Hand Crafting

One of the most interesting things I’ve learned on this trip is that some things in the world, possibly many, are still handcrafted. I have come to expect that most products are made in horrible factories in a third or fourth world country by desperate people who are supposed to be grateful for the appalling conditions. All controlled, of course, by evil corporations and corrupt governments. Some of that is true, but not all.

I mentioned that 95% of Waterford Crystal is hand-cut (Did I say that they make two of their one-off special pieces like awards, trophies, or commemorative items, ‘just in case’? That’s commitment and thinking ahead.) and we went to two other relatively famous, or at least well known, “factories” to have a look.

The first was Avoca Hand Weavers; there’s an Avoca store in downtown Victoria, or there was. Avoca is a tiny village south of Dublin, accessed by some of the narrowest, twisty-est roads we encountered. The weaving operation is just at the edge of the village and is supposed to be the oldest business in operation in Ireland. There’s a cafe, and a shop on the right and, across a small car park, the weaving and shipping building. We are not talking big here, maybe 2000 square feet for production and shipping, and they ship all over the world. There is literally a weaving room, not building, and the process is astonishing. It can take up to 2 days to make the warp for a specific pattern, threaded by hand, which is transferred to one of half a dozen mechanical looms that run the weft shuttles. It’s a self-guided tour at Avoca, with story boards on the walls explaining the Italian Fringe Cutter and various other things, no guide, and you just stop and chat with the workers and wander around the machines. They obviously have no fear of liability litigation, the workers are happy to chat, and there might have been 8 of us in the place at the time. A truly tiny, truly handmade, and truly beautiful process.

some of the end product

building a warp

the yarn shop

A few days later we went to Belleek on a round-about route to Belfast. Belleek the town might have 200 inhabitants on a busy day and is situated west of everywhere except Donegal. The Belleek operation is posh and polished and we had a guide to keep us out of trouble but still, for a famous maker of china, it is ALL handmade! Someone makes the mold which is good for only a few weeks, pours the slip, carries the pieces to the drying racks, paints the designs, etcetera. The apprenticeships vary from 3-5 years depending on the job. We talked to Rachel, who wears very long false eyelashes and has been a painter for 24 years mostly doing shamrocks and twigs. Another young woman was making flowers, one petal at a time. Seriously.

I have a completely different appreciation for these fine products and, seeing the attention and detail that goes into them, they are under-priced. Remarkable.

green-ware drying

the kilns

this mirror, in the museum, took 2 people one year to create

Rachel of the long lashes and steady hand

Is there anything comparable in North America? ‘Cuz if there is I’d like to visit the place.