Malta presented the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with a Maltese laced summer blanket, on the occasion of the christening of Princess Charlotte.

The gift was sent by the Prime Minister and Mrs Muscat on behalf of the Government and people of Malta.

The lace was worked in fine pure silk which was ordered from silk manufacturers in UK.

Mrs Muscat commissioned the work for Princess Charlotte’s summer blanket to qualified lace teacher Mrs Marian Buttigieg, who adapted the design suggested for the border and centre piece from old traditional patterns.

The centre piece is worked using the English stitch as the basic ground with sprays of small flowers and leaves scattered on it. The eight-pointed Maltese Cross was included in the centre.

The work was done by lacemakers Mrs Mary Sultana and Mrs Victoria Debrincat who worked on the centre piece and border respectively under the constant supervision of their teacher.

The blanket is monogrammed with the initials of the Princess C. E. D. – Charlotte, Elizabeth, Diana.

Lace is a decorative textile which was mainly used to embellish the elaborate costumes of the aristocrats. Malta was highly renowned for its laces, especially by the British.

Although it was called Maltese lace it was mainly worked in the sister island of Gozo where diligent people adapted patterns to be worked on the long pillow and produced fine laces with the Maltese cross and wheatears as their trademark.

Nowadays lace is not a means of living to the poor but worked only as a hobby by the few. However, in Gozo one can still find crafted people who work lace the traditional way.

The techniques of lace making were passed down for generations from mother to daughter, but became nearly extinct by the 19th century after a long depression under the British rule.

Dun Guzepp Diacono, decided to help women earn a little extra income to help their families in this particularly hard period. He started organising lace lessons in a house in Gozo. The work the students made was then sold in Malta and London.

Sometimes even silver and golden threads were used together with the fine silk to create more valuable pieces. This venture kept lace-making alive in Gozo

Photograph: OPM

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