4 minute read
Turning Self-sufficiency into a Lifelong Passion for Textile Crafts
Peter and Betty Harvey
Over the last 10 years, The Nest has supported many grieving families with the process of dealing with deceased estates. Our volunteers take the time to listen to their stories and we learn a great deal about the significance of each donation.
Right before our Vintage Stall in April this year, we received an incredible donation of spinning wheels, yarn and finished woven pieces. It represented a lifetime of dedication to the craft by Peter and Betty Harvey and we are honoured to be able to share their story.
Peter and Betty’s son Warren lives in Casino with his wife Cheryl, who both learnt about The Nest through their daughter, a Nest volunteer. They made the journey to Brisbane to make the donation because they felt aligned to our ethos and that we would appreciate the significance of the work behind it.
In addition to the various spinning wheels and accessories, we also unpacked numerous finished pieces, beautiful hand spun, woven rugs and bags. Remarkable that they were all handmade by a couple who were largely self-taught, but also that Peter was in fact colour blind. It’s incredible to think he could never see the works of art in their true colours.
Their son was kind enough to share a brief reflection of his parent’s love of everything creative and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Words Warren Harvey
Mum and Dad were born and raised in the post-depression, pre WWII period when money was tight and possessions few and far between. This instilled lifelong attitudes of thrift, frugality, making do with what you had and wasting nothing.
Both my parents were diminutive with Mum at her tallest being 4’ 9” and Dad 5’ 3”. Mum was a primary school teacher, teaching special education students for nearly forty years and Dad was a civil engineer. They lived at Glen Innes for some forty-five years.
To the best of my recollection Mum enrolled in a spinning course at the local TAFE college in the late 60s, early 70s. This was the start of a lifelong love for the craft which she enjoyed up until her passing just short of her 94th birthday last year. At times four or possibly five spinning wheels adorned their lounge room.
Shortly after the spinning course, the local TAFE ran a weaving course. This particular craft became Dad’s forte with at least six looms of various dimensions filling what little space was left in the house. The solution was putting a second floor on the garage to house the spinning wheels, looms, carding machines and bags upon bags of fleeces.
In their heyday spinning involved everything from the raw fleece, carding, dyeing (natural dyes including onion skins, eucalyptus leaves, cotoneaster berries etc), knitting and or weaving. As time passed there was more reliance upon purchased carded wool which allowed Mum to continue spinning for over fifty years.
Both Mum and Dad enjoyed being self-sufficient as far as possible. Their large vegetable garden was always bursting with edibles. Mum knitted and sewed her whole life, sewing most of the family’s clothes, plus knitted jumpers, vests, socks and cardigans. Weaving added another dimension to their repertoire with ponchos and jackets for grandchildren, as well as knitting bags, throw rugs, cushion covers, all being made from their own woven material.
Mum loved any craft and tried numerous in her life, including basket making with vines and other natural fibres, hat making using raffia, felt and leather, candle making, flower drying, paper making for Christmas and birthday cards, patchwork, crocheting, tatting, decoupage, pyrography, plus more. All very tactile pursuits.
Unfortunately, Dad lost his battle with brain cancer in 2013, however, whilst together they complemented each other and were able to enjoy their crafts for a relatively long time. I’m sure they are both content in the knowledge that some of their crafting possessions have gone to ‘The Nest’ to be looked after by similar minded people. I hope their new owners get the same enjoyment Mum and Dad did as that would be a win for everyone.
