Traveling
across the Philippines has long been my gateway to discovering the country’s vast
pool of talents in creating crafts and heritage arts. From the intricate weaves
of the Ifugao to the colorful Inaul cloth of Maguindanao and countless others,
each piece tells a story of tradition and identity, passed down through
generations. I thought I had seen it all—until I stumbled upon something new to
my learnings in a laidback town in Iloilo province.
Amid
the peaceful small-town vibe of Santa Barbara, I encountered a group of women
gathered around, their fingers nimbly maneuvering threads around small spools.
They were creating what our tour guide tells us bobbin lace, a delicate,
lacework technique that looked almost too fine to be handmade. I had never
heard of it before, let alone witnessed its meticulous crafting process. Yet
here it was, unfolding in a place with an origin story worth telling about.
Learning
about the bobbin lace makers of Santa Barbara was a humbling reminder that in
this archipelago of over 7,641 islands, there are always stories yet to be
woven, traditions waiting to be discovered, and art forms that still surprises
you.
The
Birth of the Bobbin Lace Makers of Sta Barbara
The
story of WUHTLE (Women United Through Handcrafted Lace and Embroidery), traces
its origins to the 1980s, inside the Western Visayas Sanitarium in Sta.
Barbara. It began with a simple gesture: the daughter of a patient handed a
delicately embroidered handkerchief to a Belgian missionary, Sister Madeleine
Dieryck, then working with people affected by leprosy.
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| Religious symbols are some of the creators' favorite design to make |
The
handiwork amazed Sister Dieryck’s eye immediately. She then began teaching
embroidery to the women under her care, only to realize that many patients,
their hands altered by the effects of leprosy, struggled to hold a needle. While
taking a break back in her hometown in Belgium, Sister Dieryck thought of a
solution. There, she sought to learn the craft of bobbin lace, a technique
built not on needles but on the manipulation of pins, threads, and wooden
bobbins.
When
she returned to the sanitarium, Sister Dieryck introduced the craft to her
patients. The women took to it with focus and determination. By 1996, their
small circle of lace-makers had formally organized into a cooperative, laying
the foundation for what would become WUHTLE.
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| Lola Delia still creating bobbin lace at age 75 |
Among
those keeping the tradition alive is Lola Delia, 75. Her fingers, deformed by
years of illness, move with practiced ease across the threads. She has been
crafting bobbin lace for more than three decades. Today, she and her fellow
artisans produce intricate lacework and embroidered pieces that have found
buyers far beyond the shores of the Philippines, a testament to resilience
woven, quite literally, by hand.
“It’s
a rare craft, one of the most expensive laces in the world, and its production
keeps shrinking as time goes by. To think that a small community of women here
in Sta. Barbara are its keepers makes their work extraordinary,” says veteran
Iloilo tour guide Erlyn Alunan. “What began as a lifeline for those shunned because
of their illness has become a unique heritage of the province.”
Displayed
in the small workshop are several of the women’s pieces, their designs ranging
from colorful birds to religious symbols. Depending on the complexity, each one
takes anywhere from a day and a few days to several weeks to complete.
Beyond
providing a livelihood for the roughly 30 bobbin lace makers still practicing
the craft, a fraction of its numbers at its peak decades ago, the cooperative
now hopes that renewed public interest might inspire a new generation to carry
the skills forward.
Beyond
its role as a source of income, this profession harnessed by WUHTLE adds
another layer to Iloilo province’s cultural and commercial identity. Located on
the island of Panay, Iloilo is already celebrated for its indigenous products:
from hablon and patadyong weaving to pottery, basketry, and panubok embroidery.
Though bobbin lace does not stem from local tradition, it reinforces the
region’s reputation for artistry and has the potential to draw visitors and
collectors, particularly those with an eye for art and fashion.
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| Lola Delia's fingers, still bobbin and lacin |
“The
value the bobbin-lace makers bring to Iloilo’s tourism is immense, operating on
three critical levels at once,” said Department of Tourism Region 6 Director
Krisma Rodriguez. “It diversifies and deepens our portfolio by moving beyond
grand heritage sites toward ‘slow tourism,’ offering immersive cultural
experiences that reveal the province’s living artisanal soul”.
“It
also champions sustainable, community-based tourism, as every purchase provides
a direct, dignified livelihood for the artisans, empowering the community and
sustaining the enterprise from the ground up. Finally, it creates a cycle of
heritage preservation, where visitor interest validates this patient, exquisite
craft, ensuring these invaluable skills are passed on and safeguarded for
future generations,” Rodriguez added.
As
our visit drew to a close, marked by a group photo with the dozen or so bobbin
lace makers, all smiling for the camera, I found myself reflecting on a lesson
often overlooked in travel. Beyond the picturesque sights and postcard moments,
there are opportunities to witness creativity and craft, lessons these women
had shared with me.
This article first appeared on Rappler.
