Lace intertwined with art

The fourth edition of the Malta Lace Day, organised by the Malta Lace Guild, was held in vaults at the Valletta Waterfront over the weekend with the aim of "giving lace a push".

The idea was to try not to let the skill die, Malta Lace Day organiser Margaret Farrugia said. She considers it to be "an art" and not merely a cottage industry or craft.

The event, which this year has grown to spread over a weekend, is held on a voluntary basis spurred by sheer dedication to lace.

It was mostly the elderly who worked lace and few did so for commercial purposes, time being money nowadays and lace making being very time consuming, Ms Farrugia explained.

In fact, it is thanks to Gozitan lace makers, most of whom have been at it for some 60 years and so can work very fast, that it is feasible to produce lace commercially, she added.

Others mostly worked lace as a hobby; to give as presents - Manuel Grech, for example, was busy with his bobbins, making albs for his son, a priest - and to hand down to their children.

"Lace has had its ups and downs in history, but the time has come for people to start appreciating that these are items of quality and that lace is an art," Ms Farrugia insisted.

In fact, standards were established two years ago to protect the local product and make sure it was the right quality, she said.

The next step would be to introduce tagging, Ms Farrugia hopes, to prevent imported lace from passing for Maltese, to make sure that people knew what they were buying and to distinguish it from machine-made products. The Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and the Self-Employed, Edwin Vassallo, said this issue was being studied.

The exhibition showcased unique antique pieces from Casa Rocca Piccola, St Agatha's Museum and Ms Farrugia's own collection; the works of lace makers and of students who have been encouraged by their teachers to create pieces for the event; as well as materials and tools used for working lace.

But primarily, it was an opportunity for Malta's lace makers to get together under one roof, exchange ideas and see what their colleagues were up to, Ms Farrugia said, adding that they looked forward to the event.

The Malta Lace Guild, which has 280 members, was set up in 2000 and is affiliated to the international lace organisation, OIFDA.