Bobbin Lace in
Spain
Antje González
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Antje González
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How to starch Romanian lace, step by step Once the lace is completely finished, Alina tells us that in Romania they always starch it. They starch for two main reasons: first, because they like their mats and doilies to have a rigid and consistent texture. And second, because they say they become less easily dirty. In Romania they keep starching their mats in the traditional way, the same way our grandmothers (or mothers) used here in Spain. That is, with starch. Alina tells us that her mother uses corn starch. The most similar starch I have found here is Maizena, which is the make we have bought to make the demonstration you can see in the photographs. 1. First, we mix water and starch (approximately 1 tablespoon of starch for 1/2 liter of water) in a bowl and then make it boil for a few minutes (aprox. 10). It will have a creamy consistency, and will be quite transparent. If we want to starch a small mat, we can make just a small cup of this "cream". Afterwards we let it cool.
2. We put the lace upside down over a piece of cloth or a towel and stretch it well, giving it the correct final shape. With a sponge or a piece of cotton cloth we soak it well with the starch. Once it is well soaked, we let it dry for about 10 minutes, not letting it dry completely.
3. Afterwards we iron it, placing a piece of cloth between the mat and the iron, to avoid it from adhering to the iron (or from getting brown, which can easily happen. To avoid it, don't keep the iron too much time on the lace).
4. When we consider that the lace is dry and rigid enough, we must loosen it slowly from the piece of material. We must not wait until the mat is completely dry, as it would be difficult to remove.
And that's all about the starching process. Whenever the mats needs to be washed, me immerse it in water with soap and leave it there for a while. Afterwards we have to repeat the whole starching process again. As a curiosity I want to tell you that in Alina's home they starch all curtains once a year, that is, meters and meters of material... Anybody wants to have a try? |
