The development of spinning and weaving from cottage pursuits to factory endeavours was explained by Dick Moriarty in a way which enabled us to understand the relentless march of what looked like progress (for those with money and power) but which over the march of time threw countless skilled workers out of work. The architecture of the mills was explained and the cleverness of the design of Farfield Mill – which was a spinning mill – was demonstrated.
Among our members we have the English ethnic group (are most of them Northerners?). They have relatives/ancestors who worked in the Lancashire cotton mills and the woollen mills in Yorkshire. And some of them, who are tapestry weavers, are designing work which refers to this heritage. Drawings are emerging which touch on the landscape around the mills, the mill buildings themselves, the water/power sources and there was mention of the Pendleton Hills (witches, too).
I hope you are enjoying the 2019 Challenge and finding out a bit about your own heritage or about the wonderful textile traditions of the different peoples of the world.
– Rita
D&G Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers 