These are different kinds of needle lace. As the name implies, it’s akin to needlepoint, where the patterns are hand-stitched using a needle and thread. Small embroidered pieces can be overlapped to create depth and 3-D texture, like that seen in the Point d’Aleçon piece I purchased. Fun Fact: Point d’Alençon from the mid 1600s was made of hair taken from horses’ tails — a finer thread than can be made today. It had the name “winter’s lace” due to it’s off-white color. Sometimes it’s called the Queen of Lace because of its intricacy.