Last weekend I was invited to teach the Thread Whisperers the basics of the knotted needle lace techniques! If you happen to live in Ohio, it is a very friendly group that meets once or twice a month around Chagrin Falls.
My host was a lovely lady with many talents and a big heart. All the ladies in the class have talents in various crafts: bobbin lace, lace in general, kumihimo, beading, knitting, sewing, etc. While I was there, a past student of mine gifted me a book written by a Turkish author on Oya Culture. The book has a lot of beautiful photos of the actual edgings, but confusing sketches for the pattern. This is where I hope I can fill in the void of making patterns and techniques easier to follow so more people who want to learn it can some day!
Besides the book on Oya culture, the Thread Whispers also gave me a lovely jar of homemade maple syrup, some orange dresses, and a sturdy bag with their group logo on it. I felt very welcomed and loved by this group and want to thank them for a good time! They are very knowledgeable about the history of different crafts and the Ohio area, so if you are visiting Ohio and happen to be into needlework, I highly recommend attending one of their regular meetings.
HOW TO JOIN THE THREAD WHISPERERS?
Katherine Dunlevey is one of the main organizers for this group. She is also a Trustee of the Textile Art Alliance Program: http://www.taacleveland.org/ at the Cleveland Museum of Art. You can contact her via TAA: 216-707-2579 or taa@clevelandart.org to learn more about both the TTA and the Thread Whisperers, or you can visit the museum where she volunteers weekly on Tuesdays when she is local.
WHEN WILL YOU COME TO MY STATE TO TEACH NEEDLE LACE IGNE OYA?
I get this question once in a while on various pages I run. If you happen to be a part of a craft group with an interest in a weekend workshop, please let your organizers know as I teach by invitation from groups. They can contact me via email: flowersinthreads@gmail.com
Since we work with fine threads and needles, the class size limit is 15 people.
The group is responsible for the airfare to bring me over to teach, and a flat rate fee for a two day class that typically runs from 9am-12pm, lunch break, 1pm-4pm. I usually stay with a host so hotel cost is not something the group has to cover as well.
If it is roughly 60 - 90 minutes from Chicago, only the flat rate fee has to be covered to get me to teach your group with the flexibility of it being a one day class or an all weekend class.