Scottish
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Edinburgh Lace Club Newsletter
This year the club celebrates its 30th anniversary so we have a few things being planned for the occasion.
We had to cancel the January club meeting due to the snow, so there has been a delay but we hope you have space in your diaries and can make time for making lace connected with the anniversary.
Tablecloth - Members who have been at recent meetings will know we are making another tablecloth which will be used for displays and special occasions. Members are being asked if they would like to make a piece of lace which will be sewn along one edge of the cloth. Liz Staples has some names of those who wish to take part so please contact her if you have not done so already (0131 443 6403). The main points are that the lace be no larger than four and a half inches in any dimension as it needs to fit in a five inch square, must be white and have space for the makers name to be embroidered in the square by the quilters. It can be an edging or motif, in any type of lace (bobbin, tatting, needlelace, crochet, knitting). When you have completed your piece you will be given a slightly larger piece of material to sew your lace on to as we must have hem allowance for the quilters.
The intention is to have the tablecloth completed in time for this year's lace day in October. We have to set a final date for pieces to be handed in to Liz so that the quilting members have time to put it all together. The earliest she will accept it is the June meeting, then Heriot-Watt in August and the final date is the club meeting on 11 September 2010. So... thinking caps on, please.
Special Anniversary Meeting - Saturday 12 June 2010 at St Anne's Parish Church Hall, Corstorphine.
Julie has booked it for that day for our celebration. It will be open from 10am to 3pm to club members, for whom it will be free, and fellow lace makers and guests where there will be a nominal charge of £3.00 per person. We are organising a buffet lunch which is included in that charge. The tables will be set up for people to make lace. We are also planning some entertainment so that is good date for your diary.
Competition - That same day (12 June 2010) we will have our customary annual competition where the winner will be presented with the club quaiche. You will not be surprised to see that this year's competition title is 'CELEBRATION'. More lace time needed as mentioned earlier.
Lace Weekend with Evelyn Burnell - Ria has been in touch with Evelyn to arrange a weekend course (21 to 23 May 2010) at Leith Academy. Ria will have forms available shortly.
Highland Show - As well as all this with the club there is the Highland Show (24 to 27 June 2010) where the themes for Lace and Tatting are: Snowflake Mobile in Tatting, Article in Carrickmacross lace and Paperweight in Bobbin Lace - Winter Magic.
Sadly, we bring the news that one of our members, Sandra Swan, died in November 2009. She was a good supporter of the club who always attended the meetings, the lace weekends and Heriot-Watt courses. She also travelled for the lace weeks in Bruges and the chalet in Les Carroz, France. A few years ago she held the position of club secretary.
-----A Message From the Man in the Corner
When I was asked to write a short article for the Edinburgh Lace Club web site and started to make notes I was surprised to find that I had attended every Lace Day but one since 1995 and that this year, 2007 would be the 10th anniversary of my bobbin spangling stall. We moved to Edinburgh from Aberdeen in 1995, attending the 1995 Lace Day as visitors. Somehow, as I had done at Aberdeen Lace Days, I ended up in the kitchen washing dishes. In 1997, because one cannot spend all day in the kitchen, I also brought along some of Jane-Beths's collection of un-spangled bobbins.Bobbin spangling has a fascination that draws a crowd. I soon had an audience. 'How do you do that?' 'Why do you do it that way?' A brief "spangling class" followed. A number of ladies agreed that they hated spangling bobbins and one lady made the statement "I'd pay someone to do that for me."
After some (brief) discussion with the committee I offered to provide a spangling service at the 1998 Lace Day. I would provide the spangles; lacemakers would queue up (we hoped) to have their bobbins spangled, in return for which they would make a "donation" to the National Osteoporosis Society. It was a success, and every year since then I have appeared at the Lace Day or Friendship Day where I spangle bobbins, meet lots of people and am fed coffee and cake.
One of the most common questions I am asked is "how much of my donation goes to charity?" Thanks to your invitation to write this article I can explain how it works. I provide the beads and wire at my own expense and make up the bangles in my own time. Every penny you give goes straight to the National Osteoporosis Society. With the price of beads it would not be cost effective to only donate a "profit". The spangles would end up costing much more than they do and people would be less likely to use the service, or the final amount going to the NOS would hardly be worth posting off to them.
Thanks to your dislike of spangling your own bobbins, and your generosity in trusting me with your precious pieces of wood or bone we have averaged year on year about £100, so in the 10 years (and here I am trusting that you will bring bobbins again this year) we will have donated £1,000 to the National Osteoporosis Society to assist in their campaigns and research into a condition that may affect many of us now or in the years to come.
I send my thanks to you all for having me at your Lace Days.
Jonathan
**See the 'gallery' page for photos