LABOUR AND WAIT

Tools of the Trade - May

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:21:00 +0100

May’s Tools of the Trade takes us to Great Yarmouth, where Yarmo have been manufacturing their Fisherman’s Smock since 1898.

This classic piece of workwear has been an essential outerlayer for British fishermen for over a century, but it has also been popular with painters, sculptors, potters, craftsmen… and shopkeepers; most of us here at Labour and Wait have one. So what is it and why do we like it? Let us explain.

The fisherman’s smock is a classic example of functional, utilitarian clothing. This Folkestone fisherman is wearing the traditional pocketless version - cut from sailcloth, this garment was a strong and sturdy extra layer that kept the wearer warm and dry, protected his woollen jumper, and was comfortable and easy to work in. The short sleeves prevented the cuffs getting wet - a feature also seen on guernsey jumpers and breton shirts - while the tight fit and high neck ensured maximum protection from the elements.

The Yarmouth Stores supplied this and other items of clothing and chandlery from their harbourside warehouses on the outermost tip of the east of England. By 1914 they had opened up branches in ports all around the coast, from Brixham and Padstow in Cornwall to Grimsby, Hull and North Shields all the way up to Lerwick in Scotland. The fishing fleets moved around the coast, so a shop would be opened up for two or three months and as the herring shoals moved on the shop stock would be put aboard a drifter and transported to the next port.

By 1910 and the heyday of the herring industry Yarmo were supplying smocks to fishing communities throughout Great Britain. But it wasn’t just a uniform for fishermen to work in - the practical, utilitarian nature of the fisherman’s smock meant it was adopted by many artists and artisans.

Here Barbara Hepworth wears a smock as she sketches. In the early decades of the Twentieth Century St. Ives in Cornwall became a popular destination for artists and we can imagine the inspiration provided by the smocks being worn by the local crews - such as this rather motley bunch from along the coast in Mousehole. The cheap, tough, easy to find smocks provided the perfect protection for artists as well as sailors.

These white smocks show their sailcloth origins, and they are still made from the same material today, in particular a blue sailcloth which washes and ages beautifully, very much like good denim. The only alterations for the modern sailor or artist are longer sleeves and two patch pockets.

So what of May’s Tools of the Trade? Chalk, shears and thread, the essential tools of the tailor. But Yarmo’s process has been modernised from the days of chalking patterns by hand. Sharon Bowles, Factory Manager at Yarmo, talks us through the manufacturing operation:

“Patterns are printed via computer to a plotter machine by Barry our cutting room supervisor. We have kept the old card patterns for back-up, as you never know when you might need them.”

“Once the pattern has been drawn up on paper it is labelled with a job sheet ready for laying.”

“The required fabric is rolled out and measured to the lay plan. The quantity is checked and the fabric is laid up depending on the number of garments required.

Lorraine is now ready to cut the lay out, the knife she uses will depend on the depth of the cloth in the lay.”

This is the largest of Yarmo’s cutters, but other sizes are used depending on the size of the lay.

“Once the lay is cut it is then passed to Sue to be fitted up into bundles of work with a work ticket ready for the machinist.”

The ‘bundle up table’.

“These bundles are given out to the girls on the flat machines who stitch on the pockets, labels and collars.”

“After this, the bundle is passed to an overlocker to have the sleeves sewn in and the body sewn together.”

“They pass the work back to the flat machinist who hems the sleeves. The complete bundles finally go to the finishing machines and through to quality control. Once the garments are checked over by Debbie she labels and bags them ready to go to Lionel in the warehouse - and ready for despatch to our customers.”

“Although smocks are still popular today, they are worn more for leisure wear - although I do know of some fisherman who still wear our smocks for fishing.”

Whether for sailor or sculptor, the fisherman’s smock is very much the traditional garment that is as wearable today as it ever was. Our thanks go to Sharon and all at Yarmo for sharing this information and for supplying us with pictures.

The author wearing his smock, yesterday.

Pictures from the National Maritime Museum Archive and the Pentreath Photographic Archives. Photograph of Eli Farrow the fisherman by Walter Clutterbuck, from the Norfolk County Council Library.

