www.champanelle.net lacemakers of Saint-Genès-Champanelle 63122 France

Mrs Martine VIGIER's article from the association "LES DENTELLIERES" (the lacemakers)

The hierarchy of lace makers

Two categories of lace makers must be distinguished:

a) The rural lace maker

She leads a wholesome life, engaging in lace making as a secondary activity, which she interrupts as needed for farm work, caring for animals, or handling household chores.

From a very young age, children were lulled by the clicking sounds of bobbins. This sound set the rhythm of family life, encompassing its joys and sorrows:

Starting at the age of four, boys, and especially girls, were required to make lace in addition to attending school and working in the fields. They were obligated to complete one, two, or three turns of the lace wheel on the pillow before going out to play.

By the age of five or six, they were crafting lace with 8 to 12 bobbins. As the children grew older, the lace patterns became more intricate. In some households, boys and men also made lace out of necessity.

Rural lace makers earned very little, even though they spent many hours at their craft. Some, known as «coqs, »produced high-quality lace, while others created inexpensive lace, also referred to as «street lace. » This type of lace was often made by children and elderly lace makers who worked mechanically.

In summer, lace makers worked while watching over their herds, using a lace pillow covered with oilcloth, or they sat in front of one of the village lace makers' doors.

This gathering was known as a couvige, held in strategic locations where they could keep an eye on their neighbors. All the news of the village and its surroundings was discussed at these couviges. Neither tongues nor bobbins rested as centimeters of lace steadily accumulated.

In winter, lace makers worked in the stable or in an attic directly above it to benefit from the animals ' warmth. They avoided working near the hearth to prevent their lace from becoming soiled with soot.

listed crosses	59
old postcards of the commune	156
old postcards except commune	47
old postcards of the volcano Puy de Dôme	118
associations listed on the commune	216
Gordon-Bennett Cup	78