Bobbin Lace Making Workshop

According to the legend, the first lace was woven by a spider on looms left by the weaver.

The woman was delighted when she saw the subtle weaves and wanted to make the same shape. To make her happy, her beloved made for her some bobbins.

And that was the beginning 🙂

The name ‘bobbin lace’ comes from ‘bobbins’,  little wooden things which are used to wind some thread and weave a lace.

 

 

Click here for Bobbin Laces Gallery 

Lace making art was brought to Poland from Italy by Bona Sforza, who became queen of Poland in 1518.

In the beginning, this art was available only for ladies from aristocracy. In the 19th century there were founded some lace making schools for poor people who did not have  enough money but quite a lot of time (especially in winter time).

Who knows, maybe one of your ancestors could earn a living by weaving laces…

There were two bobbin lace schools which survived to our times: in Bobowa and in Zakopane (both closed a few years ago).

Now Bobowa is called the Polish capital of bobbin laces. There are still some lacemakers living there, and every year, at the beginning of October, is the International Festival of Bobbin Lace.

Here you can find some festival photos:

https://www.facebook.com/Bobowska.Koronka.Klockowa/photos_stream’ref=page_internal

For 2015, PolishOrigins has prepared a special offer for you.

You can learn bobbin lace making with us and make a perfect gift for your family or friends or just start a new hobby with us.

One of our bobbin lace masters is Ewa Szpila, who has been engaged in bobbin lace for many years. She creates designs, makes traditional doilies, contemporary jewelry, as well as lace pictures. She participated in numerous festivals in Poland, Belgium, Spain, France, Portugal, Finland, Russia, Germany, Slovakia, Austria or Scotland and  conducts many workshops.

Here you can see a fan by Ewa Szpila:

If you want to learn lace making, you need good eyesight, skillful hands and determined willingness.

I can recommend this skill for lovers of handicraft, as well as for those of you who need some relaxation and calmness. If you don’t feel like an artist, but rather have a logical, mathematical mind, don’t worry, although laces making is a kind of art it is also logical and can give you a lot of satisfaction.

See full offer: https://polishorigins.com/document/bobbin_laces

and detailed itinerary: https://polishorigins.com/tour/bobbin_laces_2015.pdf

And at the end I wanted to share with you an unusual story about bobbins. Have you ever heard about ‘hanging bobbins’? It has nothing to do with the fact that bobbins usually hang on threads attached to a pillow. It is a kind of horror story. If you want to know more, try this link (there is a Polish-English version):

http://koronkologia.wordpress.com/tag/koronka-klockowa/

Magdalena
PolishOrigins Team