Coventry Couture
March 28, 2014
During March I grabbed an opportunity to have a weekend break in the Cotswold's.
While I was there soaking up the lovely weather and scenery, I spent a day in Coventry city centre. Firstly, I was struck by the amount of small bespoke Tailor/dressmaking shops that I saw. Clearly Coventry is still a city that believes in quality.
Then when I went into the Art Museum in the afternoon, they had a full sized loom in the foyer area and I must say I was fascinated to see one up close. From the "punch cards" that dictated the pattern to the mere size of this piece of machinery, I could not help but imagine the noise it must have made when in operation. I suppose this occurred to me particularly as my mum used to work in the sewing factory with the looms, and had always described the loud noise that they made. This work has unfortunately left her with tinnitus in her later years, but I still admired the craftsmanship of these monster machines.
Before leaving, I bought a replica of the Make Do and Mend booklet that was "prepared for the Board of Trade by the Ministry of Information" and was first published in 1943. In it, I found some very useful tips that still apply to the work I am currently doing.
So all in all a delightful trip.
While I was there soaking up the lovely weather and scenery, I spent a day in Coventry city centre. Firstly, I was struck by the amount of small bespoke Tailor/dressmaking shops that I saw. Clearly Coventry is still a city that believes in quality.
Then when I went into the Art Museum in the afternoon, they had a full sized loom in the foyer area and I must say I was fascinated to see one up close. From the "punch cards" that dictated the pattern to the mere size of this piece of machinery, I could not help but imagine the noise it must have made when in operation. I suppose this occurred to me particularly as my mum used to work in the sewing factory with the looms, and had always described the loud noise that they made. This work has unfortunately left her with tinnitus in her later years, but I still admired the craftsmanship of these monster machines.
Before leaving, I bought a replica of the Make Do and Mend booklet that was "prepared for the Board of Trade by the Ministry of Information" and was first published in 1943. In it, I found some very useful tips that still apply to the work I am currently doing.
So all in all a delightful trip.
Posted by Julie Porter.
