Punto in Aria

Punto in aria band, Italy, 1601-50
Type	Lace
Production method	Needle lace
Production process	Craft production
Place of origin	Italy

Punto in aria (literally “stitch in air”) is an early form ofneedle lace devised inItaly. It is considered the first truelace because it was the first meant to be stitched alone, and not first onto a woven fabric.^[1]

It is a closely related needle lace toreticella, and their designs have many similarities when compared side by side. However, thepunto in aria was an important improvement on thereticella method, and was a breakthrough in needle lace design.^[2]

Thereticella was the design that was thecatalyst of the transition between fabrics made into lace by subtracting threads after needling, and lace made from scratch without fabric support. Thereticella design required one to draw out threads after stitching onto fabric. As that design evolved, an increasing number of threads required withdrawing. Eventually, so many threads were drawn-out that the foundation became very flimsy and lace makers devised a new framework that did not require original foundation fabric. This came to be known aspunto in aria.

Punto in aria retains many of the characteristics ofreticella but also is able to go beyond the geometric framework. The lace makers devised a linen and parchment base for their work. This base consisted of two or three layers of fabric with the parchment pattern on top. The layers were then basted together. The pattern was then laid over with a gimp which was basted down through the pattern and layers of support fabric. When the lace was finished, the basting stitches were cut between the layers thus leaving only the lace.

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