During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries bobbin lace, gradually, became an increasingly important source of income for many Arboç families.In fact, already at the end of the 18th century it can be said that bobbin lace had established itself as an artisan industry and a very important source of income for many family.

At the beginning of the 19th century, important historical events took place in the country that affected daily life in l’Arboç.

In 1808, the war episode called “The burning of l’Arboç” takes place in Arboç, where according to the chronicler of the time, Anton Sans, although the heroic resistance demonstrated by the Arboç people, the town is sacked by the Napoleonic troops of the General Chabran, causing more than 60 casualties and burning about 40 houses.

This war episode is part of the French War, which lasted 6 years (1808-1814). In this period, l’Arboç suffers looting by French troops, and abusive taxes by patriotic troops. To this fact must be added that the war hindered trade and communications, therefore, economic activity, and that there were a large number of soldiers from both sides who had to feed themselves and satisfy their needs. All these conditioning factors really made life very difficult around the world. An example is the drought of the year 1811-1812 that caused great hunger and apart from the looting and abusive taxes, on top of that they had to feed the exercised on both sides.

But the bobbin lace industry, despite difficult times, continued with unusual vitality and strength. The important role of women in the lace industry meant that this economic activity was not classified as of military interest and that, despite the difficulties that affected everyone in their daily lives, the economic activity related to lace bobbins will even increase and each time it was considered as a more important source of income for many families. In fact, in many families where the man had died or had been recruited, bobbin lace became a main activity.

All these facts lead to an increase in activity and an increasingly marked professionalization of the sector in the first quarter of the 19th century. Thus, the bobbin lace industry in l’Arboç, which was already fully consolidated at the end of the 18th century, became professional and internationalized during the first quarter of the 19th century. So much so that in 1827 a delegation of Arbosenses went to the Paris exhibition to show their lace with a clear intention of opening markets.

It was thus, overcoming the circumstances, with a lot of effort and doing things very well done from a strategic, economic and artisan point of view that the lace industry in the town of l’Arboç became a benchmark nationwide. Throughout the 19th century and until the first third of the 20th century, L’Arboç became a lace distribution center and the lace merchants of l‘Arboç sold their goods all over the planet from the Spanish colonial empire.

The year 1920 is considered one of the high points of the lace industry in l’Arboç, since the “I Local Bobbin Lace Exhibition” is organized for the people. Where the most important lace merchants of the moment (e.g. Casa Rosa Cinta, Vives, etc.) exhibited their products as a showcase that attracted numerous entrepreneurs from the sector.

L’Arboç lace was known for three basic qualities, its fineness, its delicacy and the originality of its ornamental motifs.In l’Arboç the most difficult and complicated pieces were made that only the most expert hands could weave.The fame that the lace of l’Arboç gained made it possible today to affirm that there is no European royal house or any ruler of the 20th century that does not have a lace made in l’Arboç.Many lace made in l’Arboç still decorate many palaces and are incorporated into the national treasures of many countries.

The lace industry, contrary to what one might think at first, was an economic sector that employed many types of professionals and not only lacemakers.

Behind the production process of any piece of bobbin lace hides the work of up to five types of specialized professionals:

1. Designer: is the person who makes the designs taking into account the trends and fashions of the time.
2. Pattern maker: is the person who transforms the design into a pattern and decides what type of braid should go in each area
3. Picador: it is the person who chops the pattern, that is, depending on the type of braid, it makes some holes where the lacemakers will later put the needles.
4. Lacemaker: is the person who, with the chopped pattern, thread and bobbins, makes a piece or part of a piece on his cushion and at the request of the textile entrepreneur.
5. Assembler: Many pieces, either because of their dimensions, or simply to avoid that later exclusive designs could be copied, they were made in parts. The different parts of the piece were woven by different lacemakers and then there was the assembler, who was nothing more than the person who put them together. Normally it was the most expert lacemakers and those with the finest hands who were entrusted with this task, which was very delicate. A poorly assembled part could not be sold.

Apart from the work of this five professional profiles, there was the work of the entrepreneur, who was the head of production, the director of everything, and the person in charge of placing on the market, that is, selling, the parts that were produced.The lace entrepreneurs were also specialized, there were those who only made handkerchiefs, or blankets, strips, applications, etc.