New Royal Mail Prices

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

We try our best to keep postage charges to a minimum but unfortunately we have been affected by the recent Royal Mail price changes.

This has seen a reclassification by size rather than weight; so where previously anything up to 500g could be sent as a Royal Mail Small Packet we now have size restrictions.

This means a Royal Mail Small Parcel must now be no larger than either 450mm x 350mm x 80mm or 160mm x 160mm x 160mm.

This is obviously quite restrictive, and it means that some large, light items will incur higher postage charges. Over the course of the next few weeks we will be trying to find our best way around this change to ensure we offer the cheapest shipping possible.

However, this means using standard postage boxes, so we are not able to recycle our packaging as we have for so long. It will also unfortunately mean a price increase to cover our costs, from £3.00 to £3.25.

Tools of the Trade - April

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:35:12 +0100

April’s Tools of the Trade have kindly been supplied by E Jeffries and Sons, saddlers and leatherworkers, and manufacturers of the Brady range of bags.

The Brady company can trace its history back 140 years, and is the label of choice for many of this country’s most discerning hunters, shooters, fishers and royals. Chris Hodgkiss from Jeffries explains the tools:

“(At the top) SINGLE CREASE and (at the bottom) DOUBLE CREASE: These tools are used for veining on the edge of the leather to give it a single or double crease. These tools must be heated before use.

EDGE TOOL (in the middle): This tool is used for edging the sides of leather strap work to give a smooth, round edge.”

This finishing can be seen on the leather straps of our Khaki Fishing Bag ( above ) and our Bridle Leather Belt ( below ). Made in Walsall, England since 1928, the Fishing Bags are produced by skilled craftsmen using the best quality bonded canvas and bridle leather. Although the belts can’t trace their heritage back this far, they too are made in Walsall, hand stitched and then veined, burnished and polished by hand.

The sharp, deep crease on the leather is the perfect finishing touch for both.

Each Brady Fishing Bag contains a removable rubberised lining to ensure your freshly caught trout doesn’t get your laptop or newspaper wet. The triple layered waterproof canvas and bridle leather straps and trim are of the highest quality and mean these bags will stand up to many years of hard use.

The Folio Bag is a design we found in the Brady archives, and is made exclusively for Labour and Wait. Originally a post / despatch bag this design has found a new lease of life thanks to its unique dimensions - it is ideal for large laptops, folders, portfolios, etc. The bonded canvas is waterproof and the bridle leather ensures the longest life for this stylish and durable bag.

We love selling products that are hand-made or hand-finished, particularly if they are made in England, so these Brady bags and belts are some of our favourite Labour and Wait items. Our thanks go to Jeffries and Sons for the loan of their tools.

Port Magazine

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 13:16:45 +0100

The good people at Port Magazine came in to interview Simon and Rachel last week. Our normally publicity-shy owners made an exception for this publication, as we are all fans of its intelligent approach and well considered aesthetic. The interview is now online here. ( By Chris Chasseaud with pictures by Liz Seabrook ).

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 11:47:28 +0000

Horn Combs

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:49:16 +0000

We’ve all seen lots of people walking around Shoreditch with messy hair recently… but fret no longer, as our horn combs are finally back in stock!

Available in store and online.

Tools of the Trade - March

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:38:52 +0000

March; and Elvet Woollen Mill take their place as our calendar pin-ups. And from them we have an oil can and a cone of red yarn, both of which are used to make our Welsh Tapestry Blankets.

Elvet Woollen Mill is one of the last remaining working woollen mills in West Wales, and has a history dating back over 120 years. For the past 30 years it has been run by Mike Tolputt and his family. And Mike is the best man to tell us about his tools:

“The oil can has been in constant use for the past 32 years to my knowledge. It is probably fifty years old but still functions perfectly well, keeping all the machinery well oiled and running smoothly.”

When he took over the mill, Mike inherited two 120” Dobcross looms, a super cop winder, holt cone winder and a new warping creel, which allows the mill to produce the iconic Welsh ‘Tapestry’ bedcovers.

