Z1205/251

Female. Lace maker. b. 30.10.1942 SIDE A (00 mins)Raised in Upper Shelton, Marston Moretaine. Father came from Sutton bridge, Lincolnshire, then moved to Bedfordshire in 1940 (?) and eventually worked as a lorry driver at brickworks, first at Coronation, then Stewartby. He drove the first air-suspended brick lorry for London Brick Co. Mother's parents came from Lower Shelton Road, Marston. (05 mins)Just remembers her great Grandmother singing "You are my sunshine", while she was sitting on her lap. Interviewee lived in two-up, two-down cottage. Used to visit granny's house on the way to Sunday school each Sunday. Not many lived in Upper Shelton. Children used to play games in the road and run in the fields. (10 mins)First car in the 1950s in their area. Childhood activities. (15 mins)Children allowed to "glean" any remaining corn, after harvesting was completed by the farmer, for grain to feed hens with. Potato picking was done by locals for farmers. Family had no television, so she was keen on craft work and sewing. Learned lace making at Stewartby School when she was 11. Mother and Grandmother knew how to make lace but it ceased to be a money-making activity that it used to be. (20 mins)The working lace pillow is made with chopped, dried barley straw packed extremely tightly into a calico or ticking bag. Another cover is placed over the bag. She learned lace making with Mrs. Violet May Gillett at Stewartby School. (25 mins)Mrs. Gillett's sister still made lace for Baggins. Interviewee learned lace making for 4 years before leaving school in 1978. (30 mins)She had one lace pillow at home and one at school for craft classes. Mother showed her patterns that she had done with Gladys Copperwheat at an evening class. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)Boring lace patterns at school but was able to do more interesting ones at home. Left school at worked at Randall's, wholesale ironmongers, in St. Mary's street as an office junior and, after one month, cashier.. Later moved into the accounts department. Worked there for 10 years and ended up as Supervisor. The Civil War reconstruction society, the Sealed Knot, came to Elstow in 1978 and, among the re-enactors was a local lace-making group called Aragon Lace Makers. (05 mins)Her son, aged 6, showed an interest and as a result she revived her own interest and showed him how to do it. She prefers Bedfordshire Lace. She makes samples of lace patterns found in museums and items of lace for sale at the tourist Information Office and Bedford Museum. She also does patchwork. Explains the procedure for lace making. (10 mins)More on the processes involved. (15 mins)Social nature of lace-makers meetings. Also designs her own lace patterns. (20 mins)In 1985 for an exhibition at the Corn exchange, Bedford, called Women at Work, she designed a made a skull, suing a wig stand and lace stiffened with sugar and water, with a skull image, as a protest against the plans to dump nuclear waste at Elstow (a successful campaign). (25 mins)When the Sealed Knot came to Elstow for the second time in 1984, she produced a large picture of the church and other local features in lace. A young lace-makers' group meets monthly at Bedford Museum but cross-stitching currently seems more popular with children and adults. (30 mins)Made a lace fairy for the lace makers' Christmas tree at St. Paul's Church, Bedford. It took 80 hours to make the lace for the fairy's dress. (32 mins)End of Side B Original Interview 60 mins.

11 December 2003

From: 1940 To: 2003

item

London Brick Company,
Gillett, Violet May,
Copperwheat, H.G.,
Aragon Lacemakers

lace maker, lorry driver, Sunday Schools, games, gleaning, hens, television, crafts, Stewartby state schools, Bedford Museum, corn exchanges, Upper Shelton, MARSTON MORETAINE, Lincolnshire, STEWARTBY, ELSTOW