Re: [lace] Straw Plaiters
I was born and brought up in Luton during the 50s and hat making was a fairly big industry at that time. My Mum did some piece work in some of my childhood years. We took my mum for a trip around the museum a couple of years ago, firstly on the ground floor to see the lace and then upstairs to see the straw hats and other interesting things. My brother in law was a big time Luton Town Football (The Hatters) supporter when he got married in the early 70's and was given a straw boater as a gift from the club. Sue T now in Dorset UK I think they made hats. At the Luton Museum, which I visited for lace purposes, there was an awful lot about straw plaiting and the hat industry. In fact, I got the feeling that people might move between lace making and straw plaiting depending on what was "hot". Devon In a message dated 3/13/2013 9:48:27 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, dccoll...@ncable.net.au writes: Dear Friends, I'm currently doing some family history research for one of us, and find that IF her female relatives were not Lace Makers, then they were Straw Plaiters. Can someone please tell me exactly what they produced? Some of these were as young as 5 and 7 years of age on the censuses!! I'm sure it wasn't all macrame hanging baskets!! David in Ballarat, AUS - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
[lace] Straw plaiters
This thread reminded me of a lacemaker in my research. I've pasted the passage below.  "Born circa 1829 at Northill in Bedfordshire, Mary Tingey was the daughter of Thomas & Sarah Tingey. Mary spent most of her life in Bedfordshire being mainly employed as a house servant. In the 1851 census she was in service at Sandy, Bedfordshire, by 1861 she was a housemaid to a farmer at Thorncote, Northill. In 1871 she is living again with her parents, together with 'her daughter' Sarah Ann (no mention of a man in her life, and still using her maiden name). Her occupation is given as (straw) âPlaiterâ. In 1881 she was still with her parents with the occupation of âLacemakerâ. In 1891 she was on her own in Northill (no occupation) and in 1901 still in Northill living on her âown meansâ. A family photograph of Mary working at her lace pillow, dated c1909/10, was taken in the garden of her daughter, Sarah Annâs house at Kettering, Northamptonshire; she may have gone to live with her daughter and would have been about 80 years old."  Diana Smith, Northamptonshire - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
RE: [lace] Straw Plaiters
This reminded me of a talk to Essex Lace Makers (UK) given some years ago by Veronica - it was so interesting, and the items she brought with her were wonderful. Hi Carol et al. I remember that talk by Veronica Main and it certainly was fascinating. Quite recently I discovered that the village where my mum lives on the Essex/Suffolk border was a straw plaiting village when straw plaiting was in its heyday as a cottage industry. It's where my mum and dad retired to and there is no historic connection with my family except that some distant relation worked as a servant there for a few years in the Victorian era. Alison in Colchester Essex (sunny at the moment but still cold for March) - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Straw Plaiters
Hi Arachnes All, This reminded me of a talk to Essex Lace Makers (UK) given some years ago by Veronica - it was so interesting, and the items she brought with her were wonderful. She did say, however, that the straw plaiters had to wet the straw before being able to plait it, and this was done by drawing it from one side of the mouth to another - resulting in permanent splits on each side of the mouth - terribly painful, and not very attractive-looking either. She wondered if this made the lace makers a better proposition for marriage than the ladies who plaited straw. I will leave you all pondering that! Carol - in North Norfolk, UK. 'Deliver us, Lord, from every evil, and grant us peace in our day.' Dear David, I am indebted to Jean Leader for the gift of a 192-page book from England by Veronica Main "Swiss Straw Work", self-published in 2003, ISBN 0-9541795-0-1. in a library in your country. _http://www.mail-archive.com/lace@arachne.com/index.html_ (http://www.mail-archive.com/lace@arachne.com/index.html) Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
[lace] straw plaiters
Straw plaiters made long strips of plaited straw for the manufacture of the bonnets that were in fashion at the time. Many of the plaiters were, at one time, lace makers but they made more money plaiting straw. I too had an ancestor, who, at the age of ten, was supporting her younger sister and Grandmother by plaiting straw. Like a lot of cottage crafts, each area had it's specialty plaited pattern. Some plaits were narrow and other's quite wide, it isn't too hard to see how lace makers could quickly convert from lace threads to straw. Sharon on Vancouver Island - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Straw Plaiters-morally inferior to lacers?