We have sold these beautiful blankets for years at Labour and Wait. We source vintage and antique blankets from all over Wales, and we never fail to be astounded by the brightness and variety of the colours. However, as their popularity has increased, so has their price, and it becomes harder to find the spotless - and the mothless - examples we are looking to sell. So we were very pleased to find Mike and his mill producing high quality modern versions.

At the moment we sell the blanket in the red, white and black colourway, but there are rumours of new colours being prepared just for Labour and Wait…

“The cone of red yarn is a sample of dyed yarn used to make our Welsh Tapestry Bedspreads. It is a blend of 100% pure new English Wools spun specially for us by a long established firm in Huddersfield. It is then sent onto Bradford where it is dip-dyed using well established traditional methods.”

“The natural yarns used in our Tapestries are from Wales and are, of course, the natural colour of the fleece with no dyeing involved.”

So how much work is involved in weaving a blanket?

“Setting up the creel and warping takes the best part of a week. When I have the warp in the loom, I must tie each of the 2,552 threads to the corresponding previous warp threads. I spent all day yesterday winding cops for the shuttles. Each king size tapestry takes three hours to weave, double takes two and a half hours and a single about two hours.”

“And just to keep me on my toes, I had a critical component on the loom break last week. Spares are not available so with the assistance of the local blacksmith I had to make and fit a replacement.”

“Did you know that 7 miles of yarn is required to make 1 Double Size Bedspread, and in doing so the threads will cross over each other 5.3 million times. WOW.”

WOW indeed, Mike. It sounds like a lot of work, but at least we have something wonderful to show for it.

Our thanks go to Mike and Alison at Elvet for showing us their mill, and for revealing the intricacies of the Welsh Tapestry Blanket.

Blacksmith

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 17:10:49 +0000

Deep in a valley in the foothills of the Austrian Alps, along the Iron Trail, in the shadow of Ore Mountain, we find the Mile of Forges - and an old Blacksmith’s Cottage.

Inside, sat at the forge hammer, or stoking the fire - as he has done for 500 years - we find the smith himself.

At one time 69 privileged blacksmiths worked in this area, with another 90 who survived without the Imperial Favour. Their products were exported to all parts of the Austrian Empire - to Bohemia, Moravia and Trieste, as well as further afield to Germany, Prussia, Italy, Poland, Russia… and out to the Middle East and beyond.

The Alpine streams provided the power, the forested hills the fuel and Ore Mountain the raw material. The valley rang to the clang of metal on metal.

Today the descendants of these ‘Black Earls’ are still in business, with their modern forges and factories still sending their ironwares out around the world. But there are still one or two smiths sat at their forges, crafting their tools by hand in the way they always have.

So deep in the valley in the Austrian Alps, along the Iron Trail, in the shadow of Ore Mountain, in the Mile of Forges, think of the Blacksmith sat at his hammer forge, in the living metal workshop, as he has for 500 years.

Tools of the Trade - February

Sun, 03 Feb 2013 12:22:00 +0000

February sees Creamore Mill take their place as the stars of our Tools of the Trade Calendar. Established in 1981 in rural Shropshire, this family-run business designs and hand-turns all of their wooden products in the former corn and wood mill which gave its name to their business. From their extensive range of functional and practical household and garden items we have selected the Wooden Door Wedge, Twine Stand and Dibber.

Sam Buckland, son of business founders John and Cathryn Buckland, kindly gave us an explanation of each of the tools pictured:

“The goggles should be self explanatory, especially so when you see the direction in which the shavings generally leave the cutting tools while turning wood.”

“The gouge is a versatile turning chisel, used for both rough turning of blanks from a square down to the finishing cut. The long handle provides good leverage to control the angle of attack. An example of use is turning the bishop twine stand bases – square blanks are band sawed into discs and then mounted on a lathe. The gouge makes the straight roughing cut at the circumference, a finishing smooth cut and the adjacent bevel profiles.”

“Our hand chisels are made in Sheffield from high speed steel; an excellent balance between edge sharpness and durability for wood turning.”

