Brussels Lacework

It was believed that lace makers would inevitably go blind with each piece that flew off their bobbins; they say that each shawl or collar would take away the light from their eyes. In reality, the process was slightly less dramatic: the delicate spider-web-like lacework was woven from such fine linen threads that it couldn't be exposed to light and dryness when it was being woven to prevent it from becoming brittle. Thus, women lace makers worked in rather dark rooms with open bowls of water. Only a small beam of light was allowed into the room, and it was directed onto a specific area of the work through a partially open window. It is true that many lace makers would lose the sharpness of vision required for such delicate work by the age of thirty or forty. They wouldn't go completely blind, but they had to give up this occupation. The intricate background netting with complex patterns, usually floral, was woven simultaneously and not in layers.

Today, machines can produce a meter of similar lacework in just two minutes. It is often difficult to distinguish between the handmade and machine-made lace, and so it’s not surprising that the craft, while not extinct, has become more of a museum–cultural performance. There are places where tourists can admire the work of lace makers, but even now they work with nets created by machines and threads woven by machines. The debate about whether this lace can be called ‘Brussels lace’ occupies the Belgian public to a great extent. Antique lace samples are preserved in museums and private collections, and they are worth millions. However, women can still sometimes be seen wearing such luxuries. For example, in 2010, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden got married wearing a veil made of Brussels lace, which had long been owned by the Swedish royal family.