On Aug 30, 2005, at 8:27, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Devon) wrote:
All the discussion about the table ribbon has me considering entering
the
contest for the first time ever, as I am consumed with the cerebral
challenge
of producing an item to such unusual and exacting requirements. I
thought I
understood what 2D meant until Tamara dissected the term.
You don't know the *half*... But you will; I told Debra to get *you* to
tighten up my longwinded re-write of the rules ... :) She's trying to
pre-empt as many questions/misconceptions as possible before they occur
(to anyone else but Arachneans). Including things like: is it OK to cut
off 36" of 3.5" wide yardage, hem the ends neatly, and send off as an
entry?
The possibility would have never occured to me, but, she says, "you
wouldn't believe the weird things people come up with". Being a "stay
at home lacemaker", I guess I'm not exposed to the worst frequently
enough... :)
So, we're trying to make the rules as tight as the loudest drum, with
as few loopholes/misunderstanding traps as possible. I've even given
her permission to slash my own article as much as necessary in order to
provide more room for *large font* for the rules and a photo - if she
can find one - of a "table ribbon" in situ... A "mother" can't
sacrifice more than that <g>
But I think it's important that people have an idea what a table
"ribbon" is vis-a-vis a table "runner". Since the concept of table
*ribbon* is not a part of most cultures (except German and Danish), the
dimensions sound peculiar, and the initial response is almost bound to
be negative. Yet, the way Dorte described it - laid over a snow-white
tablecloth - it has a certain appeal... Not for me, because my holiday
tablecloth has a large lace medallion in the centre, and anything
placed over it would only spoil the overal effect... But, for a
tablecloth with only a lace edging...
I lie awake at night thinking about how I could produce something
meeting the requirements, but looking nothing like a table runner.
Imagine a table runner with bulimia (or is it anorexia?)? A *tall*
runner with an eating disorder, anyway... <g>
I anxiously await the centimeter calculations of depth that will be
forthcoming after Tamara measures various gimps with a calipers and
produces the new and more scientific description of the contest
dimensions, so that then I can push the rules to the limit! :-)
Sorry to disappoint :) Before I could google-locate and mail-order the
necessary tools (including the calipers - like everything else
connected to *hand* manipulation, they're getting harder and harder to
find), Debra - *rightly* - trashed the idea of specifying the third
dimension. Because, an extra 3mm is a *mountain of lace* if you're
using 80/2 cotton, but barely a hump, when working with 36/2 linen as
base thread.
So that's out, but the difference between "texture, characteristic of
the lace technique" (permissible) and post-process "structure" are in
as the criterion.
We've also tried to address the issue of the "finished sides", and
there's good news for those who are spooked by the idea of making 35"
of 3.5" (minimum measurements) of lace... :) You could make the ends
"pointy", and not have to have the full complement of the bobbins till
you reach the main body... You could have *fringes* at both ends, and
cut 5" or more from the lace (so as to accomodate the design in full,
and in the number of repeats which is most pleasing to your eye). The
straight-accross ends and the rounded or scalloped ends are, of course,
acceptable too.
It is just about at this time that we start to outline next
year's expenditure of vacation time and money. It occurs to me that
this is
a very critical time for explicit information about the convention to
influence vacation decisions.
I hope you've Bcc-d this message to Debra; she's running ragged at the
moment and might miss it on Arachne. I no longer have this problem
myself, since my child is independent and the DH won't shift butt no
matter what. So, all I need to consider is cash for myself and, given
that I'd ditched Denver and am ditching Ithaca this year, there ought
to be enough in the kitty to splurge on Montreal (unless the US economy
digs itself further into the cesspit <g>). I *hope* to make it there in
person, even if not as a table ribbon entry :)
But I'm looking forward - greatly - to seeing your "first ever"
competition entry; breaking ground is hard to do and, on a piece that
large may take a lot of time, but, as a 4-time entrant (in the past), I
can attest to the pleasurable "flutter in the heart" one gets from
seeing one's entry displayed and hearing the viewers say "oooh, look at
that!"
I'll also be looking out for entries from Aurelia (Loveman), and Jeri
(Ames), and Clay (Blackwell) and Jane (Viking), and Ann (Geddie); I'm
glad to know that as early as end-of-August '05 we have 6 (counting
Devon) committed entrants, who want to contribute to the success of the
Montreal Convention *in their own way*.
And I hope that my "negative comments" will have been productive
enough, in the long run, to make the rules of the contest easier to
understand for everyone, so that you can enter the competition without
making life difficult for the organisers by flooding them with
questions, or feel hurt when your entries are rejected for some -
obscure - reason, because of a misunderstanding...
Each of us contributes to the "lace cause" to the best of our ability,
no? Mine is to nit-pick in hopes of changing things for the better
when possible, and to try and come up with a new lace "exercise" every
4 months, for the Bulletin... What's yours? The ball's in y'all's
court, now... :)
--
Tamara P Duvall http://t-n-lace.net/
Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
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