Marjorie writes: When youngsters were making lace, they sat still where they could be supervised; but plaiting was a craft which could be done while standing up or walking about. Plaiters could therefore go roaming around the countryside, getting up to goodness knew what, while plaiting ... They got a reputation for being no better than they should be . But were lacemakers any better than they ought to be? The discovery of a lace pillow in the archeological excavation of a privy associated with a brothel in the Five Points section of New York has made me wonder whether lace making and prostitution were not practiced by some people at the same time. It doesn't seem to me like it was an either/or situation. For one thing, a prostitute spends time waiting for clients. Apparently in New York, prostitutes and everyone else, including invalids and children, were quite likely doing piecework, such as "sewing collars" during any down time. In England and Europe, there was a common practice of teaching women to make lace so they wouldn't fall into prostitution, or so they could escape prostitution, but we know that lacemaking wasn't exactly well compensated. So, it would seem that those inclined to lacemaking and those inclined to prostitution are often the same economic group. Prostitutes are being trained to make lace, and lace makers might need to supplement their income sometimes with prostitution. In fact, prostitutes might even need to supplement their income with lace making. Although personally, I think that the blindness associated with lacemaking is normal vision changes with age, one theory is that they got venereal disease because they tended to live in port towns with a lot of sailors, another tantalizing detail. Sitting outside the cottage making lace would afford better light, but also provide an excuse for being outside the cottage next to the street. Clearly, some lace makers also engaged in straw plaiting, which seems to be associated with "loose" behavior. Does anyone have any evidence to illuminate this subject? Devon PS. Ancestors of present company excluded, of course. Lace making and homemaking are also strongly associated. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
RE: [lace] Straw Plaiters
Straw was plaited into narrow braids, which were then used to make hats. Luton in Bedfordshire was a centre for hat-making, and Hitchin in Hertfordshire (where I live, about 8 miles from Luton) was a straw-plaiting town. We used to have a building called "Plait Hall" but it fell into disuse and has been replaced by houses. When youngsters were making lace, they sat still where they could be supervised; but plaiting was a craft which could be done while standing up or walking about. Plaiters could therefore go roaming around the countryside, getting up to goodness knew what, while plaiting ... They got a reputation for being no better than they should be . Margery. margerybu...@o2.co.uk in North Herts, UK > -Original Message- > From: owner-l...@arachne.com [mailto:owner-l...@arachne.com] > On Behalf Of David C COLLYER > Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 1:48 PM > To: lace@arachne.com > Subject: [lace] Straw Plaiters > > Dear Friends, > I'm currently doing some family history research for one of us, and > find that IF her female relatives were not Lace Makers, then they > were Straw Plaiters. > > Can someone please tell me exactly what they produced? Some of these > were as young as 5 and 7 years of age on the censuses!! > I'm sure it wasn't all macrame hanging baskets!! > > David in Ballarat, AUS - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Straw Plaiters
Dear David, I am indebted to Jean Leader for the gift of a 192-page book from England by Veronica Main "Swiss Straw Work", self-published in 2003, ISBN 0-9541795-0-1. If you do a search of her name and the subject, you should be able to find out how to order it directly from Veronica. If this does not work, contact me off-line and I will supply the information given in the book. Alternatively, David, you could try to order it from Australia's version of InterLibrary Loan at your local library. Maybe there is at least one copy in a library in your country. Although the book is about Swiss straw work (not the straw work of the UK), it is most interesting to see straw work that very much resembles fine laces. There are many instructions (in color) in this book. Finer examples combine horsehair with straw to create delicate results. Implements used include needles, sometimes multiple needles, which result in very lacy doilies There is an antique straw embroidery on velvet shown in which the straw resembles gold thread. Resources given in the book can be searched for and will yield results (the old web addresses did not always work): Guild of Straw Craftsmen (UK) Freiamter Strohmuseum Wohlen (Switzerland) National Association of Wheat Weavers (U.S.) Correspondence is inserted in my copy of the book from Gil Dye mentioning that Veronica was a curator at Luton Museums. She is well-known. Another insert is a letter from Avital (our web master) referring