When I first started making lace in the late '90s, I was able to borrow,
from my guild, two or three dozen very plain bobbins, spangled with
very plain beads as well as a pillow and cover cloths and pins... for up
to three months in order to determine whether I would be interested in
continuing. Needless to say, I was very interested! My guild then
directed me to numerous websites and vendors where I could purchase the
supplies I needed. I started out with two or three dozen plain bobbins
of my own, and at my very first lace day bought a dozen "pretty"
bobbins. I fell in love with spangling. I joined a bobbin-a-month club
with Maureen Benda - and she introduced me to lots and lots of wonderful
bobbin-makers from all over the world. Within the first year, I had
enough "pretty" bobbins to work the nice English laces I was making at
the time.
Since then, many of my favorite bobbin-makers have retired. Many of my
favorite vendors (including Maureen) have moved on to other pursuits, or
have retired. I have two of Richard Worthen's bobbin display domes
which contain some of my favorite painted wood bobbins, and my favorites
from my collection of Archer bone bobbins. These occupy places of honor
in my house!
The first bobbins I bought - two or three dozen "plain" - were spangled
with interesting beads. I had no qualms about cutting spangles off of a
plain bobbin to put on a more luxurious bobbin... but I always replaced
the spangle on the plain bobbins with "something". These plain bobbins
have been loaned out so many times that I can't count. Sadly, the
"success rate" has not been tremendous. People learn, through using
decent tools on a decent pillow, whether or not they want to pursue
bobbin lacemaking. Some have, but more have not. I recognize that we
are a rare breed! ; )
The true measure of success in teaching new lacemakers is to have the
equipment they need readily available for a reasonable length of time,
and most importantly, to have a good teacher who is willing to devote
the time and energy needed to get newcomers started. Unfortunately, in
my experience, the lack of teachers is the primary reason our magical
art is seeing a decline in new lacemakers. I acknowledge that I am not
a teacher. I lack the patience and the ability to recognize the
student's required "learning mode", and thus follow it, and I remain
focused on my own lacemaking, rather that focus on the growth of the
art. And so... I am not criticizing anyone for not being a teacher.
More to the point, I am criticizing people who *claim* to be teachers,
but whose lack of the required characteristics make them teachers of
beginners in name only... and this is where we're losing them.
Having said all of this, perhaps now that I have studied with the
masters (most recently, Anne-Marie Verbeke-Billiet), is it time for me
to set aside my own self-centered interest in lace and offer to teach a
newcomer? I recognize that this will be a gift to our art, and will
require me to shift my perspective. Is anyone else interested in doing
the same? We may need to support each other!!
Clay
On 9/26/2010 6:17 PM, Noelene Lafferty wrote:
I too made a set of pony bead bobbins when I started - I was able to buy
glass pony/jug beads through eBay, including some heart shaped ones to put
at the bottom of each bobbin.
Finding suitable size wood was the hardest bit, until I found a Remote
Control hobby shop - the sort that sells the thin balsa wood for making
model planes, and they had a very fine dowel in hardwood which was ideal.
Noelene in Cooma
[email protected]
-
To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line:
unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to
[email protected]
-
To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line:
unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to
[email protected]
