Apart from learning to make lace she had to go to an art school and a textile school ( higher education).
I don't know why the countries behind the Iron Curtain put such an emphasis on art and craft skills, but there is no denying they did.
I was a museum docent during an international tapestry exhibit, and we had tapestry artists from the former East Germany who were paid a fairly substantial wage (enough to raise a family on in their country) just to produce tapestries. Naturally they produced many excellent, good-quality tapestries, as they were able to make it a full-time occupation. Higher education in textiles and art is rare in the west (I know there are some programs, but again, not a systematic approach and usually focussed on fine art rather than textiles.)
In those countries that have fairly recently returned to capitalism, it will be interesting to see whether this type of education and training is maintained, or whether it slowly diminishes and disappears over time. That will tell us a lot about whether the emphasis on art & craft skills was a product of individual choice, or of government intervention.
Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada)
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