I really enjoyed meeting members of the Retired Teachers' Group in Staplegrove, when I went to give a talk on the History and Art of Rag Rug making yesterday. Lots of great questions and also memories of rug making. I talked a bit about the use of hessian as a rag rug base and how important hessian has been locally. One woman said that her husband had worked for The West of England Sack Hiring Company. There is an fascinating account of the history of sack hiring businesses ('Sacks for Hire' by Reg Wilkinson with lots of reference to The West of England) here:
Today I visited Calway House in Taunton, to show people the contents of my sewing basket and talk about/invite memories of sewing and mending. One gentleman said that his Grandfather would buy a tangle of spoilt fibres known as a 'bird's nest' from one of the silk mills in Taunton for 6d. This nest of fibres he would carefully untangle, and the gentleman's Grandmother would use the silk to crochet fine doily mats. After the session, recalling how his Grandmother had shown him, he crocheted some chains with me, using my old button hook.
And from another person, a tip from the wartime; of how to make the equivalent of strong 'elastic' bands, by cutting off the tops of stockings!
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