Teneriffe Lace
What is teneriffe lace? The Wikipedia Encyclopedia describes it as: “A needle lace from the island of Tenerife.”
Okay, but now, what is needle lace and where is the island of Tenerife?
First things first, the island is the largest and most populated of the seven Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago. It sits in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Europe and Africa.
This island is known for the craftsmanship of lace. The intricate doilies are known as rosette embroidery produced by following patterns.
Threads are crossed over and wound around pins stuck in a support. The rosettes are joined to make beautiful designs and pieces of cloth for tables, etc.
Needle Lace
It is a type of needle lace. You create needle lace or point lace with a needle and thread. Hundreds of stitches form the lace and dates back to the 16th century.
It’s origins come from a type of openwork on linen technique called Reticella. First you secure guided threads on a stiff background, then later remove the stitches.
The work uses a variety of stitches. Once you cover the entire area, you release the stitches, pulling the lace away from the background.
If you’d like to learn more about needle lace, this DMC Library Needle-Made Laces 1st Series is available online. Click on the cover below and it will take you to the PDF file of the book provided by The University of Arizona.
Designs and Instructions
Archive.org has a 1904 book titled Teneriffe Lace Designs and Instructions. Originally only 15¢, wow! The author describes Teneriffe Lace on the front cover page:
Design No. 1
Following are instructions for Design No. 1. Though it looks intricate, this design will show you how to make teneriffe lace. These are the first few pages of the book.
Find the entire book here =>> Teneriffe Lace Designs and Instructions
Make Your Own Spider Loom
While researching this post I came across an article on the Makezine website that tells how to make your own spider loom using foam board.
A PDF file is provided for the loom and instructions. I made a copy of my own to share here.
Download Instructions: Right-Click on the image. Select either “save link as” or “save image as” depending on what browser you are using. Or simply click on it, it will open in a new window and save it from there.
The instructions on the Makezine website are from a Polka Spider Web 1930’s leaflet. I found several originals that include the tool on Ebay:
Polka Spider Web Instructions and Tools
At the time of this writing, they are running around $20 – $29.
Where Can I Find Materials
If you’re not interested in making your own loom or looking on Ebay for a vintage one, the only place I found that sells newer items for this craft is Gina-B Silkworks in the UK.
They do ship to the US and sell Teneriffe Lace looms for different shapes, such as a star and butterfly. The looms have handles.
You’ll also find a great tutorial on the site using the looms they sell.
One More Thing
I know I’ve gone over a lot here, but there is so much more to discover about teneriffe lace and how to make it.
This Pinterest clip shows just a few of the many designs and looms.
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Enjoy!
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