The Lace Ladies of Saba

With my novel draft off to beta readers, I spent Thursday afternoon with the Lace Ladies of Saba.

For close to 150 years, Saba lace has been a principal island draw. It is crafted by pulling thread through linen and shaping designs. The Lace Ladies create doilies, table runners, napkins, bread warmers, aprons, bookmarks and ornaments that are sold in shops all over Saba.

In 2014, the Lace Ladies won an award for Caribbean cultural heritage. UNESCO has considered Saban lace for preservation and recognition.

Look at some of their work.

Yes, they create gorgeous pieces, but the Lace Ladies themselves are the real island treasures.

Angela runs the group. Imagine Ousier Boudreaux, Shirley MacLaine’s character from the movie Steel Magnolias, only with a Dutch Caribbean accent. She’s also the governor’s mother and serves as Anne’s mentor in the group. Because every newbie gets a mentor.

Anne is working on a small linen square as her first lace project. Angela sat down next to her, glanced at her work, and waved a hand.

“Pull all that out.”

She sat there and made sure Anne ripped out everything that did not meet her standards, which was pretty much what she’d done since last week. Angela then grabbed the cloth, worked some voodoo with thread, and redid Anne’s work in about three minutes.

When she handed the cloth back to Anne, she said, “You’re going to put these names on this cloth and give it as a gift to this person.” And she marched back to the head of the table.

Anne struggled with the needle and muttered, “So it is decreed.”

Mrs. Riley deserves her own Unesco World Heritage protection. She is the grand dame of Saban lace, creating her own patterns and making unique pieces like this colorful bread cloth.

I took a shine to one of Mrs. Riley’s designs and bought it as a gift. She was tickled to see someone bond with one of her pieces. I was tickled she wanted to pose for pictures with me.

Seriously, Mrs. Riley is royalty.

And that’s saying something considering Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands hung out with the Lace Ladies when she visited Saba last month!

The session ended with baked goods and a spray of ginger ale. Despite the fact that Anne and I were both still stuffed from lunch, Angela decreed that we must stay for refreshments. (“Sit down. You’re having refreshments now,” is what she actually said.)

I’m grateful for my afternoon with the Lace Ladies of Saba. Definitely check them out when visiting Saba.

If you missed yesterday’s post, my novel draft is with beta readers. Encourage your friends to sign up for my newsletter HERE for updates.

If you’re new to this Saba adventure, go to THIS POST and read forward for context. Maybe you’ll discover a hidden part of the world to enjoy someday.