RET-FI CATALA or POINT D'ARENYS
This type of Blonde is original to Arenys de Mar. It is made of linen and white cotton thread, never uses silk. Tulle (Lille) combined with tallies are used for the grounds, and motifs are outlined with gimp thread. A popular design feature is the medallions that are always filled with "filigrana point". It is a very delicate lace, used particularly for religious ornamentation in the 18th., century up to the 19th., century.
Arenys de Mar became known as a bobbin lace manufacturing center in the 17th., century, but its greatest expansion did not take place until well into 17th., century. There were many "randers" or merchants, designers and technicians whose combined talents resulted in a wide variety of patterns. Arenys lace was not only produced to satisfy internal demand, part of it was exported to several European countries and to both North and South America.
Some of the better known "randers" were those belonging to the Castells family, starting with Marià Castells i Diumeró who turned to lace manufacture in 1862 and soon attained national and international recognition thanks to the beauty of his designs and the quality of his merchandise. Work undertaken by the Castells family includes mantillas, shawls, albs, surplices, handkerchiefs, bed linen, table linen, many edgings and insertions, motifs for appliqué garments, etc.,
The Mares Lace Museum located in Arenys de Mar owns a magnificent collection of laces where a wide range of techniques are displayed, both bobbin lace and needlelace and a vast range of designs and styles are shown dating from 15th, up to the present. A few items worth mentioning include gold and silver lace, called Point d'Espagne, intricate embroidery from Castilla, French and Flandes laces as well as Honiton, Malta, Russia, Ireland and the genuine lace from Arenys de Mar: Ret-fi catala.
NUMERICAL LACES (Tape Lace:worked with a limited number of bobbins like 12 or 24)
Its origin comes from the evolution of oriental laces. Curved lines constitute all type of drawings and fill all the empty spaces. These laces usually use only 12 bobbins and a round pillow. In the most ancient designs - without fillings - the braids touch one to another; later the lace evolves and braids space out and fillings appear . We can find two different types of laces:
1. Numerical ancient or pure 2. Numerical evolved.
The first group includes the Russian, Slovenian, Catalonian and Talaverana (the two last ones in Spain).
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