Hi Kitty,

Thank you for accepting me as a friend, I am a bit wary of web groups but I saw you had joined Laceioli and I love looking at all the work. I added a picture of the piece Roses by Kumiko Nakazaki from the Mille Fleurs collection to the site which I have actually just finished so will be posting a picture probably next week once I have mounted it. I know there is one glaring mistake but apart from that I am quite pleased with it. Did you run a course in York at some point as I am sure that is the one I was told about.

The States is a bit far but I will have a look at the Nottingham and Edingburgh sites.

I started lacemaking about 25 years ago going to evening classes for a couple of years (I was about 18 at the time!), I continued making mostly Torchon and a bit of Bucks Point but had picked up a pattern of Binche Riverside by Grace Jones Which I have over the years mislaid. I probably stopped making in about 1995 but last year set myself the challenge of entering a local show which had a hand craft section. Remembering the piece I lost, I had bought the Binche syllabus 1 at the same time (why didn't they stay together?!) so I made some sample strips. I love books and had managed to get the second syllabus from the states and in correspondence with Maria she suggested the Flanders book which I duly obtained and worked through a few pieces, but I was really keen to get going on the Roses piece so just went for it. Where I will struggle is pieces which need joining everything I have done so far has been a strip! Which is why I think it would be good to see a start and finish and talk through starting places with another Binche lacemaker.

Do you always plait the start, I did for the roses piece but I don't like it particularly?

I love the pictures you have been adding recently, I true inspiration!

Have a lovely day and I look forward to hearing from you!

Sue