“The roll of sand paper is one of several with different grits, of graduating coarseness. While the work piece is still turning on the lathe the sand paper is used to smooth the final profile, knocking off the wood fibres from the end grain and corners. Sand paper also introduces a more uniform surface in preparation for certain finishes.”

“The bronze brush is used in general tool cleaning. The release of wood resins during working can leave a build-up of grime on the tools. The softer bronze bristles avoid damage to the cutting edges.”

With three decades of experience and a simple collections of tools, Creamore Mills are justifiably proud of their artisan approach. Our thanks go to them for allowing us to photograph their tools, and for Sam’s explanation of their use.

Riess for Labour and Wait

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:40:00 +0000

Allow us to introduce our new range of enamelware colours - Riess for Labour and Wait.

Since we first started selling enamelware from Riess over ten years ago, we have found it to be one of our most popular and in-demand ranges. And as enamelware has experienced its rebirth as a practical and functional material so our range of Riess goods has expanded.

This Pink Milk Pot featured in the Telegraph Magazine in 2002 and led to Sunday morning queues along Cheshire Street and an overload of our fledgling mail-order service.

But as we saw other shops and online retailers selling the same range of milk pots, pans and jugs, we thought we should offer something fresh and new - we pride ourselves on staying one step ahead - so two years ago we created our own range of milk pots in black, avocado and airforce, to sit alongside our ever-popular pink pot.

And now we can offer an extension of our Riess for Labour and Wait range. A milk pan, lasagne dish and two milk jugs in our custom ‘Labour and Wait’ colours -

and we introduce a Black Bread Bin to match our Brown Bread Bin -

and each with our Riess for Labour and Wait backstamp -

So who are Riess? And why do we like them so much? In a large part it is due to their history. Riess have been producing steel goods in the same location deep in the heart of Austria since 1550 - and high quality enamel items for over 80 years. This heritage ensures the best knowledge producing the best quality goods. It also helps to shape the company’s future, as they know that with such a proud past they must also look after the brand for future generations.

These beautiful illustrations are from Riess’s 400th anniversary celebrations in 1950 - although the factory floor looks much the same today.

Many of the products we sell here have been in constant production at Riess for over 60 years; this heritage and history ensures the highest quality, especially in comparison to the cheaper, far-eastern made enamel ranges that are appearing more frequently these days.

We have been visiting the Riess factory for many years now, to work on new products and colours, and also to see their fantastic archive, from where we have taken these pictures.

Here we see a selection of the enamel chips we’ve selected as possible colours, and a couple of our Labour and Wait items; the Airforce Milk Pot and the Bread Bin, as well as the new Grey Milk Jug.

Riess’s knowledge of steelworking also means their kitchenware is of the highest quality, although here our Professional Ladle is used in a more industrial manner.

Simon and Stuart from Labour and Wait and Andres Riess outside the door of the Riess factory.

Riess are also very proud of their environmental policy, aiming to make the smallest ecological impact possible. To this end, in the 1930s they built their own hydro-electric plant, which still to this day powers their entire factory.

So if you are lucky enough to buy or receive some Riess enamel, you can know that you are in possession of a product of quality and history, all the way from the ‘Mile of Forges’ in the foothills of the alps.

For more on enamel, you can read our 3 part Enamelware Guide - Enamel Production, Enamel Qualities and Enamel Care.

Tools of the Trade - January

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:58:03 +0000

Thank you to everybody who bought our 2013 ‘Tools of the Trade’ Calendar. We really enjoyed putting it together and found it fascinating to see some of the tools which are used to make our favourite products. However we didn’t have space on the calendar to explain exactly what these tools were - so here we present the first in a series of twelve blogposts about our Tools of the Trade.

Our first set of tools are used to produce one of our most popular products; our Letter Postcards.

Each one is handprinted by Chrissie and Vicky in ‘The Corridor’, their narrow workshop in Tufnell Park, North London - at 1.2metres wide ( or 244 pica ems ), it is just wide enough to pull out a case of type.