people on Arachne to check out _http://www.thestrawshop.com/_ (http://www.thestrawshop.com/) , which appeared in a Nordic Needle (American) newsletter. Our Arachne archives contain 115 entries under "Straw work". Some are about pillows, but you'll find more information about working with straw as well. _http://www.mail-archive.com/lace@arachne.com/index.html_ (http://www.mail-archive.com/lace@arachne.com/index.html) Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center I'm currently doing some family history research for one of us, and find that IF her female relatives were not Lace Makers, then they were Straw Plaiters. Can someone please tell me exactly what they produced? David in Ballarat, AUS - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Straw Plaiters
There is an article about straw plaiting in Luton, and Bedfordshire here. It is really very interesting and illuminating about a trade that was similar to lace making. There are many parallels. For instance, you could do it in cottages. Italians did it better. The disruption of trade with Italy during the Napoleonic Wars resulted in a boom in the English plaiting industry. French prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars did it in distasteful competition with English workers. There were plaiting schools for children which were of questionable educational quality but resulted in a lot of daily plaiting. These schools bit the dust because of the dastardly, business unfriendly Education Act of 1870. Finally the industry is destroyed because of cheap imports from Asia. _http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/luton/0.local/hat_plaiting. htm_ (http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/luton/0.local/hat_plaiting.htm) Devon - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Straw Plaiters
Hallo David, don't know if it is the same thing, but my Gt Aunt Polly made what we called straw dollies which hung in the house and were made with the current years straw and replaced the previous years dollies which were then burnt, I think it was something to do with getting a good crop the next year, they were quite complicated things to make as I recall. Sue M Harvey Norfolk U.K. Sent from my iPad - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Straw Plaiters
http://www.strawcraftsmen.co.uk/ Interesting site on traditional straw craftspeople. At some rural craft fairs, there is usually someone demonstrating tradional "corn dollies" and "symbols", sometimes used to ward off evil spirits. Agnes Boddington - Elloughton UK Dear Friends, I'm currently doing some family history research for one of us, and find that IF her female relatives were not Lace Makers, then they were Straw Plaiters. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Straw Plaiters
Dear David, I'm taking a stab here, but millinery straw braid would be my guess. Straw hats were common for summer use, and at least some were made of straw braid, perhaps a half inch wide, although I'm sure it varied, which was then sewn together over a form for the proper shape. Such a straw hat uses a lot of braid. It can be coarse or fine. I once saw a Shaker lady's straw hat, in a museum, and it was very fine. Lyn from Lancaster, where it's cool but nice and sunny, 41F 4.5C David wrote: >I'm currently doing some family history research for one of us, and >find that IF her female relatives were not Lace Makers, then they >were Straw Plaiters. > >Can someone please tell me exactly what they produced? Some of these >were as young as 5 and 7 years of age on the censuses!! >I'm sure it wasn't all macrame hanging baskets!! > "My email sends out an automatic message. Arachne members, please ignore it. I read your emails." - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
Re: [lace] Straw Plaiters
I think they made hats. At the Luton Museum, which I visited for lace purposes, there was an awful lot about straw plaiting and the hat industry. In fact, I got the feeling that people might move between lace making and straw plaiting depending on what was "hot". Devon In a message dated 3/13/2013 9:48:27 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, dccoll...@ncable.net.au writes: Dear Friends, I'm currently doing some family history research for one of us, and find that IF her female relatives were not Lace Makers, then they were Straw Plaiters. Can someone please tell me exactly what they produced? Some of these were as young as 5 and 7 years of age on the censuses!! I'm sure it wasn't all macrame hanging baskets!! David in Ballarat, AUS - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/ - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
[lace] Straw Plaiters
Dear Friends, I'm currently doing some family history research for one of us, and find that IF her female relatives were not Lace Makers, then they were Straw Plaiters. Can someone please tell me exactly what they produced? Some of these were as young as 5 and 7 years of age on the censuses!! I'm sure it wasn't all macrame hanging baskets!! David in Ballarat, AUS - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
