Maltese Lace on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Maltese lace ( mt, bizzilla) is a style of bobbin lace made in
File:Maltese lace.jpg, Maltese lace
File:Malta, Lace making.jpg, A Maltese lace pillow in use
File:Young Gozitan lacemakers, 1910s.jpg, Young Gozitan lacemakers, 1910s
Maltese lace ( mt, bizzilla) is a style of bobbin lace made in Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. It is a guipure
Guipure lace is a type of bobbin lace. It connects the motifs with bars or plaits rather than net or mesh.
Guipure is a French word. It used to describe lace which has a gimp or thicker thread to outline the pattern, but this is no longer used.
...
style of lace. It is worked as a continuous width on a tall, thin, upright lace pillow
Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually de ...
. Bigger pieces are made of two or more parts sewn together.
The Lace Pillow in Malta is known as ''Trajbu'' (pronounced as "try-boo"), while the Bobbins are called ''Ċombini'' (pronounced as "chom-beany"); this type of lace making is very popular on the island of Gozo.
History
Lace made in Malta was originallyneedle lace
Needle lace is a type of lace created using a needle and thread to stitch up hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself.
In its purest form, the only equipment and materials used are a needle, thread and scissors. The origins of need ...
, from the 16th to the 19th century, when the economic depression in the islands nearly led to the extinction of lacemaking there. But in the mid 1800s, Lady Hamilton Chichester sent lacemakers from Genoa to Malta. They used the old needle lace patterns and turned them into bobbin lace, which was quicker. It was not long after its introduction that the Maltese lace developed its own style from Genoese lace.
Maltese lace was shown at The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took p ...
of 1851 and it became popular in Britain. The style was copied by lacemakers in the English Midlands, and it was one of the sources for Bedfordshire lace
Bedfordshire lace is a style of bobbin lace originating from Bedfordshire in the 19th century, and made in the English Midlands lacemaking area. It was worked as a continuous width on a bolster pillow. It is a guipure style of lace.
History of ...
.
Lace is still made in Malta today. To ensure the survival of the craft, lace making is taught in Government trade schools for girls, while private bodies such as the Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce also hold special evening classes.
Characteristics of Maltese lace
Maltese lace usually has the following characteristics which are useful for identification: * It is usually made from creamsilk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
. Black silk was also used in the past. Occasionally linen thread was used.
* There is often the 8 pointed Maltese cross as part of the pattern, worked in whole or cloth stitch.
* The pattern may also have closely worked leaves known as “wheat ears” or “oats”. These are plump and rounded in shape, rather than the long narrow leaves of other types of bobbin lace.
References
Bobbin lace {{Malta-stub