From this workshop, using their collection of Adana presses sourced from all around the country, Harrington and Squires produce our cards alongside their own range of printed material, including cards, bookmarks, badges and magnets, as well as offering a bespoke design and printing service.

“The name Harrington and Squires is a homage to Bob Harrington and Horace Squires, ex-compositors and letterpress tutors at Hornsey College of Art in the late 60s and early 70s, and it conveys the bespoke quality of our work.”

The first Tool of the Trade is a sample of Gill Sans Titling wooden type. As used on our cards, this classic typeface has been used by Penguin Books, LNER, the BBC and Labour and Wait. Gill Sans is these days seen as a short-cut to mid-century Britishness, but we first loved it for its clean, clear lines and its quiet typographical authority.

Next to the type we have the Cornerstone quoin key and under that an 8x5 Adana chase, which is the frame in which type is secured or locked up ready for printing. The type is padded out with furniture ( pieces of wood or metal ) and tightened up with the quoin, which is a locking device to keep all the items in position in the chase.

And finally next to the quoin and chase we have a tin of rubber based ink and a roller for inking up the type ready for printing.

All of these tools are used together by Chrissie and Vicky to make our Letter Postcards.

For those who would like to learn more, Harrington and Squires run letterpress workshops to introduce the art and technique of typesetting and printing.

Our thanks go to Chrissie and Vicky for supplying us the tools to shoot, and for allowing us to share their pictures.

Sale

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 16:49:00 +0000

We’re back from our Christmas break, and the first thing to do is clear out our storeroom, which has accumulated another 6 months’ worth of samples, seconds and shop soiled goods.

We’ve sorted through everything now, so if you don’t mind a slight chip in your enamel, or fancy some end-of-line bargains why not to pop down to Redchurch Street this weekend?

Christmas Opening

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:25:00 +0000

Our opening hours this Christmas are as follows:

Thursday 20th - 11.00am to 6.00pm

Friday 21st - 11.00 am to 8.00pm

Saturday 22nd - 11.00am to 6.00pm

Sunday 23rd - 11.00am to 6.00pm

Monday 24th December to Tuesday 1st January - CLOSED

Wednesday 2nd January - 11.00am to 6.00pm

Please note that during this period there will be no mail order service. You may place orders, but they won’t be picked and posted until the 3rd January.

Thanks to all our customers for their support this year, and have a happy Christmas!

Last Orders Please!

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 13:24:48 +0000

The Christmas Mail Order Elves are working flat out, so have asked me to tell everyone that it is now time to place your last orders.

Today is the deadline for EUROPEAN ORDERS to be placed - if you are placing an order please make sure we have a contact telephone number as your local courier may need to contact you.

The deadline for UK orders is Wednesday 19th December. Our courier service is next-day, so if you must have it before Christmas please make sure to select UKMail rather than Royal Mail First Class.

Please bear in mind we are very busy, to please place your Christmas orders as soon as possible!

Rotating Soap Holders

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 12:36:35 +0000

Also back in stock - after a long wait - our Rotating Soap Holder and Replacement Soaps.

Candle Holder

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:21:55 +0000

Finally back in stock! And just in time for Christmas… our Enamel Candle Holder.

Wrapping Paper

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:48:22 +0000

Christmas must really be getting close - we see now the arrival of brightly coloured wrapping paper, cheering up our grey December afternoons.

This Christmas we welcome back our traditional range of patterned papers, featuring designs from Eric Ravilious, Enid Marx, Edward Bawden and Jonathan Gibbs.

And joining them for the second year, we have papers from young London designer Esme Winter. Surely a must for every well-dressed present.

Available in store now.

Mail Order

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:46:00 +0000

Meet the Labour and Wait Mail Order Team.

Every order that gets sent out from the subterranean Labour and Wait dispatch centre is expertly picked and packed by Jasper and Dominic - with help from old friend Brian during the busy Christmas period.

Orders are received in the nerve centre of the Admin Department. Each one will contain a unique mixture of products requiring the careful selection of the appropriate box from our cardboard mountain. We recycle as much of the packaging we receive as possible, so although your package may not look perfectly new, it is helping to save the planet.

