All categories Hotels     Hotels ***     Hotels **     Hotels *     Hotels classified without stars     Unclassified hotels     Village inn Catering     Restaurant     Restaurant - Grill     Creperie     Pizzeria     Exotic cuisine     Brasserie     Village inn     Fast food restaurant     Tea rooms Guest rooms     4 épis Gite de France     3 épis Gite de France     2 épis Gite de France     Charming guest rooms     Country welcome     Awaiting classification     not classified Country gites     3 épis Gites de France     2 épis Gites de France     1 épi Gites de France     Clé Vacances     Approved furnished accomodation     Awaiting classification     8.Not Classified     Tourism & handicap Campsites     3 star campsites     2 star campsites     Farm campsite     Country campsites Gite accomodation for groups     3 épis Gite de France     2 épis Gite de France     Holiday centre     not classified Other accomodation     Farm based holidays     Room hire     Holidays homes All areas Alençon Alençon Arçonnay Cerisé Champfleur Colombiers Condé sur Sarthe Cuissai Damigny Fontenay les Louvets Hauterive Hesloup La Lacelle Larré Livaie Pacé Radon Saint Céneri le Gérei Saint Denis sur Sarthon Saint Germain du Corbéis Saint Nicolas des Bois Saint Paterne Valframbert Vingt Hanaps Pays de Carrouges Carrouges Chahains Ciral Le Champ de la Pierre Le Ménil Scelleur Longuenoë Roupperoux Saint Ellier les Bois Saint Martin des Landes Saint Sauveur de Carrouges Pays de Sées Aunou sur Orne Chapelle près Sées La Ferrière Béchet Le Bouillon Macé Neuville près Sées Sées Pays de Courtomer Courtomer Fay Saint Agnan sur Sarthe Saint Léonard des Parcs Tellières le Plessis Trémont Pays d'Essay Aunay les Bois Essay Pays Mêlois Bures Le Mêle sur Sarthe Le Ménil Brout Les Ventes de Bourse Marchemaisons Montchevrel Saint Aubin d'Appenai Saint Julien sur Sarthe Saint Léger sur Sarthe Sainte Scolasse sur Sarthe Mamers et le Saosnois Aillières-Beauvoir La Fresnaye sur Chédouet Louzes Mamers Marolette Neufchâtel en Saosnois Roullée Saint Calez en Saosnois Saint Cosme en Vairais Saint Rémy du Val Saint Rigomer des Bois Suré Villaines la Carelle A proximité du Pays d'Alençon Almenêches Ancinnes Boëcé Boulay les Ifs Fyé Gémages Gesnes le Gandelin Gesvres Joué du Bois La Chapelle Montligeon La Chaux La Mesnière Le Cercueil Marolles-Les-Braults Médavy Monhoudou Montgaudry Montmerrei Mortrée Moulins le Carbonnel Nonant-le-Pin Oisseau le Petit Rânes René Rouperroux le Coquet Saint Fulgent des Ormes Saint Germain sur Sarthe Saint Léonard des Bois Saint Martin d'Ecublei Saint Pierre des Nids Saint-Pierre-sur-Orthe Thoiré sous Contensor

Alencon and its surrounding area > Alençon > Point d'Alençon lacework

Point d'Alençon lacework

The Point d'Alencon technique

Since the 17th century, traditional lace making by hand in Alencon has been so specialised and labour intensive that it requires one craftswoman for each of the different aspects involved. There are ten specific stages in the creation of Point d'Alencon, yet all that is needed are a needle, some linen thread and a piece of vellum or parchment backing.

 

The lace is made as follows :

 There are three preparatory stages of tracing, pin pricking and outlining before tackling the mesh backing.

 The pattern is then created using three different filling stitches for shading, with different buttonhole stitches for the motifs.

 The "brode" then creates a relief to the pattern, following the outline of the pattern.

 The final stages of lifting off, cutting and tidying up mean that the lace can then be detached from its temporary backing.

 

This process results in a small medallion of lace, to which others may be added using tiny joining stitches in order to create a larger piece of lacework.

Even today, the top design houses are still inspired by our lace, borne out by their interest in our biennial exhibitions at the Fine Art and Lace Museum.

 

 

 

>>Click here for more about the lace collection

National Lace Workshop

The purpose of this 'Atelier National du Point d'Alencon' (not open to the public), overseen by the Ministry of Culture, is to uphold lace needlepoint traditions. There is only a handful of experienced craftswoman with the expertise to keep alive this unique skill, in a bid to retain our national heritage. It takes eight years of training to master the Point d'Alencon technique and it takes 25 hours of handiwork to produce a finished piece of lace the size of a postage stamp.