Creative Chaos

 

This past week I spent some time locating the various bins and boxes of bobbin lace 'stuff', then emptying and sorting the 'stuff'.

The goal is to offer private lessons to anyone interested, and be able to sell them a beginner's kit to get them going, if they decide they want to continue.

In the meantime, the guild has been asked if we want to do a group tree for the Festival of the Trees in November, and I realized that my plan to dig my lace stuff out and make small 'ornaments' could fit right in with this project.

I work best to a 'deadline' and this is the perfect opportunity to actually clear the dining room table of the puzzle board and set out a lace pillow.  I *think* I still remember the basics of Torchon, but if I'm going to teach it would be a really good idea to make sure that I do actually still have the skills!

So I spent several hours going through everything, sorting out the bobbins I'm willing to sell, then searching online for prices of supplies.

This morning I talked to the guild person who organizes the small 'lessons' for the guild and it looks like the last two Saturdays of February are available for me to use the guild room, so now I have a more immediate deadline to refresh myself on Torchon basics.

I have four lace pillows I could sell, one of them a roller pillow, which I know I won't use.  I told Doug the  other day I really don't want to commit to doing a large project like a (long) piece of lace trim.  But I have lots of books with small 'ornaments' which could be used for beginners to learn from, and if they decide they want to participate in making an ornament or two for the tree, well, the more the merrier!  

My personal goal was to make some lace birds from a design from Eeva-Liisa Kortelahti.  I made a flock of these birds years ago and included them in xmas cards and I thought I could do something like that to get back into making lace.

But I also have lots of other designs I could use to teach new lacers - small items that are simple to make but don't take forever and a day.  And making something that they could hang in a window, or from a tree, or tuck into an xmas card makes it more accessible, I think.

I have a lot of different bobbins, most of which were hand turned and then painted by a couple in England.  Some of them are personalized to me (birthday gifts, etc) and I will keep all of those bobbins.  But I have others that I am willing to part with, so the plan is to offer a pillow and a starter pack of bobbins.  I'm hoping to sell the kits locally so that I don't have to deal with shipping, but if none of the students (should I get any) want the roller pillow, I will offer it online and see if anyone wants it.  

Lace making is my 'hobby' and ultimately, if I can't weave at some point in the future, I could potentially still fwip a bobbin or 24 and still be weaving.

Because that's what lace making is - weaving where the warp can turn into the weft and the weft into warp, and tie knots where needed.  

Who knows, I might even make a bookmark or a dozen...