As the days and years pass, I have been researching the future of our world of textiles. I am devoted to a commitment to education/sharing how cloth is designed, manufactured, and distributed. The abandoned textile mills that are no longer productive, and were so active in the fulfillment of the needs of families and businesses over the past two centuries, have netted in a lost world of the past in these industries our ancestors developed or worked in. Today, the history of the demise of many hundreds of mills/businesses and their skilled workers becomes a daunting study as I look back at what has been and what will be.
The many deserted mills in the US and indeed, around the world are proof that they have been lost to the industry. Along with the mills goes the abandonment of skill, design-savvy, and availability of cloth to those of us who work in the textile arts. A sad truth we all share.
Some mill complexes and stand-alone mills have been demolished, while others stand as a testament to devotion and hard work in times gone by. Others have been taken over for remodeled condos, apartment communities, etc.
As our ‘new world’ of cloth and textile suppliers continues to grow and rebuild only with our encouragement, shared needs/interest, investment, and commitment, the lost mills will continue to be a precious part of our history. I plan to celebrate the old and colourful history of my own family with this prompt.
This really resonates with me, Bethany. In my previous life as an industrial worker, I worked a total of probably 12 years in different garment shops and textile mills. During the 80s and especially the 90s I saw so many garment shops close down.. I remember the rich life we had among sewing machine operators. Laughing and joking and sharing, learning each other’s languages.
I’m in touch with almost none of these workers. But I miss them.
Thanks Martha. I have a long rich connection to my US family in Arkansas, Michigan and Oklahoma who all lived through the deep, rich textile industry in the US. I read and connect and talk with cousins who also remember those stories and days with working members in the Mills, farm fields. Textiles rock, and we are living proof!
Bethany, a beautiful story about the sad history of textiles. I look forward to seeing how you translate this into fabric.
Hurray! It posted. Can’t wait to see your old and colourful family history.