I spent yesterday in Doncaster, (South Yorkshire, UK) demonstrating lace at a Card, Craft and Stamping Show with Anne Weston (Chairman of The Guild of Needlelaces) - Anne takes her needlelace, I take bobbin. (Next Sunday we'll be at Edgbaston Cricket Ground if anyone is in the Birmingham area and not going to The Lace Guild Convention, and then Sheffield on the 24th.)
Half way through the day, a woman with two young girls came to see what we were doing, and the girls (approx 10 year olds) both had a go at doing a stitch in my lace - they were very shy, but the one who tried first did another stitch after her friend/sister had had a go, and got it right without guidance from me. A minute or so later, she came over with a two pound coin in her hand, and asked if I would like it for showing her - I refused, of course, and thanked her for the thought. It really made me feel appreciated, though! Later, two women, one saying "it's tatting" and the other correcting her that we were lacemaking - but, I think I have found the reason for the "tatting lady's" insistence. I took it back this morning, so can't refer to the title now, but there is a book on the history of the Nottingham lace industry from the late 1700s to 1950s. In that, it defines tatting as a machine made geometric lace, similar to torchon. Hence the confusion. In this case, the friend got the last word in! One woman came up and said that she used to make lace, but couldn't now as her grip has gone and the bobbins slide through her fingers. Off the top of my head I passed on the thought that if something like the adhesive foam used for window insulation (and the grip bits in bobbin winders!) was stuck onto the body of the bobbins, making them easier to pick up, that might help? She thought it was a good idea, and I think she might try, but has anyone else any thoughts on this? I got the feeling that a lace teacher in Pontefract and a bobbin turner in the Doncaster area would be a good idea - there seems to be a hole around there! Is there anyone in the area? I got the first side of a square mat (I'm working it in Texere's Galloway linen - the grid is 10 to the inch rather than metric) done during the day - it was one I doodled about a year or so ago, and it stayed on the graph paper ever since waiting to be done - I'm not sure about the centre at the moment, will wait till it is finished to see if it could have done with another cloth area, but the pattern will probably end up being sent to Bev for the CLG - "watch this space" but don't hold your breath! -- Jane Partridge -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.9.1 - Release Date: 01/04/2005 - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
