Last summer, courtesy of my lovely daughter (above on Skellig Michael), we visited Kenmare, Ireland. Having been a collector and protector of lace for many years, I was thrilled to see this video which gives a wee bit of the history of lacemaking in the area. Did you know that Queen Victoria was one of the staunchest patrons of that artform? Well, that does make sense, as she was likely one of the few who could afford it!
In Honiton, England, another lace history hotspot that my sister and I visited earlier in the year, (OK, it was an unusually busy year - India, England, Ireland, Bermuda, and of course our beloved Vermont!) a small museum, plagued by rotting roof timbers and the constant upkeep of a heritage building, housed a world-class exhibit of lace from the past 4 centuries.
Closer to home, you can see a sample of bobbin lacemaking at the Bovaird House in Brampton.
With Women's Day just past, it seemed fitting to post this little excerpt of employment history. And if you haven't seen the film Made in Dagenham (2010) put it on your list. It "is a dramatisation of the 1968 Ford sewing machinists strike at the Ford Dagenham assembly plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination and the desire for equal pay." -Wikipedia
Monday Night Movies, Orangeville
