Bobbin Lace in Peniche
This is a secular tradition in Peniche – “The Bobin Lace in Peniche contribute to the affirmation of the specificities and differentiation of this territory (…) only the concertation of all efforts around this patrimonial element common to all Penichenses, can contribute to this activity be endowed with added value for all its stakeholders and develop in a sustained manner.
Despite tradition product innovation is the way. ” (Jorge Amador, Vice-President of the Municipality of Peniche in Alta Estremadura Congress, 2011) “Peniche, land of fishermen and lacemakers who in the past lived hand in hand with me, Renda de Bilros, whose support I was when the Sea was adverse to the abundance of fish or the work stopped because of the closed season (…).
I am still very much alive, although already in a few hands. Hands of lacemakers who just for love do not want to part with me, which proves that their roots are their strength. ”
This is the start to let us know the importance of this art that Peniche does not want to drop. An art made from the effort of many women who saw their men leave for the sea, also embarking on an almost daily adventure.
Bobbin Lace in Peniche: A story told through needles
This is an art with more than four centuries of existence, dates back to the end of the 16th century, beginning of the 17th century.
Its appearance in Peniche lands seems to have been motivated by the commercial relations established between the sailors and fishermen coming from the ports of Bruges and Antwerp, in Flanders, originating the transmission of a know-how that became the ex-libris of this community’s handicrafts. fishing.
In the 19th century, this art was woven by the majority of women in Peniche, especially by fishermen’s women who transformed the ingenuity of their art and the perfection of their work in addition to the low wages from fishing, in times of closed seasons.
With the appearance of new and more lucrative alternatives to female labor, this art suffered a regression, at the beginning of the 20th century. Currently, this distinctive element of Peniche’s identity remains safeguarded, although with less expression than in the heydays when any and all income produced in Portugal was known as Renda de Peniche.
Bobbin Lace in Peniche: How to do it
The conception of Bobbin Lace starts with the design, which, after being conceived, is copied onto millimeter paper and chopped onto a handmade card painted usually in saffron color (pique). The pike is fixed to the cushion with the help of pins, giving rise to Bobbin Lace which is characterized by the continuous or interspersed crossing of textile threads, interlaced in bobbins. (elongated pear shaped wooden artifacts where the thread or other textile threads are wrapped).
How many types of Bobbin Lace in Peniche exist?
There are two types of bobbin lace in the city: Classical and Popular Bobbin Lace.
Their differences are based on the design of the patterns.
The former have elaborate designs, with complex and non-repetitive motifs, which requires the use of very varied points and great execution expertise.
The second ones have a more elementary design, whose motive is, as a rule, repetitive, with the use of more traditional points and of simpler execution.
One of the details that distinguishes the Bobbin Lace from Peniche from other bobbin lace produced in Portugal, is the warp process (the lace makers in Peniche work with their palms facing upwards) and the fact that, in these lace, there is no distinguish the right from the wrong side.
The authentic Bobbin Lace in Peniche
Created (certificate of origin Renda de Bilros) in 1996 with the aim of guaranteeing the authenticity and quality of Bobbin Lace in Peniche with respect to the techniques and type of materials used in the making.
This local Certification allows the guarantor of the preservation of the ancestral techniques associated with the art of weaving the Peniche Lace.
The Future of Bobbin Lace in Peniche
The Municipal School of Bobbin Lace is in operation from Monday to Saturday and has dedicated some time of its operation, not only to the initiation of learning and improvement of Bobbin Lace, but also to the learning of techniques and processes such as drawing and darning.
Wednesday night is dedicated to the initiation of Bobbin Lace techniques by young adults who, during the day, are not available to go to the School.
The Bobbin Lace in the form of Art and Culture
Maximum expression with regard to the preservation and conservation of the bobbin lace in Peniche is the Bobbin Lace Museum in Peniche that intends to affirm itself as a living and felt museum by the community and that assumes itself as another element of attractiveness in the municipality of Peniche.