Greetings from Portugal! My husband and I are visiting this beautiful country for a few weeks.
Lace, more specifically bobbin lace, is probably not something most people associate with Portugal. I had no idea either until I stumbled across this connection while researching for our trip. Whenever possible, I like to search out bloggers from my destination to get the inside scoop. That’s where I learned about Portugal’s bobbin lace. Then I discovered Vila do Conde in the northern part of the country‒a place I was already scheduled to visit‒is the primary center for bobbin lace. Clearly this was meant to be!
So on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I found myself awestruck in the small Museu das Rendas de Bilros (Museum of Bobbin Lace) in Vila do Conde, Portugal. It’s a small museum but the exhibits were well-displayed and presented with care. The lace was beautiful–intricate detailed designs executed in precise perfection. Here are some examples.
But here’s the kicker! This lace is made by crossing and twisting together dozens of strands of thread. The thread is wound onto individual wooden bobbins. The lacemaker works on a padded surface, like a firm pillow, and pins the pattern to the pillow. The setup looks like this.
The bobbins are then manipulated to cross and twist the thread into the pattern. Small pins are inserted to keep the wound thread in place.
It seems miraculous that this fine lace is the result. Conceptually, it sounds doable. But in reality, how the heck does anyone keep track of hundreds of bobbins that all look exactly the same? I examined the works-in-progress on display and could find no rhyme or reason to it. No numbers or color coding-no differentiation at all-every bobbin looked exactly the same. And there were literally hundreds of bobbins on a single project. Here’s an example of a work in progress that I studied with care.
Unfortunately there was no one at the museum that afternoon able to answer my questions. I did find this helpful diagram in the Portuguese book Rendas de Bilros de Vila do Conde. It shows the basic pattern at the mid-point (Meio-Ponto) and at the full return (Volta).
So I did a little online research after the fact. Turns out the lacemaker does indeed work the bobbins in a very specific sequence. On the YouTube video I saw (see More Info below), the lacemaker explained the bobbins are always worked in pairs. She used color coded beads on the end of her bobbins as a reminder of which bobbins were paired. She explained that bobbin lace is worked in either whole or half stitches. This means the lacemaker is consciously moving bobbin2 over bobbin1, bobbin3 over bobbin 4, and so on. She was very careful to keep her bobbins organized in sequential order on her pillow. But she only had 20 or so bobbins-not hundreds like the projects I saw.
There are numerous bobbin lace designs. The designs are sketched on paper patterns. Here’s an example of a pattern called “Braid” and the resulting lace from the Rendas de Bilros de Vila do Conde book. The piece of actual bobbin lace along the top is a bookmark I purchased. Pretty cool, right?
Another cool thing is the world’s largest piece of bobbin lace which is displayed in the museum. A group of Vila do Conde residents got together in 2015 and pieced together 437 30×30 square centimeter pieces of bobbin lace to create a 53,262 square meter masterpiece. The folks from Guinness World Records verified it as the world’s largest piece of bobbin lace and awarded the Vila do Conde team the world record. The award and the enormous piece of bobbin lace are on display for all to enjoy. It’s displayed in a life size tunnel so you can enjoy bobbin lace on all sides as you walk through.
Definitely not something you see every day!
I was impressed that the world record team included 3 generations of lace makers‒grandmothers, mothers and daughters. Of course, as the carriers of the torch for this traditional art, it’s not surprising to see the grandmothers leading the charge. Fortunately they are not the only ones, various governing bodies and arts associations in Vila do Conte are already working to pass down this traditional art to the next generations. To this end, they have established a lace making school where children and adults can go to learn lacemaking for free. Local master lacemakers teach the participants with a goal of helping to preserve this unique skill. Interestingly, this is not the first time Vila do Conde has sponsored a lace school. Back in 1919, the original Bobbin Lace School was founded in the city. Here’s a fun photo from that early school.
There’s even a Lacemaker Monument to pay tribute to the Vila do Conde women who have preserved the art of bobbin lace. The statue, created by Ilídio Fontes and Claudio Ricca, is found on Cais das Lavandeiras along the river in Vila do Conde.
I’m so pleased I discovered Vila do Conde’s rich heritage of bobbin lace and had a chance to visit the Museu das Rendas de Bilros.
More Info
The two blogs I consulted before our trip to Portugal are A Portuguese Affair and Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal. Both were packed with insider information.
To learn more about the Bobbin Lace Museum in Vila do Conde, check the Porto and North website or the Vila do Conde website.
The YouTube video I found helpful was Video #84 Beginner Bobbin Lace Tutorial by Red Cardinal Crafts.
I was so inspired by my recent trip to Portugal that I wrote a series of blog posts about what I learned and experienced. Check out:
. Tied in Knots in Portugal (this post).
. Following the Yellow Arrows which recaps my first 110+ km Camino walk.
. Making Curls and Swirls with a Filigree Master about my experience making a traditional Portuguese filigree heart.
. Talk About Tiles! which features the beautiful tiles (azulejos) so prevalent in Portugal.
. Lavish Lalique in Lisbon which looks at the René Lalique Collection of Art Nouveau jewelry at the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum.
. Lines and Patterns in Wrought Iron shares a variety of wrought iron designs spotted in Portugal.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Local bloggers often provide unique insights into a travel destination.
2. Consider delving into the handmade traditions of the place you plan to visit.
3. Think about supporting local artists and art organizations when travelling.
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