Time and Crafts

[Tengu]

So, Manager is talking about `Skills advancement` and handed me over to this Māori woman. Just spent two days making baskets out of this wonderfully responsive material called Harakeke, or New Zealand Flax (cant recall the latin) (And these techniques would translate well to leather...)

She was telling us about the cloaks they make, an important part of their crafting culture. (and important if you are a tropical people who find themselves in a colder climate). These are hard on time or money. It takes her about a years work to make a good one. To own a cloak is a Big deal.

So that reminds me of crafts in medieval times.

Back then labour, even skilled labour was cheap, and materials cost money.

Now, labour is expensive and (most) materials cheap.

Reminds me of the Art and Craft Movement

Arts and Crafts movement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Pattree]

'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.' William Morris.

 

[Tengu]

Yup

 

[forrestdweller]

it's called phormium tenax in latin
and while i suck at cordage making and sadly never learned weaving baskets (from it) during my 3trips to Aotearoa i often used strips of it to tie things together as it's incredibly strong (it was once grown commercially before synthetic ropes became available); i still have a short section holding a bait knife in it's sheath which i made in 2007...

 

[Keith_Beef]

'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.' William Morris.

That was, for a long time, my signature line over on Edge Matters.

 

[Keith_Beef]

So, Manager is talking about `Skills advancement` and handed me over to this Māori woman. Just spent two days making baskets out of this wonderfully responsive material called Harakeke, or New Zealand Flax (cant recall the latin) (And these techniques would translate well to leather...)

She was telling us about the cloaks they make, an important part of their crafting culture. (and important if you are a tropical people who find themselves in a colder climate). These are hard on time or money. It takes her about a years work to make a good one. To own a cloak is a Big deal.

So that reminds me of crafts in medieval times.

Back then labour, even skilled labour was cheap, and materials cost money.

Now, labour is expensive and (most) materials cheap.

Reminds me of the Art and Craft Movement

Arts and Crafts movement - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

On the subject of Māori crafts, especially cloaks, you might find this interesting.

The Press

www.thepress.co.nz

On crafts in ancient Britain, there's a very interesting YouTube video on recreating a bronze age "piled hat".

 

[Pattree]

Just received this:

If it’s old hat, please ignore.
Apparently Lace Making has made it into the latest version of the list!



My wife is a very accomplished lace maker.
Her comment on seeing the list was,
”bring back night schools!”

Edited to add:

Categories of risk - Heritage Crafts

Charity that promotes, safeguards and celebrates heritage craft skills in the UK

www.heritagecrafts.org.uk

 

[Woody girl]

Just received this:

If it’s old hat, please ignore.
Apparently Lace Making has made it into the latest version of the list!

View attachment 98146

My wife is a very accomplished lace maker.
Her comment on seeing the list was,
”bring back night schools!”

Edited to add:

Categories of risk - Heritage Crafts

Charity that promotes, safeguards and celebrates heritage craft skills in the UK

www.heritagecrafts.org.uk

Oh I second bringing back night school. I learned silversmithing, weaving, painting, first aid, basic holiday italian and many other things. I was never bored, and picked up many skills .
Nothing doing here anymore. Such a shame.

 

[Bhod]

Nothing doing here anymore. Such a shame.

Nothing doing anywhere now since colleges had to become profitable. For any sort of skillset nowadays you have to pay a hefty price as the 'instructors' want top dollar for imparting their skills.

 

[Toddy]

Well, I know a lot of lacemakers too. It might no longer be a 'commercial' craft, but it's far from dead.

Funnily enough I'm sitting at my desk and I have a lace trimmed collar that I made over thirty years ago to be recycled, right in front of me. The linen lace has lasted well, but the linen of the collar is finally splitting.
38" of 2" wide lace.
I'm not wasting that

Nightschools are still available, they sometimes come under Adult Education at the Universities and are often heavily subsidised.

For instance,

Glasgow University calls them Short Courses, and they're usually about ten weeks long and cost about £300.

University of Glasgow - Study - Short courses

Part-time evening and weekend courses in and around Glasgow.

www.gla.ac.uk

My husband (Physics teacher !) did a welding course he had fun on it though I've done pottery ones, a friend did counselling ones and eventually went on to do a degree in the subject.

I'd love some of the more hands on ones that the rural colleges used to offer though.

 

[Tengu]

We do courses at the Scottish Crannog Centre.

Hardly any one books? Think they are £80 a day and £50 a half day.

You get an Iron Age lunch too.

 

[Broch]

My missus attends three or four different lace making groups on a regular basis. It may no longer be done commercially but it's far from dead as Toddy says.

If I've managed to keep up, she's skilled in Brussels Bobbin, Honiton, Milanese, Russian, Tatting, and Needle Lace (but I may have missed some - there are many more styles ).

That's a strange list though @Pattree - I know a number of bowyers (there are several on this forum). I appreciate not many people make bows to sell (though there are plenty) but the art of making bows is not dead either.

 

[Pattree]

Now! Janet does a wide range of laces too.

Your wife makes Russian Lace? She might know my wife’s name then.

She’s also a couple of hours back from a weekend in Crew and will be at Caersws shortly. She’ll be teaching Russian lace in Shrewsbury towards the end of the month..

It’s not just a question of whether there are people doing these things. How many teachers are there in the country? (Russian Lace n=3) How many young people are learning the various skills, some of which need fit people?

There aren’t many Lace makers under 65. All too often Janet comes home with materials and equipment from a “share out“. Oh the maker might not have died but it needs good eyesight and nimble fingers. I guess some other crafts are much the same.

 

[Broch]

the world of lacemaking is indeed small!! Although the missus has been making lace for over 40 years, she continues to consider herself a beginner. Russian Lace is something she hasn't long started and guess who taught her - she'll be there on the 24th and 25th of October. She does Needle Lace at Pat Gibson's as well - I believe Janet knows her too.

 

[Pattree]

While I believe that Janet is very accomplished she too is hesitant to acknowledge that she is particularly good. She started teaching Russian lace because teachers in this country were approaching extinction.

Perhaps in an ideal world, that endangered craft list would be more nuanced. What sort of bow making, what aspect of copper smithing?

 

[GreyCat]

My missus attends three or four different lace making groups on a regular basis. It may no longer be done commercially but it's far from dead as Toddy says.

If I've managed to keep up, she's skilled in Brussels Bobbin, Honiton, Milanese, Russian, Tatting, and Needle Lace (but I may have missed some - there are many more styles ).

That's a strange list though @Pattree - I know a number of bowyers (there are several on this forum). I appreciate not many people make bows to sell (though there are plenty) but the art of making bows is not dead either.

I believe the list is based on how many people derive all or a significant part of their income from the craft, that's how it works for endangered baskets anyway.

GC