Consiglia Azzopardi organizes lace workshops and courses on demand, please to book call the number or fill the website form. Activities have been going on at l-Ixtabi Lace Place, where foreigner visitors had the opportunity to meet, share skill-experiences and, above all 'MAKE MALTESE LACE' in a peaceful atmosphere on a farmhouse typical of Gozo in the past. Consiglia Azzopardi was born in Għarb, Gozo, in 1946. Cotton growing was the main substantial product remembered to be on the farm and similarly on the whole island of Gozo in the time of her childhood. As expected from these living conditions, children raised in such farmer's family were from a tender age familiarized with the crafts of spinning and weaving; preparing the cotton and wool to make thread and the dying process was most fascinating in those days when there were no books around, and instructions had to be written down or memorised. Consiglia's family was very much self-supporting. A spinster aunt lived with the family, and besides helping on the farmlands she knew dress-making and lace-making. Like all the girls in the village, she had learnt these crafts from expert women in the area and from private teachers at Rabat, Gozo. It was the custom that the money earned by lacemaking was exchanged for fabrics, sewing material, and food supplies for the whole family. She was also a good knitter and was capable of copying patterns by just watching a finished garment. Jumpers and dresses were knitted from sheep-wool abundantly found at home. Best of all was lacemaking and her delight was to draw designs from pricking and to play with bobbins, making colour-heads out of melted sealing wax for both bobbins and pins. Contact: Consiglia Azzopardi Address: 'Sliem', 28th April 1688 Str., Sannat, SNT1115, Gozo, Malta Address of L-Ixtabi: 1, Gharb Road, Gharb, GRB1100, Gozo, Malta Telephone: (+356) 21553299 / (+356) 79270064 Email: consiglia@malteselace.eu