My goodness I didn't mean to start such a debate/vent session. *blush* My experience with the other lace maker was at a demonstration and I was new to tatting. I had been taught by the president of our local guild just a couple months before and I was doing my best to throw myself wholeheartedly into the lace world. I was shocked at being put down for simply making a join in a different, but acceptable, style.
I was also stunned at how this lace maker would inform the kids under 8 years age that they were too young to try bobbin lace. It made me quite angry as I knew full well that there are laces made by much younger kids in museums and my daughter (4 at the time) had helped me make one of those snakes. I was also shocked that, instead of promoting the local guild, this person informed everyone that if they wanted to learn tatting they would need to sign up for his/her class at the local yarn shop. A class that was $150 for Level 1 class (2 months long) and only taught rings & chains. My thought, later after I had recovered from the negativity I felt, was how offensive the inferences he/she made were. That according to this person who was "a certified tatting instructor" all those grandmothers and mothers teaching their kids were some how "unqualified". Or that those like the president of the local chapter - shouldn't be teaching because they didn't have some little paper. I have sense learned that this person is kind of notorious in lace circles for this behavior. Having vetted teachers at IOLI conventions is one thing, but isn't it part of being a member in IOLI to do gratis teaching and demos? Isn't part of loving lace making to try and inspire and encourage as many people as we can to take up the art? What I had hoped to encourage by sharing my experience was for people to be more willing to stand up for the "new" lace-makers. If we see something like *GASP & FUME* someone cutting bobbins off that we'll speak up. Thanks for reading & happy lace making. Robin D. -- Never, ever, let anyone tell you what you can and can't do. Prove the cynics wrong. Pity them for they have no imagination. The sky's the limit. *Your* sky. *Your *limit. Now, let's dance. *~Tom Hiddleston* - 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://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
