Needlelace is not as widely known as Bobbin Lace, and that is very sad. The different needlelaces are unique and exquisite in their beauty, and come from many different parts of Europe. Some people have made combinations of needlelace stitches and created beautiful modern pieces, but I prefer to teach the technically correct combinations and stitches to continue the traditions of these individual laces. My first lesson is below. 

Requirements for this lesson:
A piece of pattern contact (or clear contact covering a blue piece of paper with the pattern drawn on it) approx 14cm square
A piece of paper (ordinary printer paper) with a heart pattern no bigger than 9cm drawn on it. If you don't trust your freehand drawing, just draw around a biscuit cutter. Trim your paper pattern to 10cm square.
A piece of calico 15 cm wide and 30 cm long
A blunt point tapestry needle (it is supermagnified on the video but it is a blunt point) with a big enough eye to take your working thread
Perle 12 or 16 crochet thread in any colour you like to work your lace (working thread)
A sharp sewing needle for tacking your pattern working pad and couching your working thread outline (cordonnet)
Ordinary machine sewing thread in white or cream for couching
Scissors and thimble if desired

Step 1 Create your working pad
Place your ironed rectangular calico piece on the table in front of you, running long edge across the table.
Fold it in half and crease the fold with your fingers making a 15cm square.
Open the square back out again. 
Place the heart pattern on one side of the calico rectangle NOT in the middle, allowing equal space between the pattern and the fold line, and the three raw edges.
Remove the backing from the contact but do not discard. 
Cover the pattern with the contact ensuring that there are no creases in the pattern and the contact has equal space between the fold line and the three raw edges.
Flip the calico without disturbing the pattern.
Take the backing off the contact and place it on the calico behind the pattern, and fold the calico over it.

You should now have a 15cm square working pad with an insert of contact backing and your pattern on the front secured by pattern contact.
Tack around the pattern with the sharp needle and sewing machine thread approx 1cm from the pattern line, then run another line of tacking stitches around the edge of the working pad approx 1cm from the edge. You may overlock or zigzag by machine around this working pad, but it is not essential.

Congratulations, you are ready to start.
Take approx 80cm of Perle crochet thread and fold it in half. Secure the top loop (through the loop not the thread) to the point of the heart with a couching stitch using the sharp needle and sewing machine thread. Lay the doubled crochet thread along the long lower side edge of the heart and hold it with your non-dominant thumb (not the one you write with). Couch the doubled crochet thread with short perpendicular stitches along the pattern, making sure to change the angle as the pattern curves. When you arrive at the dip at the top of the heart, separate the crochet thread and thread your blunt point embroidery needle with one strand of the crochet thread. Take this crochet thread strand down to the secured loop at the point of the heart, go through the loop (not the thread), through the anchoring couching stitch, and return to the top of the heart. Couch to secure at the top, then couch down the now doubled thread in the centre of the design back to the point of the heart. Anchor the couching thread at the back of your working pad, cut off and re-anchor at the top of the heart (back of work). Continue to couch the edge of the heart using both strands of crochet thread around the side to return to the point of the heart. With the blunt needle, take one strand of the crochet thread through the starting loop and thread it through the last three couching stitches you have just created (turning one strand back on itself). Hold the other strand of crochet thread with your non-dominant thumb and couch that single strand approx 1cm past the commencing loop. Anchor couching thread at the back of your work. Trim crochet thread close to pattern. 

Now check your work against the image in the first few frames of the video below. Does it match? Well done. Let's begin.

Watch the videos from beginning to end before commencing. You will thank me for it. The first one is the filling stitches and the second shows you how to complete the project. Then give it a try with the videos running. Problems? Contact me through the contact form on this site. Don't forget to like and to subscribe to my youtube channel. Thanks :-)

So, how did you go? Any problems contact me by the contact form. Wanting to know more? I'm happy to travel to groups of 3 or more, so let me know if you are interested in me coming to teach your group. Ready for another lesson? I am developing lesson packages for the full range of styles of needlelace I teach, including demonstration videos, Q and A sessions, exclusive facebook support group access and kits. Lesson 2 is available now.