[Nfb-krafters-korner] braille monitor

[River Woman]

Ramona, no need for an apology at all.
Anyone who knows me knows it anyway.
You did a very fine job on the article and you portrayed the community of 
the group that we have on KK and that is what is important. Nice to be a 
part of such a great group of excited and helpful people.

Lynda Lambert
River Road Studio, Since 1976
Village of Wurtemburg, PA 16117

Visit my Web Site at:  http://lyndalambert.com
Visit my Blog at:  http://www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com

www.lyndalambert.com
www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ramona Walhof" <ramona.walhof at gmail.com>
To: "List for blind crafters and artists" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2012 11:07 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] braille monitor


> Thank you, Becky.  I am sorry, Lynda, I didn't say you were a college 
> professor.  It hadn't penetrated my thick head by the time I wrote this.
>
> I haven't seen the Monitor yet, so I am glad to see what they did to the 
> article.  But I hope it will bring us some new members and who knows what 
> else.
>
> Ramona
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Becky Frankeberger" <b.butterfly at comcast.net>
> To: "'List for blind crafters and artists'" 
> <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, April 02, 2012 5:14 PM
> Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] braille monitor
>
>
>>                            NFB Krafters Division
>>            Satisfy Your Artistic Flair or Make Some Extra Money
>>                              by Ramona Walhof
>>
>>>From the former Editor: I can't count the times that I have spoken with a
>> newly blind person who laments the loss of crafting as an inevitable
>> consequence of blindness. I know that this does not have to be true, but,
>> except for knitting, I am not an arts-and-crafts person, so I can give
>> little hands-on advice or help. Ramona Walhof is a longtime Federation
>> leader who has always enjoyed sewing, knitting, and other handcrafts. In
>> the following article she describes the work of one of the NFB divisions
>> with which she is active. Some readers will be interested in becoming
>> members, but all of us should know about the Krafters' work so that we 
>> can
>> pass along the information to those who need to know about their work and
>> learn how to keep active with the crafts they love. This is what Ramona
>> says:
>>
>>      Although only three years old, the Krafters Division of the NFB is
>> probably the most active of the thirty NFB divisions. Federationists may
>> wish to know more about its activities, and some may wish to join.
>>      President Joyce Kane from Connecticut has done crafts all her life.
>> She knits, crochets, makes clothing and quilts with her sewing machine,
>> does safety pin beading, and is interested in all sorts of other arts and
>> crafts. Joyce lost her vision fourteen years ago and began looking for 
>> and
>> creating techniques to do the things she had always enjoyed in order to
>> continue doing them without vision. She joined the Federation and was 
>> soon
>> elected to office in her chapter and state affiliate. She was president 
>> of
>> her chapter in southern Connecticut for eight years. Joyce made contact
>> with other blind crafters and found that most had experience and ideas to
>> share. Several years ago she contacted President Maurer about forming an
>> NFB division. He recommended she hold an organizing meeting at the 2008
>> convention.
>>      Before that meeting Joyce had recruited officers and board members
>> from all over the country. Dr. Maurer asked me to help the group write 
>> its
>> constitution along the lines customarily followed by NFB divisions. I
>> didn't think I had time for one more activity but was elected to the 
>> board
>> and now serve as secretary. This division is different from others in 
>> which
>> I have been active, and it is a lot of fun.
>>      By the time of the organizing meeting in 2008, Cindy Sheets of
>> Kentucky had agreed to develop a website: <www.KraftersKorner.org>. 
>> Laurie
>> Porter of Wisconsin and some others had agreed to teach classes by
>> conference telephone. Diane Filipe of Colorado brought handmade ceramic
>> Braille pins to sell at the 2009 convention as the first division
>> fundraiser. Before organizing, the group had already begun holding Monday
>> night chats by conference phone calls each week, and in 2012 these chats
>> continue.
>>      The listserv, nfb-krafters-korner was established before the 
>> division
>> was organized. Today approximately 150 people are subscribed to this 
>> list,
>> and it is one of the most active of all the nfbnet lists now in 
>> operation.
>>>From 15 to 40 messages may appear on this list most days. Topics cover
>> crafts from quilting to pottery, from crocheting to weaving, from making
>> Christmas decorations to using the sewing machine. Some of the topics
>> discussed during December of 2011 were candy wreaths, blocking knitted
>> items, crafts that can be done one-handed for someone about to have 
>> surgery
>> on her shoulder, crocheted cupcakes, snowmen made on the knifty knitter
>> loom, gumdrop trees, sewing rags for rugs, and on and on. To join this
>> list, go to <www.nfbnet.org> and select the link entitled Join or Drop
>> NFBnet Mailing Lists.
>>      President Kane is always eager to recruit volunteers to teach
>> classes. Frequently three or four classes are taught by conference phone
>> call each week. Some classes are complete in one hour, while others 
>> stretch
