Dear Alice,
Your description of the Kantcentrum reminds me of the happy week I
spent there some years ago. I was taking a three-day class with
Martine Bruggeman, but since that didn't take all my time while in
Bruges I signed up for the "Open Classes." This put me into the large
workroom, where you saw all the non-English-speaking women making
lace. I was told by my son not to speak French, apparently thinking
that the Flemish locals would not want to hear that language, so I
kept pretty quiet. (Those who know me well will laugh at that!) I
learned that the Open Classes were a sort of local club, sponsored on
by the Kantcentrum for a very low fee, at which people could come
simply to make lace. The only instruction--and I think this is a
super way to handle large classes--was from the teacher sitting in the
middle of three chairs along one wall. If you had a question you sat
to one side of her and waited until she had finished with the person
on her other side, then she answered your question carefully and fully
while the next person waited in line. I didn't know it then, but the
two teachers that covered the week I was there were the very ones that
American (and other) lacemakers travel for miles to meet. And there
were there for us, virtually free! It was a great way for the
Kantcentrum to have a body of working lacemakers for the traveling
public to see at work.
As it turned out, I was the only one in the room who spoke English, so
although my lacemaking was pretty basic, I had a constant stream of
visitors at my pillow! And once I got to know the other lacemakers in
the room they didn't worry about my only speaking French not Flemish,
and I had one of the best times in my life. I got to know the local
women a bit and got the sense of who lives in Bruges. Plus, I
polished a few lacemaking skills.
Thanks for the memories.
Tess
-
To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line:
unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
