Bobbin Lace in
Spain
Antje González
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Antje González
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Bobbins The most frequently used material for making bobbins is wood. Here in Spain they are usually made of boxwood, although we can also find them made of olive tree, cherry tree, lemon tree... The most frequent size is medium (12 cm long), the size we use most for making popular bobbin laces (Torchon and Beds).
The bobbins in this picture are small (they measure between 10 and 11 cm); they are made of boxwood, and were very much used by most lacers in the central part of Spain 100 years ago. I have a small collection of these bobbins, and their origin is varied: some of them belonged to some nuns from Salamanca (ca. 1900), others from Guadalajara (in the 50's, the High School girls were taught here how to make bobbin lace, among other crafts); others come from Valladolid, although these are not made of boxwood but possibly of lemon tree. I don't know the origin of the rest of my collection.
In this picture you can see a collection of different Spanish bobbins. From left to right you will find: 1-8. Typical Spanish bobbins, like the ones on the above picture, made of boxwood possibly in Catalonia 9-10. Old bobbins from the center of Spain 11-18. Bobbins from Almagro, Ciudad Real. The first two pairs are made with olive tree, very common in the area; the next pair is beech tree wood, cheap but also very tough, and the last ones are boxwood 19-20. Bobbins from Galicia, north west part of Spain, boxwood 21-22. Bobbins from Acebo (Cáceres); the bobbins shown in a horizontal position on topo otf the picture are from Monóvar, Alicante. Possibly made with a tropical wood. They are old. |
