From what I have seen in our local area there are various ages of
lacemakers, some learning, some very skilled and some of the older ladies
who will natural stop being able to work it due to illnesses, eyesight
conditions etc but still passing on a love of the crafts around lacemaking
and fibers. Because, it is slower to grow than knitting, crochet and some
other crafts and less portable people shy away. Some of the most beautiful
lace just looks too complicated to a bystander where a length of yarn and
two knitting needles seem much more manageable.
I loved to see my lace develop and grow from the end of my second day of
learning but without the write help in those early days I might well have
given up.
I hope we dont have to worry that no one will continue, we may have big gaps
like with other crafts but they usually come back again, but we need to
retain a skills knowledge into the future. So many of you lacemakers have
done a spectacular job over the last 40 years or so, so the rest of us just
need to keep the love going, keep the learning materials accessible and
available for our future lace makers. I hope it is a craft that doesn't
ever die out.
Sue T
Dorset UK
Wouldn't it be a very sad state of affairs if very few of the younger
generation had the skills of well known lacemakers such as Barbara
Underwood, Yvonne Schele, Ulrike Lohr, Pat Read, Geraldine Stott, Brigitte
Cook and many, many more, who have all worked so hard to write/publish books
on their particular skills, for the benefit of those less
dedicated/talented. We do need the younger generation to feel as passionate
as these ladies all have been about their craft, so that it will continue
for future generations and not disappear into obscurity. It is just as
difficult for an artist/painter to make a living wage, as these items are
'luxury' items which most families cannot afford to buy and are not
essential items. The lacemakers of the past who actually worked these
beautiful laces, were not the ones who received the large sums of money they
commanded, neither did painters such as Rubens, Van Dyke etc. They all
struggled in their lifetime to make enough money to survi!
ve
Catherine Barley
UK
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