About 15 years ago I decided to dedicate myself to bobbinlacemaking and teaching. Nowadays I have 4 groups of students. They come to my house every 2 weeks to follow the lesson. The groupsize varies from 2 (minimum) to 4 (absolute maximum) students per session.
Every student works on his or her own level and in her own speed. True starters start with the Explore course. In this course they get aquainted with the basic stitches and a few lace types. After this they van decide what they want to do. Amoung my students are a few artists, who want to use the lace in their work. Sometimes these students decide very soon what kind of lace they want to make or let it depend whatever they need for their work. I accept their decisions and follow them on their way with support and advice.
I started making bobbin lace quite young as result of having a mother and a grandmother who made lace theirselves. Very young I sat beside my mother imitating the stitches she made with my crayons. When she could buy a pillow and bobbins from a friend, she did not hesitate a moment to do so and give me my own pillow and bobbins for my 13th birthday. She taught me playing with the bobbins, threads and pins.
Now I give my grandchildren the possibility to play the same way. It should be fun. Sometimes they are not making bobbin lace a long time, but they like to do it. I use special patterns for them designed for children or I design myselves something they like to make. Sometimes it is too difficult and Grandma has to help many times. This game with bobbins still fascinates me; the restfulness of the ritmic movements of the bobbins, the dynamic and the stress of designing or reconstruct old laces and the final result of this all: the lace.