What has always got me about reenacting was that people wanted the best but wanted to pay the least.
But isn't getting "the most for the least" what we *all want, regardless of the circumstances or object? It's where/how far you cut your corners that matters, IMO. If I can, I'll wait till the particular silk thread I want is on sale -- same silk, but a saving. OTOH, I won't get rayon instead, even if it meant more of a saving...
But my saving grace was bartering.
Bartering is wonderful. I once designed and made removable fabric covers for display frames for a local artist's exhibit of stained glass, threw in a (very simple) wedding dress and got a magnificent piece of her glass (she threw in extra red -- more expensive than other colours, apparently). Modern, but she took my liking for Art Nouveau into consideration, so it's all curves and swirls... It's been brightening our entry hall for over 20 yrs, and I still think I got a better deal, though she seemed to be very happy with what she got...
So there I am, period up to my eyeballs when the local lacemakers come up to you and say - 'that's not right for the period'.
A fairly common human trait -- make yourself bigger, by cutting others down "to size"... :) I'm always reminded of that fairy tale where a scorpion gets a ride accross the raging river on a fox's back, and bites the fox mid-crossing. When the fox points out the nearsightedness of this action (now we'll both die), the scorpion replies: "I couldn't help myself; that's how I'm made". I figure the same is true about small-minded people...
On the matter of "amateur" status, I'm like Robin and others -- at the speed I work, I can afford to *give* but not to sell... So, if anyone asks me how much I charge (either for the lace or for the patterns), I don't even discuss the price -- I tell them I don't sell because nobody in their right mind could afford to pay what it's worth in time and effort, and because I don't have to (being a "kept woman"). I then tell them to go to WalMart (5 miles in gas, and $2 per yard. All they need <g>)
-----
Tamara P Duvall
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Lexington, Virginia, USA
Formerly of Warsaw, Poland
- To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
