Craft Bobbin Lace
Bobbin Lace
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Bobbin Lace

Goa | Kanyakumari

Bobbin lace, also known as pillow lace, is a traditional Indian craft practiced in Goa, Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Station Ghanpur in Telangana. It is a handmade textile art that involves twisting and crossing threads wound on bobbins to create intricate lace patterns. A bobbin is a small, slender spindle or cylinder, typically made of wood, on which thread is wound. These bobbins help keep the threads organized and maintain even tension as artisans work, allowing for the precise formation of lace motifs.

The history of bobbin lace in India traces back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Christian missionaries and nuns introduced the craft. In Kanyakumari, Catholic sisters began teaching local women lace-making around 1897, establishing a foundation for the craft’s growth. Goa’s tradition links to Portuguese influence, with convents and charitable schools playing a central role in training artisans. In Telangana, Father Augusto Colombo helped establish a lace-making cluster in the mid-twentieth century, further spreading the craft’s reach. These communities, often led by women, have passed down the techniques through family and local networks.

Bobbin lace production relies on simple but essential tools: a pillow or cushion, wooden bobbins, pins, and pricking cards that hold the design pattern. Artisans use threads of cotton, silk, linen, and sometimes metallic yarns. The process centers on two basic movements—twisting and crossing threads—combined with the strategic placement of pins to form the lace’s distinctive motifs. Depending on the complexity, a single piece may require a few to dozens of bobbins, with each bobbin ensuring thread tension and cleanliness. Completing a lace of about 22 centimeters in diameter can take up to 40 hours.

Indian bobbin lace stands out for its blend of European technique with local materials and motifs, resulting in products that are both intricate and regionally distinctive. Despite competition from machine-made laces and changing fashion trends, handmade bobbin lace remains valued for its delicacy, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage, often commanding a premium in niche markets.

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Bobbin Lace
Bobbin Lace
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