Normally, each entrepreneur had his business network.

The businessman had a sample book with which he went to specialized stores in Barcelona, Reus, Valencia, Zaragoza, Madrid and other major cities and export centers, to order gender. Once he had the orders, the businessman started up all the machinery and made the structure work.

This is how the lace entrepreneurs forged a true industry that generated great dynamism in l’Arboç for more than 100 years.

After the Civil War, the lace industry went into decline. The Spanish market had ceased to exist due to the Civil War, and the European market is crumbling at times also because of the II World War that was just beginning. And as if all this were not enough, after the Second World War synthetic fibers invaded the textile market and bobbin lace work was relegated to a very secondary role and has to survive as much as possible. In addition, from the 1960s on, the industry reached the Penedès and many lacemakers work attracted by a fixed income. One by one, the lace merchants close their businesses. The last active lacemaker, Ms Damina Prats, died in 1971 and with her an entire industry that has made l’Arboç famous worldwide was extinguished.

After going through some very dark 70s, 80s and 90s, with the 21st century bobbin lace resurfaces with an unusual strength and vitality. Bobbin lace is no longer a business, no one makes a living knitting anymore, it has now become a hobby.

We Catalans have always done business with the community’s leisure activities, and the world of bobbin lace at a business level has undergone a transformation that can be summarized in the following points.

• Now bobbin lace pieces are no longer sold, lace makers make lace to wear at home or give them to family and friends.
• Many lacemakers have opened schools or academies and are primarily engaged in teaching. More and more lacemakers practice this art as a hobby and fill schools.
• Many meetings of lacemakers are organized that report considerable indirect benefits to the municipalities that host them. The Catalan Association of Puntaires organizes every year and on an itinerant basis “The Catalan Day of Puntaire” that attracts thousands of lacemakers. The 2005 edition that was held at l’Arboç brought together more than 3,000 lacemakers and the 2018 edition had around 1,500 lacemakers.
• Parallel to the appearance of a multitude of meetings, a whole sector of merchants has emerged who sell their products in stalls at the fairs that are organized in the main meetings.

This transformation has made the world of bobbin lace enjoy health again and that this art is not endangered in the medium term. The danger is given by the average age of the artisans, which is very high, and by the lack of generational change. If to this and add the very few professional opportunities for bobbin lace as a trade, we have all the ingredients for the disappearance of lacemakers 30 years from now and the relegation of bobbin lace to museums as a craft already in disuse.

It has been the will of all the inhabitants of l’Arboç that the artisan heritage of bobbin lace today can be visited and admired in a stable way. The continuous effort of all inhabitants, lacemakers and institutions has been decisive so that the museum is today a reality.

This valuable heritage has been basically nourished by the spontaneous donations of former lacemakers and the acquisitions of the Board, today the L’Arboç Bobbin Lace Museum Private Foundation, over the years. The museum brings together the fruit of millions of hours of work by Arbosense women who had a homemade means of subsistence in making bobbin lace.

At least, saving the distances of time, the interest of the Municipality of L’Arboç is also projected right now to make bobbin lace not just remain as an obsolete material, testimony of a bygone era. The Municipality of L’Arboç works to revive this craft that is so much ours and channel it towards a practical utility that provides a certain “modus vivendi” for our young people. The L’Arboç bobbin lace school, which already has a history of 80 years of experience, is the key tool to train the future artisans of what could be the new lace industry.

While everything is shaping up, since August 11, 1994, every visitor has the opportunity to admire an important exponent of the bobbin craft, which has given so much renown to the town of l’Arboç.

The Bobbin Lace Museum occupies the second floor of the Casa de Cultura de l’Arboç, located on Calle Mayor 37.

The building that houses the Museum, popularly called Can Rossell, was built in 1882. In 1988 the City Council of L’Arboç acquired the property and took care of its remodeling and tourist adaptation until turning the old building into the permanent headquarters of the Museum of Bobbin Lace from L’Arboç.

In 1970 began, by popular initiative, the collection of bobbin lace works donated by individuals. In the first period (1970-1977) the priest José Torres y Rossell, then rector of the town, was in charge of this compilation task.

