Editor's Note: Volker Arnold, a scroller and pattern designer from Dresden, Germany, and his daughter, Lisa, participated in the Pennsylvania Scroll Saw Picnic's 11th Anniversary "Scrollabration" held in June. They sold patterns and met fellow scrollers. And Lisa shared her experience with Scroll Saw Workshop.

"Which blades are you using?"
Volker Arnold and his daughter, Lisa, heard that question often during the two-day Scrollabration in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It was their first trip to America, and before leaving home, Lisa's classmates kept asking her where she was going. They thought Lisa was kidding when she told them about the Pennsylvania Scroll Saw Picnic. In Germany, scroll sawing isn't as popular as it seems to be in the United States. Lisa says there are just a few regions that have this tradition, such as the Erzgebirge wooden German figures from the eastern part of that country, where her family is from. In this area, scrolling has quite a long history. The first people settled there in the 12th Century. Most of the men worked as miners, and for that profession, creativity, understanding and the ability to invent were necessary. They used these qualities in their free time and tried to improve their way of life by creating crafts by carving or scrolling. Later, this developed into occupations like Volker's. During the Christmas season, most windows where the Arnolds live have scrolled holiday scenes with lights in them, known as Lichterbogen. At the picnic in Lebanon, Lisa scrolled her first picture for a window and realized just how easy it actually is. "I followed the lines, but that counts too, doesn't it?" she says. Volker has been scrolling and designing patterns for scrollers and Scherenschnitte for paper cutters for more than 25 years. He enjoys presenting and creating new ideas and patterns. Lisa and her father say it was nice to see people pleased with his creative work and eager to try it as well. Volker began to saw during his childhood. Then, with his father, he built a glider. As his hobby developed into a profession, he became the first member from Germany of the Scrollsaw Association of the World.