[Nfb-krafters-korner] Intro and Questions

slery slerythema at insightbb.com
Tue Jul 13 04:39:39 UTC 2010 

Our classes are all taught by blind instructors and are held over the
telephone. Classes are recorded and the participants (you must attend the
class) receive a copy of the recording to review as often as they like.

Cindy S.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org 
> [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of 
> Eleni Vamvakari
> Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 8:13 PM
> To: List for blind crafters and artists
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Intro and Questions
> 
> 
> I will definitely do this as I'd love to learn but don't wish 
> to clutter the list with topics that have already been 
> discussed.  I know this list has a phone conference but I'm 
> assuming that the classes are in person.  If so, are any in 
> or near New Jersey?
> 
> Thanks,
> Eleni
> 
> On 7/12/10, slery <slerythema at insightbb.com> wrote:
> > Eleni,
> >
> > Please check out our website (www.KraftersKorner.org) for a list of 
> > the classes that have been taught previously and that will 
> be coming 
> > up. We have had a coil basket weaving class in the past and 
> Joyce, our 
> > President, has taught one or more soap making classes.
> >
> > You also might want to check the archives for this list since there 
> > have been several messages regarding how a blind person 
> would measure 
> > essential oils.
> >
> > Joyce is currently on vacation this week but feel free to email her 
> > directly with questions regarding the soap making.
> >
> > Cindy Sheets, Webmistress
> > NFB Krafters Division
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
> >> [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Eleni 
> >> Vamvakari
> >> Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 5:58 PM
> >> Cc: nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
> >> Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Intro and Questions
> >>
> >>
> >> Hi there,
> >>
> >>   I apologise in advance for the rambling but I feel this 
> will help 
> >> to explain my situation a bit better.  From here on in, 
> I'll keep my 
> >> posts short.  Anyway, my birth name is Tiffany, but I intend on 
> >> changing legally to Eleni, so that's what I'll be using 
> here.  Some 
> >> of you may know me from The Zone, from Facebook or from 
> other places. 
> >> I've been totally blind since I was two-months-old.  I'm 
> 26 and from 
> >> New Jersey.  I'm a college graduate with a BA in sociology and a
> >> certificate to teach ESL, which was earned after graduation.
> >> While most people feel that I should take a job in an
> >> academic, scholarly or prestegius setting, I'm finding it
> >> difficult to locate even ordinary work that doesn't require
> >> experience, vision, degrees that I don't possess or that pays
> >> enough/is close enough as far as travel to interest me, let
> >> alone that I'd actually enjoy doing.  I'm not into the whole
> >> telemarketing thing either, though I've tried it.
> >>
> >>   But I love working with my hands and making things.  I am very 
> >> interested in starting my own business in crafts ranging 
> from basket 
> >> weaving, to soap-making, to broom/brush making and possibly chair 
> >> caning, once I learn and feel comfortable doing these 
> things.  I have 
> >> a friend who's visually-impaired, with enough sight to 
> read regular 
> >> print but not to drive. Now I've got her interested in 
> some of this 
> >> as well (plus jewellery-making, which is her own contribution) and 
> >> she wants to be my business partner.  The broom-making looks and
> >> sounds easy enough, But the equipment and supplies are
> >> extremely expensive. So I've decided to start out with the
> >> baskets and soap, since the supplies are cheap and easily
> >> available online.  I found several resources for learning how
> >> to weave baskets, but unless I learn with a teacher or touch
> >> the type of pattern that I'm supposed to be weaving, I really
> >> can't use them.  Several are videos but they're of no use to
> >> me since I can't see them.  I've been looking around for
> >> schools for the blind that teach these skills, but none seem
> >> to exist in America today that have any of these courses.
> >> Perkins does but said they could only help me if an agency
> >> financed me, which, of course, none will, since I've already
> >> gone to college.  This is really frustrating, since these
> >> were all so-called blind trades at one time.  To top things
> >> off, many blind people insist that I shouldn't do these
> >> things as a career because of my background.  I e-mailed a
> >> basketry guild, and though they were very nice, they really
> >> couldn't really help me from a blind perspective.  But I'll
> >> probably join them so that I can take their classes.  But I'd
> >> still like to meet some blind weavers, particularly totally
> >> blind ones, so that I can learn about any adaptations that we
> >> may need (especially with regard to measuring and holding the
> >> basket straight), types of weaving that are good for
> >> beginners (I've heard coiling mentioned alot), books that
> >> would be most useful to us etc.
> >>
> >>   My friend and I bought two beginner basket weaving kits and a 
> >> soap-making kit.  I'd already decided to go with melt and 
> pour soap 
> >> and to stay away from lye, since it can be very dangerous and she 
> >> agreed.  She made the first moulds, just to see how it was 
> done.  I'd 
> >> already made soap once or twice at The Diamond Spring 
> Lodge, a place 
> >> for the blind here in New Jersey, so knew what to expect.  In the 
> >> second batch, I helped her.  It was really easy and enjoyable.  We 
> >> used some essential oils that she brought with her and even
> >> experimented with the bottom of a disposable cup as a mould.
> >> Everything came out wonderfully.  But I'm still trying to
> >> figure how I would do this on my own.  That is, how would I
> >> insure that the glycerine was properly melted, that the
> >> colour blocks (or food coloring if I went all natural)
> >> blended properly into the soap, and how I would measure the
> >> oil so that I didn't put too much in each batch.  So again,
> >> are there any blind soap-makers here who could help me?  As a
> >> sidenote, she wove the first basket on her own, again, to get
> >> a feel for it.  We still haven't done the second one, where
> >> I'll hopefully be doing most of the work.  But when we do,
> >> i'll let you know how it turns out.
> >>
> >>   Neither of us have ever had our own businesses and 
> though I know a 
> >> few people who are in crafts, this is not their full-time 
> job.  Can 
> >> anyone give us an idea of how much we could make and which of the 
> >> crafts that we've chosen, if any, are in high demand?
> >>
> >> With appreciation,
> >> Eleni
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >> 
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> > et.org/slerythema%40insightbb.com
> >
> >
> >
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