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In general terms, for both straight and part laces, the relative proportions of the surface of the lace devoted to motifs and to ground also changed during the 18th century.  In the early part of the century the motifs occupied nearly the whole surface, with very little ground between the motifs.  As the century went on ground occupied an ever larger percentage of the lace, until it was about 50% in mid century.  During the 1780s we begin to see straight laces which are mostly ground with very small motifs.  Some of the used Mechlin ground and some used Point ground.  (This fashion may have developed because Marie Antoinette was fond of clear net.)  This is a matter of style, but it helps us to date individual pieces.  Also whether the headside was straight, slightly scalloped, or deeply scalloped also changed across time.

Straight Laces

Early Mechlin or Brussels ground lace

33 ek  Date and origin unknown.  Scale and thread are fairly coarse, not typical of Flanders area.

Straight laces of the 18th century are of two primary types: those with gimp and those without gimp.  Levey considers the distinction between Binche and Valenciennes to be immaterial this early:  both towns were very close together, and there was no reason for their styles to have developed differently.  The distinction only becomes important in the Revival Era laces.  Revival Era Straight Lace.   These Binche/Val laces did not have gimp, but did have a ring pair.  The other group are laces with gimp.  Some authorities call these Mechlin, after the major town in the district, but some European writers call these Flanders, after the name of the whole district.  So there are two kinds:

Binche/Val             no gimp

Mechlin/Flanders    gimp

However both groups used a multiplicity of grounds, among which were: Flanders ground (5 hole), Paris ground, Valenciennes ground (round version), Binche snowflakes in half stitch (12 thread armure), other Binche snowflakes, Binche snowballs of various kinds, Mechlin ground.  In the early years of the century you could find any one of these with equal frequency.  As the century progressed the preferred grounds changed somewhat.  By around 1750 in the Mechlin/Flanders laces Flanders ground was becoming more common than all the others.  But Mechlin ground  increased in frequency because it began to be used in those laces which were mostly ground.  This general type developed into the  Napoleonic Era laces.   After about 1770 we don't see Flanders, Paris, or the various Binche snowflakes and snowballs.  The Binche/Val laces began to use Val ground exclusively at mid century.  Val laces continued throughout the 19th century, but were always made with Val ground (square version).

Mechlin/Flanders: Laces with Gimp                          bkmk

	bkmk	bkmk	early Flanders bobbin lace bkmk
13 n ek  Mechlin ground	14 ek  Mechlin ground	30 ek Paris ground See also Revival Era Paris.	11 ek Flanders ground See also Revival Era Flanders.	12 ek Flanders ground

See also http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/578022777ROoKCw  which has really detailed photos of a Flanders ground piece.

Mechlin/Flanders lace with armure ground	Mechlin/Flanders lace with ground of snowflakes in half stitch
10 ek armure ground (Binche snowflakes in half stitch)	500 IT  Armure ground	22 ek  Mechlin ground.  I have seen several laces in this style. Some were straight laces, some were part laces.  I am just not sure if these are mid 18th century or 1830-1850.  A short repeat is typical of Napoleonic era laces and its close successors.  This is not a short repeat.	20 ek Mechlin ground

These are probably 1770s.	21 ek  Mechlin ground	26 ek  point ground

  See also  revival era Mechlin      Napoleonic era        and 19th century Mechlin       laces.

 Val/Binche: No Gimp

This group are very early, probably 1700 - 1715.
Binche bobbin lace
1 ek early 18th
			bkmk
131 rh		493 IT

See also         revival era Binche           and            revival era Valenciennes           

These are a little later: c. 1715-1735.
2 2nd qtr 18th ek snowball		4 ek Flanders ground snowflake filling	7 ek  snowball	5 several gnds ek

8 ek  Flanders	494 IT snowball	3 ek Flanders ground snowball filling

These are mid-century, c. 1740-1760.
	early Flanders bobbin lace	bkmk
6 ek mid 18th c Flanders ground	495 it  Flanders ground	485 it  Flanders ground

Part/Sectional Laces:

Early Brussels

				bkmk
156 bn		487 it	158 bn

See also     very early Brussels      

Brussels circa 1820-1840

36 ek	195 ek	565 it

38 ek		All the white outlines are raised work, not gjmp.	37 ek
39 ek

mid century

159 LH	Original ground was droschel, but has been replaced in places by a needle made ground.		40 ek droschel ground See also     19th c Duchesse
lace 182 Ilske Thomsen droschel ground

Brabant: Levey uses this description for laces with a slightly looser weave and less distinct design.  She regards these as probably made in outlying districts away from, and not so closely in touch with, the fashion center in the town.   bkmk

Brabant bobbin lace
43 ek	42 ek		44 ek  This is a little later than the 2 previous.

Bath Brussels:  Levey's term for laces of the same time period, made in England.      bkmk

Bath Brussels bobbin lace	Ilske Thomsen and I are not sure whether 555 and 172 are Devon laces (what Levey calls Bath Brussels) or Brussels.  One way to distinguish them is by the fillings.  None of these use typically English fillings.  See 760 and 47 for comparison.	See 19th c Honiton for comparison.  Look at #760 and #47.
555 IT  Ilske thinks this is 1770s Devon.	Compare this and the one below to laces 40 and 182 above.
lace172 IT  This is a very similar design to the one above.  Reverse side	front side

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    Abbreviations      Terminology  

     
  Bobbin Lace Introduction              Bobbin 2 structural classes                        Bobbin lace history overview 
  1559-1700                Pottenkant/Milanese                        Napoleonic era
     19th c Straight Bar Lace                 19th c Straight Mesh Lace              19th c Part Lace
  Revival Era Straight Lace            Revival Era Part Lace                       New Revival Era