friday finds
My feet were aching, and the containers of mousse in my hand were melting as I pulled the back door of the car open after we wrapped up soup kitchen on Wednesday night. “Ugh, too much crap in the back of my car,” I said, mostly thinking out loud, as I shifted some bits around and found a safe place for the mousse and also the pile of tea towels I was taking home to wash. “You think that’s bad,” my friend said, take a look at this. My car is full of bobbin lace stuff to sell.”
I’m sorry, you have what to what?
Bobbin lacing has had me in its thrall for many many years, and I’ve never been able to convince myself to go ahead and get the supplies I need. But some second hand goodies? Well, I would be a poor friend if I let her struggle through the quagmire of Facebook marketplace. It was clear I had a duty to her, and my stash, to relieve her of her struggles.
“Can I have first dibs?” She laughed at my enthusiasm, and we made a date for her to come out to my place, and we could go through it together. This afternoon, she came, boxes and boxes of stuff in tow, and I was in new-hobby-heaven.
There was more than I could ever use, or justify, but we managed to come up with a bundle and a price we were both happy with. A velvet pillow with roller (and a project still attached). Two bags of bobbins, one completely untouched. A bag of pins and holders and “bits”, including some stunning hand turned bobbins, still with price tags attached. $20 for this one. $30 for that. Beautiful mini-artworks that will be a joy to work with. An instruction book. A folder of this maker’s samples, a testament to her creative journey, now entrusted to me. A full box of brand new thread.
We picked through what is clearly a lifetime of collecting and creating. It was a bit sad really, to think that we spend all this time learning new skills and building our stash, and then the time comes to downsize and let it go, and it is the luck of the draw, sometimes, if the right person comes to the garage sale at the right time, to see the value of our little magpie piles. Conversely, it is a joy, to be the one to pick up the half wound bobbins, and carry on making with these beautiful supplies.
The past month has been one filled with such moments; being reminded what a lifetime of collecting looks like, and what happens when the collector is no longer here. What value to we place on our things, what gets passed down, what will be tipped into a trailer headed for the dump. The lesson, I think, that I’ve taken away from these moments, is to enjoy the now, and don’t get caught up in the “just in case”. To use the good stuff. To enjoy things for me, and not put too much emphasis on what comes next.
To do it for the process, because it’s the making and the learning that brings me joy. Here’s to old crafters passing the baton to the new crafters… and to a weekend of creative play ahead!
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Bonjour, La dentelle aux fuseaux je connais. Une amie en faisait et je m’y suis mise. Le problème c’est que c’est vie chronophage et encombrant. Je me suis vite retrouver à acheter du fil et du fil attirée par la finesse et la couleur. Et j’ai carrément déclenché une collectionnite aigue des fuseaux. Il y en a de superbes dans des bois superbes. J’ai réussi à me séparer de tout ça en en faisant cadeau à mon amie. Je sais qu’ils y sont bien et maniés régulièrement et avec plaisir. J’entends encore le bruit de ce type de travail. Merci et à bientôt.
Je comprends qu’il serait très facile de collectionner toutes ces jolies bobines ; j’ai eu la chance d’en trouver de très belles dans mon lot. Votre amie a beaucoup de chance grâce à votre générosité ; je pense qu’il est plus facile de se séparer d’un passe-temps quand on sait qu’il sera entre de bonnes mains.
How nice to be able to try something new to you without feeling the weight of guilt because of an excessive investment. I too went through a bobbin lacemaking phase, taking a workshop and investing in bobbins and threads. That was about 30 years ago. I made lace for the collars of several blouses I sewed, and my interest/desire was satisfied. I’m in the downsizing phase of life now, trying to use what I have in spite of recently taking up round loom knitting. Though I have a dozen yarn skeins in a bag, I’m not overbuying for “someday.” Using up – now – has become a permanent mindset, and I too am not thinking about what comes next.
I think that’s the best part, as you say there is no onerous investment to guilt me into sticking with it; if I don’t find myself enjoying it, I will feel free to let it go to it’s next home. I was blessed to have my stash of various crafts enhanced by both my nan & great-aunt downsizing over the past few years and it has really helped reinforce that use-it-up mindset; it can be hard in the instagram age though to not get caught up in needing “just that one thing” (that turns into fifty “just one more” things!)