Once a hub of handmade Bruges lace, Kochi is now a centre of embroidery

Once a hub of handmade Bruges lace, Kochi is now a centre of embroidery. Yet the scenario faces challenges as women switch to better paid jobs

Philomena is perhaps one of the last of the Bruges lace makers in Kochi. The 78-year-old from Aroor is known for her complex patterns using 26 bobbins. Lace-making and hand embroidery came to Kochi through missionary nuns and thrived in the city’s convents. While lace making is almost extinct, the art of embroidery is not only thriving but has evolved from period motifs and a set clientele to contemporary designs and a global market.

St. Elizabeth Convent in Kattiparambu is one of the hubs of lace-making and embroidery. In an airy, spacious hall filled with sea breeze and bright sunlight, a group of women are immersed in embroidering patterns on cloth. “The hall used to be full of girls but now there are just 35 of us,” says Sister Teresa Varghese, who is in-charge. “There are no lace makers anymore.” Founded by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, this unit is “more than 100 years old” and is the largest among the six units the convent runs.

She recalls how, in the 1950s and 1960s, lace-making thrived in the city and girls and women from almost every household were engaged in it. They continued the art taught to them by European nuns and most homes had the curious set of wooden pins held by pins on a pillow. By the 1970s and until the early 1990s, women in Kochi made Bruges lace, also called bobbin or pillow lace.

But embroidery seems to have survived, whether it is Petit point, shadow work, cross stitch and rare filet work. These are much in demand and “we have to turn customers down. Where are the girls?” asks Sister Teresa.

Leena Joseph is finishing a nine-yard sari with a three-inch border in Petit point. The exquisite panel of colourful flowers, which will sell for ₹1,50,000, took five months to create and involved the work of 12 women. The most expensive is an eight-inch border, which sold for ₹ 1,85,000.

Leena displays samples of the kinds of embroidery: a menorah or Jewish lamp stand in pink shadow work, cross stitch flowers spread out on a kurta fabric and Petit point motifs. In a quiet corner, Jessie is engaged in the rare craft of making filet lace. Created on a knotted net, this type of lace is made using a long blunt needle and thread. “This art too is dying,” says Sister Teresa. “It requires special talent and is not easy.” Jessie who is from Manassery came to the unit as a 10-year-old and Sister Teresa refers to her as a “treasure” for her fine work and dedication.

There is a sense of sisterhood among the women. As they focus on their precise work, they chant prayers in unison. According to Sister Teresa, their earnings depend on the number of hours they put in. “It could be between ₹3000 and ₹9000. Some do only a three-hour shift as they have to work at home also.”