Movement of industry: from Manchester to South Asia

During the twenty first century their has been a decline in the textile industry in Manchester. Many businesses have had to close and once flourishing textile factories and wholesalers have been shut down. A lot of the industry has moved overseas to South Asia as well as people coming from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in particular to trade in textiles in Manchester.

During my research I found out about a well known textile trading company in Manchester called D.J.R Quilters. D. J. R. Quilters Limited was established in 1967 and are textile merchants & wholesalers specialising in the supply of fabrics suitable for the garment trade covering sports wear, casual wear, functional and leisure wear. They are located on Great Ancoats street. Unfortunately in September 2010 they announced they were having to close due to the business due to the effects of cheap labour available in Asia. D.J.R Quilters is soon-to-be another empty shell of the industry that once defined the first truly industrialised city of modern Britain.

Images above: D.J.R Quilters

Guerilla Craft Movements – how to earn a living without clocking in and out of a factory or mill...

I have been in touch with some local British Pakistani ladies in Manchester who prefer not to be named. They are from the areas of Longsight and Rusholme and have told me how in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s they used to bring in some extra money in order to pay their bills by sewing parts of garments in their own homes instead of through factories. It was a very positive venture to start with as the women were able to become more independent as they were able to continue to fulfil their responsibilities by running their family home as well as earn a few bob in the evenings by sewing into the early hours of the morning.  The garments they produced were mainly nightwear and ladies underwear and they would return them to the factory. They usually were paid 10p per bag of items and this really helped their families to make ends meet. Unfortunately, they were given an order of garments to sew which did not meet health and safety standards and illegal substances were used in the production of the fabrics. This caused some of the women to become seriously ill and the women collectively decided to stop sewing garments in their own homes for factories. However, these sorts of occurrences have not stopped and unfortunately people in Manchester are still being exploited to produce garments cheaply and illegally.

Conclusions of conversations with Manchester based textile crafters...

After having conversed with many textile crafters living in Manchester I have found that they all feel that we should be more conscious about ethical practices in textiles and textile production. Many of the craft makers interviewed as part of this research are already using recycled and renewable fabrics in their work and are supporting the need for more local production of textiles. A few textile craft artists have said that they feel migration has impacted their work in a positive way as they have been inspired to use different materials, colours and textures in their work.

Image above:

South Asian British Textile Shop
by Helen Scalway

This work exploits the cool, quantifying qualities of an architectural plan by using such a ‘plan’ as a structure to hold the unquantifiable desires, reconstructions of memory and presentations of identity contained in a characteristic South Asian textile shop in London.

Textile workshop at Chorlton library....

Today at Chorlton Library I held a workshop for people in Manchester interested in textiles to attend. It was a lovely afternoon of crafting and eating yummy cakes - although I must apologise as it began a bit later than originaly planned.

We made textile pieces out of recycled sari fabrics from South Asia and scraps of leftover material from Manchester. Different techniques were used including embroidery and applique.

I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everybody who participated, including Sonya, Melissa, Nadia, Sabrine and Armaan. Your lovely pieces will be included in the exhibition at the Antony Burgess foundation.

A conversation with Vicky from Sewabee

                                          (Image above: handmade corsage by Vicky)

How long have you been working as an artist?

I only opened my business in September 2010 but have been building my sewing skills up for the past couple of years through courses at my local lifelong learning centre. I run my business alongside my full time job at Connexions.

Do you work with textiles?

Yes I work with all sorts of textiles, either creating items from scratch or adapting existing items of clothing.

How would you describe your work?

Eclectic! As I’m still developing my skills I try and do a wide variety of projects. Over the past month I’ve worked on a vintage corsage for someone’s wedding cake, a fleece for my son’s friend and a dress for me.  When we’ve got a craft fair coming up I work on hair bands, lavender bags, customised cotton shoppers, napkins and peg bags.  I’m constantly adding to my repertoire so that I’m challenged and learning new skills.

What is your inspiration?

Fashion is my inspiration. I love clothes and creating individual looks, sewing enables me to have items that are unique to me. It has also led me to embark on a yearlong challenge in order to raise money for Oldham Cancer Support Centre.  I am not allowed to buy any new clothes or accessories and I aim to wear a different outfit every day. The only concession to my ban is allowing myself to make clothes.

What materials do you use when producing your work?

All different fabrics, my favourite fabric to sew is cotton.

Do you use any recycled or renewable materials in your work?

Yes, I often work with material sourced from charity shops and I use other people’s cast offs.

What are your thoughts on ethical textile production?

My challenge is already changing the way I think about clothes, I used to be always in pursuit of the next new addition to my wardrobe but at the moment I’m revelling in my existing clothes. When the year’s complete I am thinking about restricting myself to only second hand purchases. I love the idea that a garment has history and often wonder what the previous owner’s story was.

Please check out Vicky’s exciting blog where she documents her year-long challenge to raise money for Oldham Cancer Support Centre.

A conversation with craft artist Katy Woollatt

(Image above: textile piece by Katy Woollatt)

How long have you been working as an artist?

I have been working as an artist for just over a year now. I started selling my work regularly in 2009, and since then I have set up a studio and been selling my work in shops, galleries and craft fairs.

Do you work with textiles?

Predominantly I work with glass, making glass jewellery using a technique called’ lampworking’ and I also work in blown glass, which I do less due to the rental costs of a hot glass studio. However I do work with other mediums to accompany my glass work such as hand printed cushions and tote bags, sometimes with glass beads sewn onto them, as a way to add variety to my range.

How would you describe your work?

My glass jewellery is created using a variety of colourful beads made by me in my home studio, which I then combine with silver findings and charms as well as other materials to create bespoke necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bag charms and more. The beads are coloured and patterned using a variety of techniques which can make them stripy, spotty, bright – anything that fits my current inspirations.  My textile pieces are at the moment all one off’s, and to create them I use techniques such as screen printing and appliqué.

What is your inspiration?

I find inspiration for my beads from fashion, patterns, nature – anything that catches my eye for a project. One of my current ranges is inspired by African patterns and masks which use the bold contrasts between black and white to make eye catching patterns.

What are your thoughts on ethical textile production?

Although I’m not familiar with all that ethical textile production entails, as far as working conditions are concerned I think that it’s very important that people in other countries that make our clothes are given the rights that we in the UK have. It’s a shame that in the world we live in has become usual to produce our clothes and many textile items abroad where it is much cheaper, but the clothes are often bad quality and people don’t like to think about the poor conditions the workers are living in. I think it would be great if we could go back 5o years, when you could go to a local dressmaker to have your clothes made, choose your fabrics, and have it fit to your size without it costing the earth.

(Image above: textile piece by Katy Woollatt)

Inventing in Manchester and Textiles...

Manchester has been chosen as the first city in the UK to host a Fab Lab, a community inventors' workshop where new products can be built by both businesses and individuals.

I went to investigate the embroidery machines at the lab which reflect the way traditional craft skills are at risk of being replaced by machines (even I am tempted.)