I too started lacemaking in The early 70s but I had seen it in Golden Hands and found a local handicraft group that were putting a class on. Well I was going for embroidery classes at the time, but moved over to the lace class, supposedly for one term but which continued for a lot longer, to learn lace. Then the County Adult Education classes, I think, started in the mid 70s but also Doreen Wright wrote a book on lacemaking and the Lace guild was started in 1976. Suppliers then found that people wanted bobbins, I bought my first ones from Doreen Fudge who was at Luton Museum, and then lace days started which I believe encouraged more Lacemakers, which encouraged more classes. I was also a member of IOLI about 1974 and only didn't rejoin when the Lace Guild started. I started to teach lacemaking when the local teacher had a waiting list but didn't have enough hours or days in The week to start another class, but that was about 1980 I think. And it was very much a case ! of being one step ahead of the students at the time because there were gaps in the beginning laces I had somehow skipped!
Incidentally I learnt to knit whilst in primary school, was taught dressmaking at school and by my mother in law, and taught myself to crochet in 1970 as I wanted to crochet myself a dress. Suffice to say it was started at the top and very short! Maureen Bromley E Yorks UK - 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/
