Lace patterns

I’ve been looking at sprang lace in European collections.
The Petrie Museum in London had a spectacular bonnet.
Today I was at the Royal Museum of History and Art in Brussels.

The Royal Museum of Art and History in Brussels

I was honoured to be permitted to examine a collection of sprang samples made between 1798 and 1830, now in the care of this museum. What can I say, these pieces are spectacular! Created using a very fine thread, the patterns are exquisite.
I’ve been working to map out the patterns I see, and then creating a small sample, just to be sure I’ve got the mapping correct.

Here's me working creating the sample

Here's the finished piece.

I think I’m in heaven.
The next day I was allowed a visit to the Musee Royal de lArmée et d’Histoire Militaire. They have a spectacular collection of military sashes.

Taking photos of sashes at the military museum.

I was also privileged with a visit to sashes in the storage area. It seems that Belgian soldiers wore sprang sashes until the World War I. Some are all S, some all Z. Many bear evidence of both S and Z twist in the sash, small knots on either side of the meeting place between S and Z. OK, so they did not do the bead thing that I do, removing the edge thread. I stand corrected.Many thanks to Dr Marguerite Coppens, Else Bogaerts, Frieda Sorber, and Katia Johansen for making these visits possible for me.