Tenerife lace


Tenerife lace is a needle lace from the island of Tenerife.

History

17th century Spanish Sol lace was a form of drawn thread work with circular patterns built up on a skeleton of woven threads. By the 19th century the way the lace was made had changed and there were differences between the methods used for the lace known as Tenerife in Spain and Ñandutí in Paraguay and other parts of South America.
In the 1930s - 1940s Tenerife lace was sometimes called Polka Spider Web Lace.

How it is made

In Tenerife lace, the wheel-like motifs are made separately. The thread is first taken to-and-fro across the fabric-covered circular cards or blocks around pins stuck round the edge. Once these radial threads are in place the pattern is woven in with a needle. The finished motif is released by removing the pins and the motifs are later sewn together.