[Ohio-talk] Fw: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] Fw: article on newsline and in the ZieglerMagazine

[Dr. Smith]

fyi

jw

Dr. J. Webster Smith
President National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
P.O.BOX 458 Athens, Ohio, 45701-0458
Phone Number - 740-592-6326
"Changing What it Means to be Blind"
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Beth Rival" <erival at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFB Affiliate Presidents List" <nfbaffiliatepresidents at nfbnet.org>; 
"Newsletter The Seeing Eye" <news at seeingeye.org>
Cc: "tom Ritter" <ritter_thomas_0044 at sbcglobal.net>
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2010 12:58 PM
Subject: [NFBAffiliatePresidents] Fw: article on newsline and in the 
ZieglerMagazine


> for distribution
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Blindhands at aol.com
> To: lrovigatnfb.org at aol.com ; erival at sbcglobal.net
> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 8:57 PM
> Subject: article on newsline and in the Ziegler Magazine
>
>
>
> Hands On Living: Blind Crafting for Everyone
>
> By Susan Roe
>
>
>
> I have been an avid crafter both before and after I lost my sight over 
> thirty-two years ago.  There is nothing I love more than working on a 
> project and actually seeing it through to completion.  Whether I sell an 
> item, give it to someone or donate it to a charity, I always have the 
> satisfaction knowing that there will be someone somewhere who will 
> appreciate owning what I do best.
>
>
>
> There have been quite a few people who have either encouraged my crafting 
> or have taught me different skills.  My mother, Katherine, first taught me 
> to crochet when I was eight years old.  She showed me how to crochet 
> granny squares in matching or contrasting colors.  We would then sew them 
> together to make warm afghans for our beds.  She didn’t stop with 
> crocheting and soon taught my sister and I to quilt by hand, as well as 
> how to use a sewing machine.  When we were small children, she made 
> handmade Hobby Holly dolls and sold them to make extra money for our 
> Christmas.  Later on, she tried her hand at the cutest little clothes for 
> Cabbage Patch dolls and they were even more popular.
>
>
>
> Not too long before I lost my sight, I had just discovered a talent for 
> drawing.  My sister Pattie encouraged me to start taking art classes in 
> school like she did.  She was a wonderful artist herself, starting with 
> drawing and painting.  When Pattie began having vision problems of her 
> own, she switched to woodcarving.  No surprise to us, she excelled in that 
> craft as well.  Pattie had just started showing me some basics of oil 
> painting when I lost my sight at age fifteen.
>
>
>
> I have never allowed my blindness to be a hindrance in my day to day 
> living and that included my current crafts and learning new ones along the 
> way.  Pauline, a family friend, took the time to teach me how to knit and 
> it has been my favorite ever since.  She also introduced my family to 
> liquid embroidery, making Christmas ornaments with beads and sequins and 
> latch hooking rugs.  From school I learned to work with clay, coil and 
> reed basket weaving and tapestry weaving using colored burlap.  I even 
> managed to take a class on using the potter’s wheel while attending my 
> local community college.  Luckily, I stopped myself from adding a potter’s 
> wheel to my small one bedroom apartment before I started rearranging the 
> furniture.
>
>
>
> Believe it or not, my crafting curiosity still was not satisfied.  Pattie 
> and I took ceramic classes, enjoyed working with beads, making hats and 
> scarves on circular and rectangular lap looms, and successfully figured 
> out how to crohook.  When I attended our local Rehabilitation Center for 
> the Blind one summer, they showed me how to set up my sewing machine to 
> make it easier to use.  I have heard that curiosity killed the cat, 
> however, it only expanded my thirst for crafting to collecting the tools 
> of the trade along with many books and magazines covering even more 
> crafts.  I could definitely open my own crafting store.
>
>
>
> My mother-in-law, Anna Roe, was someone else who loved crafting.  She 
> loved knitting, crocheting and plastic canvas work.  To her credit, she 
> also passed on crafting to her children as well.  Matt likes to draw and 
> paint, wood working and Native American leather working.  I suppose Anna 
> also passed on to Matt some of her patience, because he does tolerate my 
> boxes of yarn and shelves of crafting books.  In fact, he doesn’t even get 
> ancy while we are in a craft store.  Matt is really good at ferreting out 
