Hollie Point Lace
HOLLIE POINT is an English needle lace which was used in baby clothes, particularly christening sets, in the 18th and 19th century. It is completely flat with no raised edges and is found as insertions in caps, the shoulder seams of shirts, and in the detachable sleeves, bib and mittens which were then part of a christening set. The designs, which were traditional ones depicting flowers, birds, animals and geometric shapes, were built up by leaving spaces between the closely worked twisted buttonhole stitches. A flowering plant in a pot, as in this insertion from a baby’s cap in the Lace Guild collection (DM.1.1995), is often found, and is said to symbolize the Lily of the Annunciation.