[MR] FW: a lace course offered

[Signora Apollonia Margherita degli Albizzi]

Contact Mistress Bre at missbre at mindspring.com if you want more info...

Apollonia

Signora Apollonia Margherita degli Albizzi
Kingdom of Atlantia
www.livejournal.com/users/apollonia

**Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum
immane mittam.**

>  Date: Fri, 03 Jan 2003 16:02:50 -0500
>  From: "Jan Wyman" <missbre at mindspring.com>
>  Subject: [SCA-Laurels] needlelace making lessons anyone?

>  Hi folks,
>
>  I've been trying to get my cousin/apprentice Kerensa to do SOMETHING with
>  needle lace making, since he's a journeyman lacemaker mundanely.  He's
>  capable of doing most of the period needlelaces as well as creating new
>  patterns using period stitches (he was working on a Laurel pattern in a
lace
>  point the last time I was visiting - which I have a scan of, by the way).
>
>  He's decided to do lessons, via mail (he lives in upstate New York and
it's
>  hard for him to travel to events).  It'd be a package, you'd get the
>  directions on each stitch involved (with diagrams or photos of him doing
it,
>  maybe both), directions on how to put these basic stitches together into
a
>  lace body - and making a project (like a lace cuff or a collar or
edging -
>  something like that)  Some will be just a point that you can repeat over
and
>  over again.  Like that.  And, each lesson would build upon the
>  knowledge/experience of the previous lesson.
>
>  Now - when you buy the package, you'd get all that, plus the
materials/tools
>  required for that project, AND you'd also get (if you wish) to send the
>  project BACK to him - and get a letter (and your project back) telling
you
>  how you did, and how to improve it, and whether or not you're ready to
move
>  on to the next lesson.
>
>  So it would be kind've like an apprenticeship by mail.
>
>  The price he mentioned sounded really reasonable, but he asked me not to
>  give that info out (until he's priced all the tools/materials, etc.
>  necessary) yet.
>
>  He did write three articles on needlelace making for the Renaissance
>  magazine (before they were sold by the SCA lady who created it), but they
>  haven't been published by them as yet (frankly, we don't know who has
these
>  articles at present).
>
>  My question is: Would anyone be interested in this?  Do you think the
>  lacemakers or the needleworkers in the sCA would be interested in it?
>
>  Let me know what you think, privately, at missbre at mindspring.com
>
>  Thanks for your kind attention and patience.
>
>  Bre

>
>
>Oh, yes, please.  He isn't on the list, being offline right now.
>
>This is the info he gave me about what he's doing:
>
>this is more like a University semester in professional Needlelace making,
>only with each lesson giving you an object to make (like an edging, cuff,
>stuff like that) along with the tools
>necessary (if you need them).  With no time limit on each lesson, and with
>feedback from the
>teacher (you can send in your project to be critiqued) if you want it.
>Basicly, he's giving the SCA folks first dibs on this.  He will be putting
>this out in Threads and other places eventually.
>
>What he's planning on will give you:
>
>1. the right language - among which is those numbered stitches that all
>professional lacemakers use - and which aren't in most books, and proper
>lacemaking terminology (and what it actually means!) which they themselves
>use.
>
>2.  The REAL basics of lacemaking: Basics such as how to 'tie off' - this
>does NOT mean 'tie a knot' as so many books wrongly teach - but he'll teach
>how and where to weave your ends in properly, among other important basics.
>How to read period patterns, identifying laces and stitches, handling lace,
>cleaning it, and so forth - that kind athing.
>
>2. the right tools - some of which he'll have to make for you because
>they're NOT available anywhere, such as a specialized curved tip needle
that
>he was telling me about.
>
>3. diagrams and photographs of each numbered stitch.  These will also
>include detailed directions for doing the stitch properly, where it's used,
>and so forth.  The stitches used in the earlier lessons, he told me, will
be
>the ones used most often, so skipping a lesson wouldn't be a good idea.
>
>4. if you complete the course - you'll have an encylopedia of professional
>stitches not available anywhere else.  All other books of stitches are
>written instructions only - no diagrams.  And, he also said that the few
>books which do have a diagram or two are wrong - and they don't teach you
>where or how to 'tie off', among other serious faults.  (basicly - the
books
>are teaching you the wrong way)
>
>5. The lessons will be set up in a 3-ring binder format, so you'll be able
>to put these together handily into a reference book.
>
>6. Each lesson will give you seperately important information and
directions
>for doing a project, along with the materials/tools to do it - BUT - each
>lesson will also build on the knowledge, skill and stitches used in a
>previous lesson.
>
>7.  The tools/materials will be seperate (so you can purchase if you need
>it, or not if you don't), and in either a sample size, or a project size.
>
>He said that with this basic knowledge, you'd be able to follow and
>understand the 17th c patterns (they're like nothing but a page of numbers
>and letters - you'd understand what all that stuff meant) by the end of
this
>course.
>
>He's planning on starting with "Punto In Aria" (stitches in the air) - that
>is, lace with just the needles/threads and that's it - no fabric.  But, he
>did say that he'll also be covering the fabric-based laces as well, though
>that'll come after the Punto In Aria section is done.
>
>This is a great opportunity.  He's one of less than 100 people in the
entire
>planet who knows how to do Reticella.  it's considered a 'lost art' because
>there are so few who do it.  And, he did say that he will teach it, just
not
>right away, it's a more advanced lace and the students need better basics
>first.
>
>He said that each lesson will be around 20 pages or more for the
>instructions, and probably 15-30 pages just for the stitch encyclopedia
>(depending on how many photos/diagrams he has in there).
>
>
>
>
>Thanks for passing this info along to folks.  I've been trying to encourage
>him to do this kind of project for some time.
>
>Bre