Another way is the chemical method, or Aetzstickerei (see notes 5 and 25). Here the pattern is first embroidered onto a base fabric which initially had to consist of an animal fibre such as wool or silk. The embroidery on it had to be made with a vegetable fibre, i.e. cotton or linen, and the subsequent chemical treatment caused the base fabric to disappear entirely leaving only the solid cotton embroidery.
Later a method was developed by which the previously treated fabric could be dissolved through mere washing in water.

Complicated shapes, like collars, were separated into individual pieces which subsequently were produced in large numbers on the embroidery machines. Later, before they underwent the dissolving process, they were joined together by sewing machine into their final form.

The dissolving technique was, moreover, very suited for a persuasive imitation of several kinds of lace, hand-made, with the needle, or even with the bobbin. Otto Alder, for instance, produced a mechanical Venetian lace which he claimed even the expert could not recognise as machine-produced work (25). Also Irish crochet-lace or Sol-lace from Paraguay, could be produced with the chemical method, and especially popular was the mechanical filet lace.

Since the beginning of the hand embroidery industry, eastern Switzerland had close connections with Austrian embroidery.
St Gallen firms sent their fabrics and embroidery threads for finishing to Vorarlberg without having to pay custom duties or any tax. The products were then delivered back to Switzerland as finished embroideries (27).
The first chain-stitch machines (also called Kurbelstickmaschine or Parisermaschine) were installed in 1863 in Vorarlberg, and the first hand-embroidery machine was established in 1868 in Lustenau by the Brothers Hofer. 

Coarse embroidery was the name for chain-stitch on cotton muslin and on tulle. The Spachteltechnik (cutting-out technique) was very successful with curtain embroidery. Tulle and cotton fabric were put on top of each other, and both were simultaneously decorated with chain-stitch.
Afterwards, the part of the material not belonging to the pattern was cut off. A report of 1888 claimed that with the Spachteltechnique, "finally a weapon was found which successfully challenged the Nottingham lace curtain, and was able to retrieve ground which had been lost to this worst of all rivals so far encountered" (28).

 
Detail of chemical embroidery,
Imitation of Irish Lace

 
Chemical embroidery,
Imitation of Filet

 
Page of sample book
with chemical lace

 
Enlargement of sample
with chemical lace