Hanging Out @ Halleys

In the past weeks I've enjoyed several return visits to Baltic Works to meet staff in Halley Stevensons Canteen and also spend some time at their Mill Shop.

On Mondays I've been taking my lunch with Kenny, Tommy, Norrie & Steve. You know, if I added up the years they've been collectively working in the textile trade it'd be around 100yrs!
They've been friendly hosts - just as well! The tools of the trade they laid on the canteen table were knives for cutting the textiles they're working on. They are apparently standard factory issue but I noticed a few personal customizations (reminded me of the way Grant @ Cooper & McKenzie customized his own scissors too) So here are the tools of Norrie's & Tom's trade.


Kenny whose been in & out of the textile trade his whole life (specializing in Dying but as he says now everyone multitasks here at Halley Stevensons) and I got to talking about what I might do with all the stories and Tools of the Trade objects I've been collecting. Rather than making a book I talked about working all the elements into a textile piece. He mentioned the Bayeux Tapestry (1066 and all that) which I thought was a really useful way of thinking about textiles telling stories. A few ideas brewing inspired by my encounters here at Halley's....

Steve & Norrie took me onto the factory floor to show me how a Stenter worked. This huge machine dealing with upto 5000 metre rolls of fabric at a time, wet treats then dries the fabric prior to its being waxed. At each stage of the textile's journey through the factory it is checked against a Continuity Log Sheet - loving the log sheet! The guys i'm sure thought I was a bit odd taking snaps of it but I want to understand the different stages & I guess I like seeing different visual methods and work processes.


I was totally pleased I got to go back to the Lab!

There I met Graham who is the Dye House Manager. He kindly took me through the lab kit he uses for dyeing and waxing test samples - mixing & matching shades and checking waterproofness etc. Graham like several of the other guys used to work at the Stevensons Mill which was apparently up near Hilltown before the businesses merged and moved down to the Baltic Works site. The tools of Graham's trade clearly revolve around Dyes - giving it some thought he chose upon the Rota Dyer machine - swatches of textile and liquid dye are put into screw tight metal tubes and fixed to rotate in vats of hot water - So pretty much what it says on the tin I reckon!


I have to say I had a really great afternoon at The Mill Shop with Linda and Vanessa. As it was Mothering Sunday the shop was pretty quiet so we had time to talk. Vanessa actually started with Halley Stevensons as a Shift Dyer 14 years ago. She studied textile technologies at Gallashields College. At that time of her joining, the factory was working around the clock on 3 shifts (6am-2pm/2pm-10pm/10pm-6am) 24/5 rather than 24/7 - the buisiness has since downscaled/downsized on all fronts of production and personnel.

Linda on the other hand has a background in interior decoration and for years worked in the family business Duncans Wallpapers. She's been busy with soft furnishings (as a Curtain Maker) and also undertakes alterations/seamstress work as well. She did a stint of Bridal wear commissions but found that a bit much when several brides-to-be failed to mention they were pregnant at the outset and would present themselves for a later fitting with quite a tummy and not enough fabric/dress to go round it! Stressful seamstressing!
I reckon Linda has a fair few tools of the trade - an overlocker for speedy neat seams (I really need one of the these!). And I was also tickled by an embroidery machine she had in the shop - I think you'll see why (seem to do a fair bit of this myself and I don't mean embroidery!)


Whilst Vanessa considered that probably a pen for note making and planning was a key item for her tool kit Linda's dressmaking scissors were a constant in her bag of tricks.


Both shared some fascinating insights about their work experiences and our conversation in between customers sparked off some creative ideas that I'd really like to pick up again in subsequent visits.

Vanessa recounted some quirky orders she had handled when working in a supervisory/admin role over the textile production side of things. For example orders for jute for animal coffins and eco-funerals and canvas for lining ballet shoes. Just goes to show how diverse were the uses of textiles coming out of the Halley Stevensons works in years gone by. I think Kenny or Tommy also mentioned something about the factory producing black-out fabric during WW2 and certainly 1000's & 1000's of metres of black textile for the mining industry. Too thin for coal sacks apparently so the textile detective in me wants to track down what that material had been produced/used for! Any clue?...

As mentioned Halley Stevensons key focus today is quality waxed cotton for the outerwear clothing market and as Vanessa and I discussed there definitely seems to be a re-surgence of interest in waxed cotton for fashion over utility. This is very much of interest to me and I'm really enjoying my research process with the team at Halley Stevensons - I'm rather hoping something tangible might materialize out of this - watch this space!