> all kinds of hidden crafting treasures.
>
>
>
> On a sad note, when Anna passed away, Matt and his family asked if there 
> was anything of her’s that I would like to have in remembrance.  I didn’t 
> hesitate and asked for anything dealing with her knitting and crocheting. 
> Well, my ever-growing craft stuff was increased by four large boxes.
>
>
>
> With all of my accumulated crafting energy and supplies, I needed an 
> outlet for my items because I just couldn’t keep it all.  I sell a few 
> items here and there as well as making items for friends and family.  My 
> biggest joy is knitting and crocheting for the Webb of Hope, a charity 
> group that is run through the Red Cross.  A local group of women get 
> together here at Black Creek Baptist Church and meet once a week.  They 
> share patterns, discuss items being made and who the organization will be 
> sending them to, both in the United States and several countries over 
> seas.  The women also provide lessons for those who want to learn and 
> participate with them as well as providing yarn so it doesn’t have to cost 
> you anything.
>
>
>
> Over the years, I have done searches on the Internet and have found 
> several on-line crafting groups, and several of them have been for blind 
> crafters.  I had to narrow my participation down to only one blind 
> crafting group or I would never tare myself away from the computer.  This 
> group works together from the Krafters Korner.  The group is filled with 
> some of the most talented crafters I have ever known.  Everyone is either 
> blind, low-vision, or works with the blind.  The Krafters Korner also 
> provides lessons to its members via conference calls and everyone works at 
> the project together.  All classes are recorded for the students that 
> attend each class and are provided as downloadable MP3 files for easy 
> reference at a later date.  Some of the classes have been beginning and 
> advanced knitting, beginning and advanced bead working, soap making, 
> origami, plastic canvas work, small loom weaving and even tips for finding 
> the best tool for the job, to only name a few.  They are even working on 
> knitted and crocheted helmet liners for our soldiers over seas as a 
> community charity project.
>
>
>
> I have even taught two classes myself, coil basket weaving and paper 
> basket weaving which seemed to be a success with those who attended.  I 
> have only taken one class, which was a beading class for making your own 
> Rosary.  The teacher even gave a brief history on the different styles of 
> Rosaries through the years.  All classes are open to members once you have 
> paid your $10.00 membership dues.  Krafters Korner also has a weekly 
> Monday Night Chat which runs from 8:00 Eastern Time to about 9:30 via the 
> conference line.  This gives everyone an opportunity to talk to someone 
> about their crafts and exchange information as well.  Members also have 
> the opportunity to get help with problems they may be experiencing with a 
> project in order to work through it instead of getting frustrated enough 
> to set it aside, never to be picked up again.
>
>
>
> I have found that many members take their projects quite seriously and 
> even attend numerous crafting shows as venders or sell their wares at 
> Farmers Markets.  There are those who have been blind and crafting for 
> several years, or they find themselves wanting to learn to craft.  Also, 
> there are those who have been sighted crafters for years and recently lost 
> their sight and now want to find ways to continue crafting.  It is really 
> nice when a member seeks encouragement with continuing a craft after 
> losing their sight and seeing the eager responses from other members 
> sharing and explaining how they have managed to continue that very craft. 
> All of this and more can be found at the Krafters Korner.  They have even 
> had guest speakers on blind wood working so they can explain how they 
> manage their wood working craft with no sight.
>
>
>
> Joyce Kane is the group moderator and President of the National Federation 
> of
>
> the Blind Krafters Division.  She has been an avid blind crafter for many 
> years and is always available to assist members as well as eager to learn 
> new crafts and techniques from others in the group.  You can call Joyce 
> for more information at (203) 378-8928 or via e-mail at 
> Blindhands at AOL.com.  Please feel free to visit Krafters Korner at 
> www.KraftersKorner.org.  Krafters Korner has also recently gone 
> International, bringing blind students from around the globe into their 
> classrooms with the use of SKYPE.  Come and join us and see what you can 
> learn!
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