{"product_id":"hand-crocheted-cotton-drawstring-reticule-with-lace-inserts-and-worked-cord-ties-shell-and-picot-base-ivory","title":"Hand-Crocheted Cotton Drawstring Reticule with Lace Inserts and Worked Cord Ties, Shell-and-Picot Base, Ivory","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eA small drawstring bag worked by hand in fine ivory cotton.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe base is \u003cstrong\u003ecrocheted in a shell-and-picot pattern\u003c\/strong\u003e, a rounded openwork panel that gives the bag its shape and holds it open when it is set down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eAbove it, gathered into the crochet, run \u003cstrong\u003einserts of fine floral lace\u003c\/strong\u003e — a scalloped and figured net that makes the upper half translucent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe mouth is finished with a \u003cstrong\u003ecrocheted ruffled collar\u003c\/strong\u003e and closes on \u003cstrong\u003etwo worked cotton cords\u003c\/strong\u003e, each crocheted in a dense round and finished with knotted tabs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe whole thing is one colour — a soft undyed ivory, warmer in the crochet and cooler in the lace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ch3\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Provenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe form is a reticule\u003c\/strong\u003e, and it has one of the clearest origin stories in the history of dress. When high-waisted, narrow gowns came into fashion around 1800, there was no longer anywhere to hide a pocket — so the pocket came out of the dress and was carried in the hand. That bag is the ancestor of every handbag since.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrocheted and beaded reticules stayed in the needlework repertoire for a century and a half\u003c\/strong\u003e, worked at home from published patterns rather than bought. A bag like this was made by somebody sitting down with a hook and a ball of cotton, not ordered from a shop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe construction tells you exactly how it was made, and it is a mixture.\u003c\/strong\u003e The \u003cstrong\u003ecrochet is entirely handwork\u003c\/strong\u003e — the shell-and-picot base, the ruffled collar and the drawstring cords are all worked stitch by stitch. The \u003cstrong\u003elace inserts are machine-made\u003c\/strong\u003e, even and regular in a way hand lace never is.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThat combination is normal and it is honest.\u003c\/strong\u003e Home needleworkers bought lace by the yard and built their own pieces around it; nobody hand-made lace at home once it could be had cheaply. It also means the lace cannot date the bag — machine lace has been produced since the 1830s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis kind of bag was made for two occasions above all:\u003c\/strong\u003e as an evening or summer accessory, and as a \u003cstrong\u003ebridal or bridesmaid’s bag\u003c\/strong\u003e — ivory cotton, small, made to hold almost nothing and be carried for one day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThe bag carries \u003cstrong\u003eno label, maker’s mark or date\u003c\/strong\u003e of any kind, and \u003cstrong\u003eno date is claimed for it\u003c\/strong\u003e. It is offered as what it can be shown to be: a hand-crocheted cotton reticule with machine-lace inserts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003ch3\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eObject\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand-crocheted cotton drawstring reticule with lace inserts\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDimensions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eApproximately 6 in across by 6 in deep, excluding the cords\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eConstruction\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand-crocheted shell-and-picot base, machine-made floral lace inserts gathered into the body, hand-crocheted ruffled collar, two hand-worked cotton drawstring cords with knotted tabs\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFine cotton throughout, undyed ivory\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMarks\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNone. No label, maker’s mark or date. No date is claimed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCondition\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eVery good. The bag is clean, bright and structurally sound. The crochet is complete with no dropped stitches, broken threads or runs; the lace inserts are intact with no tears or holes; and both drawstring cords are present, attached and working, with their knotted tabs. The colour is even throughout with no staining or yellowing. No repairs. Condition Guaranteed.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAvailability\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOne of a Kind — 1 Available\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n  \u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\n  \u003ch3\u003eWhy It Belongs in Your Home\u003c\/h3\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eSomebody made this by hand, one stitch at a time, and it has survived without a mark on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eThat is most of the appeal. Machine-made anything is everywhere; a small object worked entirely by hand in fine cotton is not, and it shows in the ruffled collar and the two dense crocheted cords, which are far more work than the bag strictly needed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt is a genuinely good bridal object.\u003c\/strong\u003e Ivory, small, soft, designed to hold a lipstick and a folded note — a bride carrying this instead of a new white clutch has something nobody else has, and it photographs beautifully because the light comes through the lace.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eOutside a wedding it is a summer evening bag, and it goes with linen and cotton in a way leather never does.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eIt is also, plainly, a lovely thing to keep and not carry. Hung on a wardrobe knob, a bedpost or a hook, or laid open on a dressing table holding rings and hairpins, it works as a textile object rather than an accessory — and there it needs no occasion at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eAnd it makes a considered gift for anyone who crochets. The shell-and-picot base and the worked cords are the parts a maker looks at first.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eA note on care. \u003cstrong\u003eDo not machine wash it.\u003c\/strong\u003e Fine cotton crochet loses its shape in a drum and a snagged thread in openwork runs. If it needs freshening, hand wash in cool water with a gentle detergent, rinse thoroughly, and \u003cstrong\u003edry it flat\u003c\/strong\u003e, easing it back into shape while damp — never hung, which stretches the crochet permanently.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDo not bleach it.\u003c\/strong\u003e Ivory cotton goes grey rather than white under bleach, and the lace inserts and the crochet will not react the same way, so you would end up with two tones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eStore it flat or loosely stuffed with acid-free tissue rather than folded, and keep it out of direct sun, which yellows undyed cotton.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003cp\u003eIf you catch a thread, do not pull it. Ease it back through with a blunt needle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viridian Eclection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48047805694057,"sku":"VE-0771","price":78.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/0093\/9369\/files\/85AB6DBD-F2B9-4A39-91DD-59AEFB530AD6_f292780d-c607-4e91-94db-f6501cfafeb0.jpg?v=1789320695","url":"https:\/\/viridianeclection.com\/products\/hand-crocheted-cotton-drawstring-reticule-with-lace-inserts-and-worked-cord-ties-shell-and-picot-base-ivory","provider":"Viridian Eclection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}