Merchant & Mills Spanish Lace Pins

Steel pins with real glass heads dipped in red paint. Meant for crafting lace and other loosely-woven fine fabrics. Made in Spain by a 100-year-old factory. 200 pins, 29 mm long. (more info)

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These dainty pins are produced in a Spanish factory which has been specializing in lace pins for nearly 100 years. These pins are made with sturdy, polished steel and sharp points that won't snag or cause runs in your fabric. At 29 mm long, or 1.14 inches, these are classified as bridal and lace pins — they're meant for crafting encaje de bolillos, or bobbin lace, used for loosely woven fine fabrics, like those famous Spanish lace veils, chiffon or a light muslin.

The pins have real glass heads that have been dipped in dramatic, flame-red paint. They're easy to spot, and you can leave them in while you iron over a seam.

200 flame red pins to a box, each one 29 mm long and a scant 0.59 mm in diameter.

Use & Care

The small box of around two hundred pins is good for a travel or home sewing kit, and are sized for loosely woven fine fabrics. The pins are made with care specifically so they won't warp or snag delicate cloth as you pull them in and out. Differentiated from regular dressmaking pins, these Spanish lace spins are longer.

Lace is still handmade in Spain, typically using a paper pattern. The pattern is placed on a pillow, which the pins are then stuck into and thread is wrapped around them in various configurations to make lace. This is known encaje de bolillos, or bobbin lace in English.

Store these pins in their box, on a pin magnet or stuck into a pin cushion with a good quality filler — wool felt is best. A bad, grating filler will dull the point and wear away at the pin's polish. You might want to make sewing a proper pin cushion (with trusty fillings) your first project.

Production & Design

An essential item for any self-respecting Victorian lady, lace pins were used to secure a length of lace to the neckline (‘showing a bit of neck’ might not sound much like the behavior of an immodest strumpet, but bear in mind, this was the era during which even piano legs were covered to discourage impure thoughts!).

Although largely functional, their historical use also has sentimental connotations — they were frequently used to weave the hair of a child or deceased relative into dresses. This ornamental application of the lace pin in part accounts for the fiery red color of the heads.

Merchant & Mills rustled these pins out of the oldest pin-making factory in Spain. Carolyn Denham, the mind behind Merchant & Mills wants you to start picking up needle and thread and learn how to sew — or that the very least, alter — your own clothes. Achieving the beauty of a bespoke fit from your own bare hands is a satisfying experience, and Merchant & Mills is sourcing the best sewing tools to send you on the path of sewing greatness.

Any Questions?

Please email support@kaufmann-mercantile.com. We reply to every email promptly. Or call us at 347 529 5122.

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