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Saba lace or Spanish Work, as it was known in the early period, is a handcrafted art of
needlework Needlework refers to decorative sewing and other textile arts, textile handicrafts that involve the use of a Sewing needle, needle. Needlework may also include related textile crafts like crochet (which uses a crochet hook, hook), or tatting, ( ...
designs which began as a
cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...
on the
Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
island of
Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Șaba or Șaba-Târg, the Romanian name for Shabo, a village in Ukraine * Saba, ...
at the end of the 19th century and grew into one of the leading industries on the island at the turn of the 20th century. Until the 1950s, lacework was one of the key sources of revenue for the island's economy. The handicraft is still practiced and is a feature of tourism for the island, having been the focus of two books on the subject, as well as a winner of the Prince Bernhard Caribbean Culture Prize.


History

With few educational opportunities available for women in the 19th century on Saba, Mary Gertrude (née Hassell) Johnson was sent to study at a Venezuelan Catholic convent and learned the intricate craft. She returned in the 1870s and taught others how to make the drawn-thread patterns, made by pulling and tying threads from cotton cloth into lacework designs. When mail service with the outside world was established in 1884, the women of Saba turned their craft into a mail-order industry. Without initial client lists, the women created their own, by writing letters to American companies each time merchandise from the United States was received on the island. By the era of
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, when the island population was around 2,000 people, 250 women were working in the cottage lace craft. By 1928, Saba lace sales were garnering $15,000 annually from the U.S. alone and had an established reputation for fine craftsmanship. Through the 1950s, lacework was one of the leading sources of income for the economy.


Cultural significance

In 1995, a graduate student from the
University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...
, Eric A. Eliason, came to Saba to research Saban nationalism for his graduate thesis. He recognized that for the women of the island, Saba lace was a large part of their cultural heritage and spoke to their ethic for hard work and passing on tradition. Urged by local women to document the craft, he gathered samples of the lace, making copies of the work on a photocopy machine made available by the tourism department. In 1997, he published ''The Fruit of Her Hands: Saba Lace, History & Patterns''. Publication of the book revitalized both interest in the craft and a desire for preserving its heritage. Women began using the book to learn new patterns. In 2010, with the help of students at
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
, Eliason prepared a second book, ''Saba Lace Patterns'', which documents both the creators of designs themselves and their signature patterns. Throughout the island there are establishments which sell clothing and table linens which feature Saba lace, which has become an important cultural icon driving tourism. Means and ways to protect Saba lace has been part of consultations held by the Netherlands in their implementation of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
's initiatives to protect and preserve iconic cultural treasures. In 2014, Saba lace and the "lace ladies" were awarded the Prince Bernhard Caribbean Culture Prize.


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* * * * * * * {{Lace_types Lace Culture of Saba (island) Handicrafts