Dear JJ, We cringe each time we read a letter from someone who clearly wants to make lace, because we have worked so hard to eliminate barriers to learning.
You say there is no one nearby to learn from and the nearest person may be 125 miles away. Very often, there is someone closer, and someone on Arachne may be able to help. Arachne is an international group of over 1,000 members. I am guessing you are in the U.S. If you could tell us the nearest city and state to you, you might privately hear of a lace maker nearer to you, maybe over a state line. Though you can teach yourself, there are many things someone more experienced may be able to help with to speed your progress. It is nice to sit beside someone else making lace, especially when you are a beginner. In Maine, we read complaints since Arachne was born nearly 18 years ago. People claimed there were no lace makers. This was not true. Almost every time we've heard this, we've found someone in our rural state (low population and long travel distances) that one can sit down with to learn lace making. This is also true in other states. Our Maine lace group discussed the complaints 17 years ago. My lace library of over 1,000 titles was our first tangible resource, and became the foundation for two other activities we undertook. The Lace Fairy site was established by Lori. Though it has not been upgraded in recent years, it still contains the most information of its kind in one place. Next, Tess scanned all the out-of-copyright lace books we could find, and they were placed on the University of Arizona site. You can also look at Arachne archives, by subject, and often find answers to your questions there. All the following resources cost only what you are paying to use your computer. _www.lacefairy.com_ (http://www.lacefairy.com) _www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/lace.html_ (http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/lace.html) _www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/index.html_ (http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/index.html) Members of the International Organization of Lace, Inc. (IOLI) - the lace organization in the U.S. - can borrow books for the price of mailing. IOLI also lends VHS tapes and DVDs. These are listed in the Handbook members receive at the beginning of each year. The name has recently been changed, but the new address is still in process of being revised. Try the following, for now: _www.internationaloldlacers.org_ (http://www.internationaloldlacers.org) Lace group membership lists do not tell all. Local needlework shops and museums do not know all. Behind the scenes there are lace makers who do not join groups or make themselves publicly known. Arachne is a place where you might find them. We need to know where you are to be of assistance! Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center ------------------------------------- In a message dated 2/5/2013 4:22:16 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes: I'm a technical person so if knew the theory/technique it is easier and faster to learn. I don't have anyone nearby to learn from, nearest person maybe 125 miles. JJ - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