>> over three or four lessons, each lasting from one to two hours. During 
>> 2011
>> twenty-nine classes were offered and completed. Anywhere from three to
>> fifteen students can be in a class.
>>      As usual Joyce was recruiting teachers and students last fall. After
>> some thought I realized there might be some interest in machine sewing, 
>> but
>> we had to find out whether members had access to sewing machines. It 
>> turned
>> out that some people did. They had to learn how to thread their machines
>> before the class began. We couldn't teach that by phone to people using a
>> variety of machines. Each student in that class now has a new apron. Both
>> Joyce and I were very pleased that we could explain the techniques by
>> phone, and the students were also happy. As you might guess, Joyce is
>> encouraging me to teach another class, this time on making T-shirts as a
>> means of teaching techniques used to sew knitted or stretchy fabrics.
>>      On the listserv, problems are posed and answered by other crafters.
>> Members have learned new crafts and new methods. Newly blind people have
>> gained confidence and ideas for pursuing the craft activities they wish 
>> to
>> master.
>>      We have heard many stories of individuals who have conquered fears 
>> or
>> other problems. One member, Jewell Boll from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, sold 
>> her
>> sewing machine when she lost her sight and is now excited about taking up
>> sewing again. She wants to tell those who are newly blind not to become
>> angry and frustrated. She says that, if she had been in touch with more
>> blind people when she became blind, she would have done things 
>> differently.
>> She is looking for a machine to purchase and has sought opinions on the
>> listserv about various models.
>>      Another member, Lynda Lambert from Pennsylvania, was a painter and
>> was depressed and angry when she became blind about four years ago, but 
>> she
>> is now enthusiastically producing large and beautiful pottery and beaded
>> items. She held an art show displaying her work last fall and received
>> compliments from those who visited. She also sold several pieces at
>> satisfactory prices. You may wish to check out her website,
>> <http://lyndalambert.com>. Lynda has a lot of ideas, and she entertains
>> other listers as she shares her experiences. She says an artist just 
>> can't
>> stop being an artist, even when she has to turn to a different art. Her
>> standards are high, and that will not change. Lynda also knits and does
>> other arts and crafts.
>>      Another painter who lost her vision continued to knit dish cloths
>> while recovering from her surgery, but this was not enough of an outlet 
>> for
>> her love of art. After some training at BLIND, Incorporated, in 
>> Minnesota,
>> Jeanny Nylander returned home to Lacrosse to find that her husband had
>> bought her a potter's wheel. She had taken pottery in college and enjoyed
>> it. She contacted Joyce Kane and Lynda Lambert through the Krafters
>> Division, and pottery has become her new art. She is again making and
>> selling art. Both Lynda and Jeanny are extremely complimentary about the
>> opportunities they have discovered from each other and from the division.
>> The two led a discussion about pottery for other crafters and taught a
>> class in January of 2012 by conference call. They are planning to teach
>> other classes in coming months. Both say that artists have a need to 
>> share
>> ideas and techniques.
>>      Another crafter, Jaselli Walter, uses clay that does not need to be
>> fired. She has led a Monday night chat about this, and members are eager 
>> to
>> learn more about what she does. Division members are encouraged to list
>> items they have made for sale on the first and the fifteenth of each 
>> month.
>> We have plans to make sales opportunities available on the website as 
>> soon
>> as possible. The group also makes items for charities.
>>      Becky Frankeberger from Washington State taught a Tunisian crochet
>> class in January and February, using an email list.  Becky is a machine
>> knitter and has gone into business selling items she has made. See her 
>> work
>> at <www.butterflyknitting.com>. A write-up on her and her work appears on
>> <www.KraftersKorner.org>.
>>      Representatives from a group of blind quilters have joined the list,
>> and I am sure we will learn more from them.
>>      Division dues are ten dollars per year and may be paid directly to
>> the treasurer, Diane Filipe, 1455 44th Avenue Place, Greeley, Colorado
>> 80634, or pay using PayPal on the website, <www.KraftersKorner.org>.
>> Classes are free to members, and they are described ahead of time on the
>> website. Anyone who has questions or suggestions should contact President
>> Joyce Kane at (203) 378-8928 or email her at <blindhands at aol.com>. All
>> those interested in arts and crafts should come to the division meeting 
>> at
>> the convention in Dallas this summer. I believe we will also have a 
>> display
>> and sale of handmade items Saturday afternoon, the day before the exhibit
>> room opens. Please check your agenda for times and locations. Plans are
>> moving forward for a busy week. If anyone has requests, don't be shy. We
>> can't guarantee to do everything you can dream up, but anything could
>> happen.
>>
>> Becky Frankeberger
>> Butterfly Knitting
>>
>> Custom-made knit throws, shawls, and more!
>>
>> Phone: 360-426-8389
>> E-mail: becky at ButterflyKnitting.com
>> Website: www.ButterflyKnitting.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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