During this first period, 283 works were collected, all of them thanks to donations. As of 1978, the museum’s heritage remains under the custody of the Condis-Ferrer couple, which begins a second period (1978-2004) of incorporations, either through donations or direct acquisitions by the Pro Futuro Board. Bolillos Lace Museum, established in 1989.

Starting in 1995, once the museum was opened and the objective achieved, there was a gap in the management of the equipment that also had repercussions on donations, which fell a lot. In total, in this second period 307 pieces were collected.

Starting in 2005, the L’Arboç City Council decided to give a new impetus to the Bobbin Lace Museum by professionalizing its management and making profound changes in its management at the hands of its director, Mr. Sergi Sedó. In 2006, the figure of the Patronato gave way to the figure of the Fundación Privada Museo Encaje de Bolillos. Donations occur spontaneously again and thus begins a third period (2005-Present) that continues to this day. Until 2020, the Museum’s catalog contains 125 pieces collected in this third period.

Hall

The most relevant pieces of the lobby are the following:

Sample book (in the lower cabinets): When talking about lace merchants, visitors can see two authentic sample books. The sample book was used by the entrepreneur to show potential customers the genre that he manufactured.

Photography “Girls making lace”: Seeing this image it is said that before all young girls made lace because it was a source of income. It was very common to find groups of girls like the one in the photograph all over l’Arboç. It is also said that today it is no longer common to see this image due to the economic changes that occurred throughout the 20th century (from business to leisure).

Photography “Grandmothers and granddaughters making lace”: This image serves to introduce the visitor to the quality of Arboç lace. For a lace to have quality it must be very well made and the lacemaker must have a lot of experience. The photograph shows a group of girls with their mothers and grandmothers. If we look closely, we will see that the girls, who must be 6 or 7 years old, are weaving with a cushion the same size as their mothers and grandmothers. Sure, the pieces they weave should be of less difficulty, but the fact is that these girls when they reach 30 years old, they will already have 25 years of experience. For this reason, the museum will see a lot of quality and pieces of great difficulty.

1920 exhibition painting: between the two photos there is a painting from the 1920 exhibition. It is said that in 1920 an exhibition was organized that was very important and an indicator of the relevance of l’Arboç lace. The painting in question won the third prize in the exhibition. A little above the painting there is a photograph with the commemorative medal of the exhibition.

Catalan ceramic shield and pictures: In this set the visitor can appreciate the great work and difficulty involved in reproducing human figures with bobbin lace. In the set there is also in white letters the tourist motto of the town of l’Arboç: “Land of good wine and bobbin lace” (in Catalan: Terra de bon vi i de puntes al coixí).

Communion dress 1959: Here it is said that the dress in question was woven in two years. This data surprises the public, especially if you are a lacemaker.

Gallerie 1

En la Sala 1 encontramos obras enmarcadas (colgadas en las paredes), y vitrinas con encajes destinados a complementos personales y domésticos.

Las obras enmarcadas tienen motivos religiosos. Este dato sirve para hacer ver al visitante, que la religión siempre ha sido un motivo utilizado para hacer encajes, y que cuando se empezó a gestar el museo, con el cura Torres al frente, muchas donaciones que se hicieron tenían motivos religiosos.

En las vitrinas encontramos sobre todo motivos florales con clara influencia modernista y también piezas que combinan la tradición encajera con la tradición vinícola de l’Arboç, en el corazón del Penedès, tierra de vino y de cava.

Al fondo de la Sala, en la vitrina que queda a la derecha encontramos un conjunto de 6 piezas (Sombrilla, pañuelo, abanico, zapatos, guantes y bolsa) hechas a conjunto, con un mismo motivo ornamental que fue extraído de un trozo de mantón del S. XVIII que se puede observar en la sala 4.

En la vitrina de la izquierda destacan los dos abanicos, sobre todo el de motivos japoneses.

Gallerie 2

In room 2, almost all the works are prior to 1920. Three main pieces stand out:

• 1920 exhibition sofa back: This piece won second prize at the 1920 exhibition.
• Flag of Orfeón Arbocenc: Modernist style piece, woven in 1910 by the members of the Orfeón.It stands out for its size, for its quality and for the combination of the ornamental motifs of the great arbocenque traditions: the lace-making tradition; because the piece is woven with the techniques of l’Arboç lace. The modernist tradition; because the piece is modernist in style. The wine tradition; because the ornamental motifs imitate a vine with a spider; And the musical tradition, because in the central part of the flag there is a pentagram with the inscription “Orfeó Arbocenc”.

