have totally disappeared.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

I have always referred to this type of lace as filet lace, even if it is machine made. I think what you have there is a type of doily, yes, and this one looks like it may have been used or intended to be used as a dresser tray liner. The loops are simply decorative and common to these.

 

[The Vintage Vendeuse]

I agree with machine-made filet-style lace, the loopy trim being simply decorative rather than functional, and it being a home decor item. My first impression, like Barbara, was that it is a tray liner, either for a dresser tray or a tea tray. I think age is likely 1940s-60s.

 

[The Vintage Merchant]

I'm just wondering if a little to delicate or short to be used as such effectively, even on the arms of furniture.

ahh, my grandmother had BEAUTIFUL antimacassars. She may have swapped out her "good"ones for Sundays when we all went over to visit them, but the ones we saw were gorgeous.

 

[Omri L]

I agree with machine-made filet-style lace, the loopy trim being simply decorative rather than functional, and it being a home decor item. My first impression, like Barbara, was that it is a tray liner, either for a dresser tray or a tea tray. I think age is likely 1940s-60s.

It being a tray liner makes sense, maybe next time I organize my display case it can go with my vintage teacups or something.

I’m young, so I’ve only seen antimacassars a few times, always in the houses of elderly people. Lacy little home decor items like this have really gone out of fashion, perhaps because people don’t want to wash them.

 

[retro ruth]

I have always referred to this type of lace as filet lace, even if it is machine made

That's interesting - I wasn't aware of filet lace outside of crochet. But looking it up, I see the term originates from other forms of lace, using the 'filled in squares' principle to create patterns.