History of lace in Rauma

Lace making in Rauma

There is no definite information about the beginning of lace making in Rauma. In historical documents lace making in Rauma is mentioned as early as 1740's. Among women the fashion of wearing a lace trimmed cap, known in Finnish as tykkimyssy, created a period of high demand for Rauma lace starting from the late 1700's into the 1800's. Almost all women in Rauma made beautiful laces and the finest stiff cap laces were made in Rauma.

From clothing to bed linens

After the 1850's the use of the stiffened caps with their lace trimming gradually diminished and the demand for fine lace declined. Thereafter the main use for lace was in bed linen, pillow slips and tablecloths. These were not very profitable and the making of bobbinlace started to regress. In 1948 a society called The Rauma Society of Amateur Lace Makers was established. The purpose of the society, nowadays known as Nyplääjät ry, is to maintain the knowledge of lace making and the history of Rauma bobbinlace.