• Sailing boat: Piece of great originality and quality of execution.

Gallerie 3

In room 3 highlights:

• The painting of the Immaculate Conception, large.

A masterpiece.

• The Giralda painting, which serves to promote this building among visitors so that they return to L’Arboç to visit it.
• Applications on folkloric and village themes: set of ten pieces shaped like a racket, representing mirrors that give reflections of l’Arboç.

We find them in two groups of five on both sides of the painting of the Immaculate Conception.

• Handkerchiefs of recent stages: collection of handkerchiefs.

Great plastic beauty.

Gallerie 4

Room 4 is the black thread room.The pieces of black thread are closely linked to religion.Before to go to mass, get married, mourn, etc., you had to wear black and the pieces of black thread had a lot of outlet.From the 60s on, religion and Catholic traditions declined and people progressively stopped using pieces of black thread, which today are only taken out at Easter and some feast to keep.Besides, the pieces of black thread are also very difficult to make and the lacemakers had to strain their eyes a lot, and that takes its toll with age.

Among the pieces stands out the piece of shawl from the 18th century that served for the 6 pieces of the set that can be seen in Room 1, and the Madrid mantilla, a large piece made from fragments of other lace.

Gallerie 5

Room 5 the religious art room.We also find but, handkerchiefs, rugs, applications and a magnificent collection of fans.

By pieces, the five cassocks stand out, religious clothing.

The cassock that remains in the right corner of the display case belonged to Abbot Escarré, an illustrious person from L’Arboç, who was very influential on a political level during the 60s.

The bobbin lace museum of l’Arboç accepts donations, both of lace pieces, as well as economic ones. In both cases, it is necessary to contact the Management:

Museu de Puntes al Coixí de l’Arboç
Sr. Sergi Sedó
Director
c/Major 37
43720 L’Arboç
Tel. 977 16 77 25
A/e: ssedo@arbocenc.cat

Bobbin lace made in l’Arboç was already known in the past for its finesse, delicacy and the originality of its ornamental motifs.Today, things are no different.A piece of bobbin lace made in the Arboç can easily be distinguished from another made elsewhere in Catalonia or the European Union.

The lace-making tradition in l’Arboç has generated a whole series of autochthonous and endemic techniques that differentiate and distinguish them.

All this legacy, the result of generations of lace making evolution, has been recognized by the Generalitat of Catalonia with the declaration of the “Punta Arbocenca” or Lace de l’Arboç as a Singular Profession of Catalonia (2010).

Among the autochthonous and endemism techniques that differentiate and distinguish Punta Arbocenca, it is worth highlighting:

• The fabric effect, the thick one: l’Arboç lace is made with fine thread, and therefore must be woven with a large number of bobbins, which greatly increases the difficulty and the time needed to finish it. The end result is a very dense and thick piece that in the areas where full knit has been used, it really seems to be fabric.
• The half Catalan lace (mitja blonda): the Catalan lace is a type of characteristic point of the eastern peninsula that in the l’Arboç, due to the fineness of the thread used and the large number of bobbins has evolved towards the half lace, smaller and with greater difficulty, an endemism. With the lace stocking the edges are better finished.
• Cut and Add: The cut and add technique is used in many regions and is a basic technique for making complex lace. Due to the fineness of the thread used and the large number of bobbins, in l’Arboç cutting and adding takes on another dimension. Only hands of l’Arboç lacemakers are capable of applying this technique to pieces with such a high number of bobbins, of maximum difficulty.
• The Torsal: the torsal is a thicker thread that is used to outline and give a relief effect in the limits that delimit the figures. With this technique, the cut and add laces are much more attractive.
• Patterns: the originality of the ornamental motifs of the “chopped” patterns in l’Arboç has decisively contributed to the prestige of lace, not only in l’Arboç, but throughout Catalonia and the world. It is said that more than half of the patterns that circulate in the Spanish state are designs made in l’Arboç.

Certainly, l’Arboç’s own lace techniques and endemisms make up the most important legacy that has come down to us today and that must be safeguarded. In this sense, the School of Lacemakers de l’Arboç is, by definition, the most appropriate institution to ensure the continuity of these indigenous and unique techniques.

