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For a tiny island, Saba has produced a number of extraordinary artists. We are pleased to feature the following Saba-based artists:
 Heleen Cornet
Patricia Johnson
Sandra Johnson
Els Mommers
Angelita Peterson
Aaron Soares
Mary Thielman
Stacey Simmons
What better way to remember your trip to Saba than with a piece of Caribbean art? The Peanut Gallery, owned by Judy & Jim Stewart, carries a variety of works by artists from Saba and a number of other Caribbean islands. Framed paintings by Robert Lynn, Barbara Joyce, Sara Muender, Mark Dykstra, Heleen Cornet, Lucia Trifan, Aaron Soares and many others cover the walls of this brightly colored shop, located in the Lambee Plaza in Windwardside. More on The Peanut Gallery.
Jo Bean
Saba lace is a unique needlecraft painstakingly created by the industrious women in Saba. Saba lace, also known as Spanish work has a special history.
In the 1870's, Mary Gertrude Hassell Johnson was sent by her parents to study at a convent in Caracas, Venezuela. While she was there, the nuns taught Miss Hassell to create the intricate designs of this needlecraft. Miss Hassell brought the craft back to Saba and in 1884, when regular mail service first connected the island to the outside world, the wives and daughters of Saba's seafaring men turned the craft into a mail-order cottage industry.
How the Saba women marketed their needlework demonstrates their ingenuity. As boxes of merchandise were sent from the United States to Saba, the ladies would copy the addresses of the American companies and then write them a letter explaining their work and the prices. Often a sympathetic person receiving the letter would post it on the company bulletin board and ultimately the lace makers would receive orders for their work.
By 1928, the Sabans were exporting almost $15,000 worth of needlework annually!
Now, more than a century later, the skill learned by a young Saban girl, still provides a means of support for many families on the island. Blouses, dresses, tablecloths an napkins are only a few of the pieces the Saban women create in a variety of colors.
Saba Lace is just one example of the unique beauty that is Saba. We hope you enjoy owning and using your piece of this special needlework.
Saba Lace is available at the following outlets:
Hell's Gate
The Saba Lace Boutique
This boutique, situated behind the Roman Catholic Church in Hell's Gate, has the largest selection of lacework.
Opening Hours : 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Windwardside
Helen's Notions & Fabrics
Opening Hours : 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Bottom
Artisan Foundation
Opening Hours : 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saba Lace Work
www.sabalacework.net
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