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Looking for places that sell Lace Supplies

I'm a bobbin lacemaker and Spain is a center for maintaining this traditional style of making lace. I hope to have a bit of time to explore a shop or two while there. I'll be in Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Ronda and Seville... Any recommendations?

Posted by
3071 posts

@jicolella... can you please specify (a picture will help!) what exactly you mean by "lace supplies"?... it's one of those terms that has several potential meanings in Catalan language and I am not sure what exactly are you after.

Posted by
3 posts

I'm trying to add photos of examples but can't seem to find the option within this platform.
Interested in lace bobbins and pillows for bobbin lace. Fine threads.... and other paraphernalia

Posted by
7159 posts

You can’t add a photo, but you can add a link to a photo online. Either copy the URL of a photo and paste it in the post, or link it to a word in the post via the globe icon.

For example: lace bobbins

Posted by
2267 posts

I don't know about lace-making, specifically. But I can tell you that in Madrid, the fabric and notions are in and around the tiny Plaza de Pontejos, just below Sol. I'd maybe pop in and ask a few shops there.

Edit to add: I went down bit of a wormhole on this last night. Almacen de Pontejos has them, right on that plaza. Maybe others, too?

Posted by
3071 posts

@jicolella... are we talking this? https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Ursuline_lace_2.jpg

If so... when in BARCELONA:

  • In the Catalan language, the local language in Catalonia -where Barcelona is capital of-, the word is "boixet" (also "randa" or "punta de coixí"), roughly pronounced "boo-shed" in English. The person making "boixets" is called "puntaire" (poon-tah-ee-ruh), because when making bobbin lace one has "to count points" (punt = point in the Catalan language).
  • It used to be a tradition on these shores for centuries, albeit in modern times it has decreased a lot. Almost every Catalan family has bed linen passed from generation to generation. One never uses it, but it's there in the cupboard, to pass to the next generation, LOL!
  • Despite this tradition having decreased, there is still a very active Associació Catalana de Puntaires (Catalan Association of Bobbin Lace Makers) and a"Escola de Puntaires" (School For Bobbin Lace Makers) in downtown Barcelona.
  • In Girona there's also a very active association "Puntaires de Girona". If you happen to visit this Catalan city -and you definitively should!- that's perhaps something to have in your to-do list. On a fast train, Girona is barely 40' from Barcelona.
  • Throughout the year there are several gatherings of "puntaires" in different towns across Catalonia, like this one in Blanes, normally coinciding with folk (or traditional) festivals. There's even a national contest of "puntaires" here in Catalonia.
  • In the small town of l'Arboç there is a museum dedicated to bobbin lace. It's reachable by train from Barcelona (just 1h), also worth visiting the one in Arenys de Mar (also 1h north from Barcelona and reachable by train as well)
  • As you can see in this video from one of the latest gatherings in the Festival of Sant Cugat a few days ago, it's something popular among the older generations. Still, the work of the different associations and the specialized schools has also attracted a younger public to ensure the tradition continues to the next generation.

As per shops to visit... there are a number of them online, but physically in Barcelona you might want to drop by at...

  • Boixets de Camariñas in Passatge de Senillosa, 5 -opens at 11am
  • Casa Fèlix in Plaça Villa de Madrid, 4
  • Fil d'Or in Carrer Gran de Sant Andreu, 168
  • Randes in Carrer Provença, 504, door #3
  • Lola Botona in Carrer de Manuel de Falla, 19, baixos

Finally, mention this small producer www.bolillostmc.com, from the village of Borredà, that still manufactures "boixets" (bobbins) the traditional way and boixetsolive.wordpress.com, in the town of Parets del Vallès. These are two of the few left in Catalonia.