Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

THE MAKING OF LACE. 243 DRESSING. Another very interesting class of lace- workers are the “ menders.” Their duty is to examine minutely every part of the fabric and repair broken threads and other defects. The work naturally needs good light and keen eyesight. To aid them the girls wear black or blue aprons when dealing with white lace, and white aprons when mending the black fabric. They sit on low stools, and examine the lace by bringing it over their knees. There are also the “ drawers,” who draw out the threads which separate the patterns as they are made the width of the machine ; the “ clippers,” who clip round the shaped edges of some kinds of lace; the “ purlers,” who put a fine edge upon it; and finally, those who roll the narrow lace on the cards and pack up the curtains ready for sale. A very high degree of perfection has now been attained in the manufacture, and only experts can state with confidence whether any particular specimen is really hand-made Spanish lace, costly Barcelona, Brussels needlepoint, black Chantilly, or the remarkable imitative production of the newest type of machine. Foreign competition has, for some years, been very keen, the German factories turning out increasing quantities of cotton lace, and Calais and other French towns devoting themselves to the silk fabric. But Nottingham machines are still unexcelled, and they are best worked by native hands. F. P. PoiNTON, B.A. LACE “ MENDERS AT WORK.