Ribas, M. (2018). La Punta de l’Arboç. Una artesania viva. Ajuntament de l’Arboç. L’Arboç

Farré, J.R. (2018). Rescatant el vell arquetip de l’aranya. Edicions i Propostes Culturals Andana. Vilafranca del Penedès

Ferrer, J (2001). Les puntes de coixí de l’Arboç del Penedès. Editorial La Torratxa. Valls

All books can be purchased at the Bobbin Lace Museum shop:

Shop of the Bobbin Lace Museum of l’Arboç
Sr. Sergi Sedó
c/Major 37
43720 L’Arboç
Tel. 977 16 77 25
A/e: ssedo@arbocenc.cat

The School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç has the sole mission of preserving and promoting Punta Arbocenca (Lace of l’Arboç) as a Singular Profession of Catalonia.

The L’Arboç Lacemaker School is the dean of the Catalan lacemaker schools. Founded in 1941, its 80 years of history make it the oldest lacemaker school in Catalonia. In 2007, the L’Arboç City Council assumed direct management through a Private Foundation and a profound restructuring of education was launched.

It is currently managed by the L’Arboç Bobbin Lace Museum Private Foundation and has a fully professionalized structure. More than half of the almost 120 students on average that the School has, work as teachers in their populations of origin. It should also be noted that the School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç has or has had students residing in Valencia and Galicia, in addition to students from the four Catalan demarcations. Without naming names, the students of the School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç They win numerous competitions and awards for the quality of their lace inside and outside of Catalonia. Seville, Zaragoza, Soria, Mollerussa, Barcelona, ​​are some of the towns where the School’s students have won awards since 2007.

The success and prestige achieved by the School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç since 2007 allows us to be optimistic about the safeguarding and dissemination of Lace of l’Arboç. The Government of Catalonia contributes to this success by declaring the Lace of l’Arboç “Singular Office of Catalonia” in 2010.

Currently, the School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç, the dean of the Schools of Lacemakers of Catalonia, enjoys an enviable health in terms of the number of students and the quality of the teaching that is developed. Despite this teaching success, economically the School of Lacemakers de l’Arboç represents a very large maintenance effort, which, thanks to the help of the Generalitat de Catalunya of the L’Arboç City Council, it can maintain.

In 2017, the L’Arboç City Council acquired the historic premises of Calle Mayor 40, which became municipal property. In 2021, the L’Arboç City Council, with the collaboration of the Tarragona Provincial Council, carries out improvement works and completely renovates the interior of the School of Lacemakers to adapt it to current regulations in publicly owned buildings.

The School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç began its historical journey in September 1941 in a place on Calle Mayor 40 (Ferrer Romagosa, J. (2001): Les puntes de coixí a l’Arboç del Penedès. Page 16. Editorial La Torratxa. Valls).

Until 1981, it was a bobbin lace nursery school where many of the Arbosense girls passed. The lacemaker Dolores Martí is the teacher until her daughter María Condis takes office.

In 1981 the Government of Catalonia took over the L’Arboç Lacemaker School, and became the Official Lacemaker School of the Government of Catalonia. From that moment on, the School opened to admit non-infant students as well, extended its hours and the teacher was given the rank of public official. The lacemaker Pepita Soler is the teacher until her retirement.

In 2007, coinciding with the retirement of the tenured professor, the Government of Catalonia inexplicably decided unilaterally to cancel the teaching position and abandon the oldest Lacemaker School in Catalonia to her fate. The City Council of L’Arboç, despite its perpetually delicate financial situation, and taking into account that the lace of l’Arboç is the most important cultural legacy of the town, decides to take on the management of the School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç through the Bolillos Lace Museum Private Foundation.

Thus, in 2007 a new stage of the School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç begins. The Bolillos de l’Arboç Lace Museum Private Foundation assumes the management and, directed by its director Mr. Sergi Sedó, a profound reform of the teaching of l’Arboç lace is carried out. The hiring of the prestigious and renowned Arbosense lacemaker Mrs. Mercè Ribas, the extension of the hours, the drafting of a curricular itinerary, the issuance of own degrees, and the reopening of the nursery school, produces an unquestionable positive effect that the school makes double the number of students, increase your activity and presence in the cultural life of the town, and your prestige in Catalonia and the state.

