I first saw pictures of lace being made in my father's encylopedia when I was 5 (yes, I was the swatty kid who sat and read the encylopedia at home - it's one of the reasons I have over 5000 books in my house). I really wanted to make lace because I was enthralled by the mathematically potential of the stuff but couldn't find anyone to teach me. Years later, when I worked for a major telecoms company there was an annual craft fair for our area of the company (yes we had a company craft fair - pretty impressive) and I was exhibiting some of my jewellery (I got first prize two years running!!) and there was a lady there demonstrating lace making. I asked if she taught and she told me that there was going to be a group started for the company and I could join. I was outside that telephone exchange on the first session waiting 20 minutes early and have never looked back. I think it's pretty sad that access to crafts was so limited when I was a child. There were adult education classess in lace making but you had to be over 12 to access them and if there was an over subscription of adults, kids under 18 were bumped off the course. I learnt to play classical guitar as a child and in order to complete my music examinations I had to join the adult education classes as my school didn't recognise the guitar as an instrument (I think that's a bit like Euro sceptics here who pretend the next thing after the english channel is america and africa (sorry bad UK joke)). One year there was a big surge in people wanting to learn the guitar so the powers that be told my mother I couldn't continue having lessons as I was only 13 and adults took prescident (they also paid more). My teacher informed the liberal arts college that I would be attending as people dropped out, didn't pay or were basically just untalented and she knew I'd stay all year. There were some moans about H&S (number of people in the room) but she just ignored them and signed me up. 25 people at the start of the year in September, by the Xmas concert - 13. The college liked to shout about how many people had passed their exams at the end of the year and I remember being slapped on the back by one of the big wigs when I collected my certificate and being told how 'good I was' and as I went to open my mouth to say something about not being allowed on the course my father dragging me away with the words 'time and place'. I still get dragged away when I want to say something that's going to embarrash people ... not good the dragging away but good that I want to say it.
Kind Regards Liz Baker thelace...@btinternet.com My chronicle of my bobbins can be found at my website: http://thelacebee.weebly.com/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
