US Patent 2,365,315, granted December 19, 1944 to Thomas Leigh Williams and assigned to E. I. du Pont de Nemours, describes using water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol film as the foundation on which embroidered (chemical) lace is stitched. The film replaces silk ground fabric and dissolves in water or caustic solution without harming the lace. The text covers film thickness, plasticizers, molecular orientation, degree of saponification, two worked examples with cotton yarn, and nine claims. One page carries a patent drawing of a lace panel on a film support.