Saba Lace

Saba lace is drawn-thread work, made by pulling threads from woven linen and knotting the remainder into open patterns, and it came to the island in the 1870s when a Saban woman learned it at a convent school in Venezuela and taught it at home. For decades women sold it by post to buyers in the United States, which brought in real money at a time the island had almost none. It is still made and sold.

What you actually see

• The drawn-thread technique - threads pulled from linen and the rest knotted into patterns.
• The 1870s introduction - the craft brought back from a Venezuelan convent school.
• The mail-order trade - decades of selling by post to buyers in the United States.
• The living practice - work still made and sold on the island.

When to go

December to April is the main visitor season and the shops are busiest. Demonstrations are informal and depend on who is working. Pieces are made to order at times.

Honest expectations

There is no museum or formal display and seeing it made depends on chance. Good pieces take a long time to make and are priced accordingly. Machine-made imitations are sold in the region.

Nearby

Windwardside is where most is sold, and Zion's Hill is northeast.