Each box has any existing tape or stickers removed before it is repurposed. Although the packaging is recycled, the Mail Order Team pride themselves on sending out beautifully neat and tidy boxes.

Many of our items are delicate so require careful wrapping in ( recycled ) bubble wrap.

The Housekeeper’s Bucket is a particular favourite with the Mail Order Team. They love carefully wrapping these to prevent damage from any possible mishandling in transit - why not order two, and brighten up their day?

Boxes are often cut down to size, to ensure a snug fit for the contents.

Other packages require more inventive solutions. Take the Large Feather Duster, for instance, which often finds itself in the most unusual of places.

The lifeblood of any hard-working team is tea. Here it is used as inducement for Dominic - no tea until these orders are finished!

As Christmas approaches, the basement is taken over by cardboard - wall to wall, as far as the eye can see.

The Mail Order Team’s Tools of the Trade.

At the end of the day, the boxes are ready to be picked up. Some of these packages will travel as far afield as Clitheroe, Newport, Los Angeles and Slough - we imagine the excitement of the recipients as they receive their package and tear it open. This is the all the motivation that the Mail Order Team require. That, and lots of tea.

If you require delivery for Christmas, please ensure that we receive your order by Wednesday 19th December.

Enamel Soap Dish

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:09:41 +0000

We’re glad to say our Enamel Soap Dishes are finally back in stock.

New for Christmas 2012

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 16:52:42 +0000

Christmas is traditionally the time we find lots of new gift ideas, and this year is no exception. So let us introduce our Christmas 2012 line-up:

To start with, some toys, and a couple of old classics; the Gyroscope and the Kazoo.

To go with our best-selling Pinhole Camera Kit and Radio Receiver Kit, we now have a Morse Code Kit. Ideal for technically-minded and inquisitive kids of all ages.

And for the young entomologists and ornithologists, we have a Bug Identification Kit and a Birdwatching Kit.

For the older outdoors enthusiasts we have a Survival Tin, which includes a compass, fishing kit, sewing kit and mini knife, while the stainless steel Mini Multi Tool can be used as a screwdriver, wrench, ruler, bottle opener, can opener, wire stripper, wood saw and knife.

The Survival Tin includes an emergency whistle, but we thought we’d supplement this with the classic Acme Thunderer. And while you wait for your rescue, why not make a nice brew with the Storm Kettle? A favourite with outdoor enthusiasts worldwide, this formidable device will boil water in even the foulest weather.

To complete the backwoodsman’s kit we have the world famous, windproof and almost indestructible Zippo Lighter, and a Pocket Sharpening Stone - perfect for our Opinel or British Army Knives.

The Maglite Flashlight is a design classic, with heavyweight machining and a lifetime guarantee, and its little brother the Maglite Mini comes in a handy hard case.

We welcome the return of a couple of old Christmas favourites, the Kid’s Dustpan and Brush Set ( start them early ), and the German Nutcracker.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without games, and we think a set of Playing Cards ( and a game of Newmarket ) is a great way to spend an evening. We also welcome the return of our page-a-day Pocket Diary.

Many of us here are keen cyclists, and we think this Dutch Puncture Repair Kit is a great little set, while the handy Mini Mess Tin can be used indoors or outdoors, in the studio, kitchen or office.

Th perfect vessel for our Italian Shaving Soap, we have found a beautiful Shaving Mug, and for a touch of luxury we have the famous ‘Major’ Travel Shaving Brush.

We know many of customers are dog owners, so we have put together a great range, including this rope Dog Lead, made by the master rope makers at the Chatham Dockyards, and this professional Dog Whistle.

We love this traditional heavyweight ceramic Dog Bowl, and the perfect accessory for all pet owners must be our best-selling Rubber Grooming Brush.

And for the person stuck in the kitchen on Christmas Day? Why not treat them to an Enamel Stewpot or an Enamel Casserole - made in Austria by Riess these versatile pots can be used on the hob and in the oven, and are perfect for turkey stew on Boxing Day ( and the day after, and the day after that… )

All of our Christmas products are available in store, or on our website.