Alfonso Aguilar

Encajes de Sevilla

Lacemaker

©Encajes de Sevilla

©Javier Comas

©Alfonso Aguilar

©Encajes de Sevilla

Lacemaking and the mathematical mind

Alfonso creates lace from gold and silver thread
His works contribute to preserving Seville’s religious art tradition
He applies his computer engineering mindset to plan his lace patterns

Alfonso Aguilar makes gold and silver thread lace with bobbins, out of his workshop, housed in an old convent in Seville’s old town. After spending 20 years working in the computing industry, Alfonso decided to leave his career with big tech behind and join the ranks of independent artisans in the early 2000s. He started out by having a haberdashery, and then found his true vocation in lacemaking. "By reverse engineering lace creations, I managed to become one of the last gold and silver thread bobbin lacemakers in Spain," he says. As a self-taught craftsman, Alfonso stays busy all year round, fulfilling commissions for Seville’s religious brotherhoods. Each piece may take several months to execute, which his sole apprentice, José Granero, helps him to achieve.

Interview

©Encajes de Sevilla

©Encajes de Sevilla

How have you merged your training as an engineer with bobbin embroidery?: Lacemaking requires the logical mindset of a mathematician. The layout of a piece is like solving a great puzzle of patterns. I have worked with 740 bobbins at the same time to create the ceiling of a religious float for processions. I use AutoCAD as a design tool for the layout of geometric patterns.
Where do you find your clientele for this endangered craft?: Seville’s brotherhoods are significant promotors of religious art and invest heavily in it. Like many other artisans in the city, my work is primarily focused on their annual commissions. However, I have also collaborated with Christian Dior and participated in the Masters of the Future 2023 exhibition, which took my craft beyond its traditional religious contexts.
What is different about the metallic thread bobbin?: It is larger than the traditional one, due to the weight exerted by the yarn, which also requires a certain strength in the hands. In fact, the whole production chain must be protected. Woods such as Palo Santo and pear wood are commonly used to make these bobbins, but there are fewer and fewer artisans who craft them, as well as fewer who produce silver and gold threads.
What do you most enjoy about your craft?: Making lace combines mathematics and geometry in a creative way. It is a very precise art that demands great patience to achieve perfection. I need to be resilient to face frustration and learn to relax into my work. I also discovered a lot through the process of undoing pieces of lace, which drove my mind to think in reverse.

Alfonso Aguilar is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2008