The School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç offers 4 courses annually:

• Ordinary course of Lace de l’Arboç: from September to June, coinciding with the school year
• Lace de l’Arboç summer course: from June 25 to August 15
• Ordinary course for children of Lace de l’Arboç: Saturdays from September to June, coinciding with the school year
• Lace de l’Arboç children’s summer course: Monday afternoon from June 25 to August 15

The basic unit of enrollment of the School of Lacemakers of l’Arboç is the session, which is equivalent to 3 hours of class.

Currently, the School offers the following 11 sessions:

• Monday morning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Monday afternoon from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.
• Tuesday morning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Tuesday afternoon from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.
• Wednesday morning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Wednesday afternoon from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.
• Thursday morning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursday afternoon from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.
• Friday morning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Friday afternoon from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.
• Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (60% of the places reserved for the nursery school)

Adult lacemakers can enroll up to 4 weekly sessions.

For information on tuition prices and general information, it is necessary to contact the Management:

Museu de Puntes al Coixí de l’Arboç
Sr. Sergi Sedó
Director
c/Major 37
43720 L’Arboç
Tel. 977 16 77 25
A/e: ssedo@arbocenc.cat

L’Arboç has been a pioneer in the valorization of the bobbin lace culture and in its promotion both as a living handicraft, as a tourist and cultural resource.

In this sense, in 1994, coinciding with the inauguration of the Bobbin Lace Museum, the first edition of the Catalonia Lace Fair was held.

A fair that has grown year after year to become one of the most important in the state and the only thematic fair dedicated to bobbin lace in Catalonia.

The meeting of lacemakers has always been the central and most massive event of the Bobbin Lace Fair of Catalonia.Limited its capacity to 1000 artisans, this event until very recent times has had a huge acceptance and for many years there has been a waiting list to attend.

This meeting of lacemakers that takes place in l’Arboç is the second largest in Catalonia behind the itinerant Diada de la Puntaire de Catalunya.

Although the artisans from all over the Catalan geography have always been the most numerous, the l’Arboç lacemaker meeting has welcomed groups from many parts of the peninsula and Europe.

XIX Lacemakers meeting 2015

The Catalan Bobbin Lace Fair and its massive gathering of lacemakers have contributed to the generalization and normalization of the cultural fact of bobbin lace in Catalonia and, more recently, throughout the state.This fact has led to the emergence of a whole business segment related to all the utensils and materials needed to make bobbin lace, generating mobile markets everywhere where lacemakers gather for one reason or another.

In this sense, l’Arboç hosts the second largest market for related products in Catalonia on the day that our Bobbin Lace Fair of Catalonia is held.

With more than 30 stalls, it is second only to the Diada de la Puntaire market in Catalonia.

In 2011, the town hall of l’Arboç, with the aim of promoting and stimulating even more bobbin lace if possible, had the initiative to organize the first edition of the National Bobbin Lace Competition of Catalonia.

A contest recognized as one of the most prestigious and important in Catalonia and which has the particularity of rewarding not only the lacemaker, but also the lacemaker school from which it comes, thus recognizing its educational work.

Winning team, jury and institutional positions of the IX National Bobbin Lace Contest of Catalonia

The Bobbin Lace Fair of Catalonia has had in the exhibition of bobbin lace thematic exhibitions one of its backbones and one of its most relevant added values.

L’Arboç has historically hosted very prestigious exhibitions from the Catalan Association of Puntaires and unique and unrepeatable self-made exhibitions with pieces from private collections and l’Arboç family legacies.

The Catalan Association of Lacemakers (Associació Catalana de Puntaires) is the entity that represents the interests of lacemakers in Catalonia.One of its most important functions is to watch over the lacemaker from a professional point of view.

But if the Catalan Association of Puntaires is known for something, it is for being the organizer of the Day of the lacemaker of Catalonia

(Diada de la Puntaire de Catalunya). An annual event that has the particularity that it is itinerant and is held each year in a different venue.

L’Arboç has hosted the Day of the lacemaker 3 times, the second edition in 1989, the 18th edition, in 2005, and the 31st edition, year 2018.