i have been on lacefairy.com many times before, and it is just about as good as a lace encylopedia with a catalog of its own, and the owner is kind enough if you didn't find what you wanted from them to give vendor suggestions to find anything you need or want somewhere else or with instructions on how to build it yourself if you choose to. but you said it yourself it is all mail order. a lot of their vendor sources mentioned are not from the u.s.a. either.
it is really all about bobbin lace vendors that aren't able to merchandise where the everyday public can find them, and not everyone can get a chance to go to lace fairs. they do have catalogs on the internet, but not in craft stores. no one's knocking american vendors because it is just that they don't carry anything in craft stores for bobbin lacing where most crafters shop. the only way to learn or start bobbin lacing is by after you have learned about it from somewhere else, not something offered at your local craft store where you picked out a book stocked with the other books on hobbies. most hobbies are listed there, but not bobbin lacing and not even a book to show what it is. if i were a bobbin lace company i would send my catalog to some where like "michael's" or "franks nursery and crafts" for them to show to customers. if america will collect little spoons to put on their wall instead of eat with them, they why not a bobbin lace bobbin with spangles? people who try to decorate with rustic, antique, and country designs and furniture or old time collectables would want to own something like a threaded spangled pair of bobbins to hang just for decoration. i have seen them hang connected pairs of candles the same way and display old metal clothing irons that were heated on the wood stoves for a country or old time decoration. they have little wheel barrows with silk flowers in a pot in a corner. to me that fits in right where our craft stores pick up on, and it seems strange that they haven't attempted it even just for decoration. that is the most popular type of decorating in any home i have visited. this is also the era for anything gothic, and bobbin lace can be something considered gothic. anything old english is considered gothic to most people even if it is not in the correct era. bobbin lace would interest a lot of young people looking for old time crafts to learn. if they will wear the clothes in that era for the fun of it, they also might want to pick up a hobby from the same era too. it is the hobby itself that has not been mass merchandised. that would probably be better, but considering the prices of some of these things (like a pillow for instance which some are some-what expensive)if you bought them, so it is still better to make your own if you are new and don't want to spend too much on something you may not like. look at the bobbin lace winders. they are outrageous, and most don't guarantee they may work for the type of bobbins you have. and really its not at all that people won't buy an expensive pillow or a bobbin winder if there is an option to build one yourself, it is more of an option to put the money where you will need it more like in the equipment that can't be made by yourself. even if you like to make your own lace things, you are going to spend lots of money shopping for bobbin lace. it could be on books, already made prickings, or one of those expensive pillows or winders. it will be mostly on spangles and bobbins. if you can make them yourself, fine, but you probably get bored and shop like everyone else. you are going to spend just as much money as any one else. just because you do make things for yourself, doesn't mean you are not going to shop for something you think you could have made. besides it is the search engines that were also more in question than not having local companies. even searches for things not associated with crafts are coming up companies mainly from australia, germany, and u.k.. that could be the memory of the computers. they save computer data for shopping on the internet websites that have been visited. i'm definitly not snubbing my own county's companies, i just don't understand why in america where they mass merchandise anything, especially hobbies, why not bobbin lacing, and why can't i go to the local craft store or library and find info on bobbin lace? i don't think it makes sense. from susan in tennessee,u.s.a. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
