Our Patrons

Martha Ospina and Tiemen Venema have kindly agreed to become Patrons of the Academy. Their story being told to us is of how they came together and developed such a beautiful craft for us all to enjoy.

Parchment where would we be without it? I think it was the passion that they brought to the craft that was endearing.

Remember that it was a new craft, and they supplied the tools, parchment and all the other materials plus designs. Holland was their base where they operated from and we had the opportunity to learn from Martha herself. 

It soon spread to the UK with shows and workshops.
Although they are retired, they keep in touch with many friends across the world. They have a wealth of knowledge and with their partnership, the Academy can only blossom.

You can read their story here

Master Tutor  & Designer Tatsue Shibata

Our Principal, Pat, met Tatsue many years ago at a Holland exhibition along with her team of students.

Japanese tutors and students alike are highly active with exhibitions.

Tatsue has developed a passion for lace and has produced several books. Recently she has published two new ones and they are very welcome in today's market.

Tatsue follows the Academy and plays an active part. We enjoy the designs she produces for our lockdown challenges, which are always beautiful lacy designs .

We have awarded Tatsue the title of Master tutor and she was very honoured to receive it .

Periodically, the Academy will send AIPT Tutors a Challenge, either from one of fabulous designers or from our in-house designer, Susan Moran, whose work usually includes the challenge of a grid.

Please take part, and send the Academy your example to be included on the web site.

It is NEVER TOO LATE to submit your work

Several Tutors are holding "Zoom" classes and Parch-a-longs via messenger etc.

Keep an eye on Face book for details

If holding a virtual class, please refer to our guidelines