So how did this transformation occur? Well, it's a story which starts in 1973, when I was at University studying law, and I met Heather Sizeland, who was studying psychology. A year earlier her father, Dennis Sizeland, had been party to a chance remark made by a friend, which led to the formation of Winslow Bobbins. The friend, a local craft teacher, was bemoaning the fact that it was difficult for her to get lace bobbins of good quality and value for her lace class. She could only find expensive antique bobbins or cheap plastic ones. There seemed to be no middle ground.
So Dennis, at that time a teacher of mathematics, technical drawing and woodwork, volunteered to make her a few bobbins and from there on the idea snowballed. This led to the formation of Winslow Lacemaking Bobbins, run from his home in Winslow, North Buckinghamshire. He was amazed to discover that there was a great demand for bobbins and before long he was receiving orders from all over the country. It didn't take long for Dennis' wife Kathleen, to take an interest and she discovered a talent for decorating bobbins.
They attended their first Lace Day in 1976 and had sold out within 30 minutes! It was at this time that Heather and I got more involved in the business. In 1977 I married Heather, the business continued to expand and we started helping out at Lace Days. In 1981, Dennis decided to leave teaching in order to concentrate on bobbin making full-time. Less than six months later Kathleen followed him into the business.
Further expansion resulted in Heather and I moving to Winslow in 1983, when I resigned from my job as Trust Administrator and began my career as a Bobbin Maker. However, I had only made a handful of bobbins - none of which would you want on your pillow! I felt sure that, even though I'd been considered too unskilled at woodwork to use the lathe at school, given sufficient practice and determination, I could succeed. I also didn't want to miss the opportunity to get out of the 'rat-race' and become 'my own boss', or end up asking myself "What if....?.", for the rest of my life.
For the first 6 months all my work was 'quality controlled' by Dennis, having been taught the necessary skills by him in his workshop. By the end of 'my apprenticeship', few people could tell which bobbins he'd made and which were mine. I built my own workshop in our garden, complete with double-glazing, air-conditioning, purpose-built work units and lathe. Yes, this well-appointed building is the aforementioned shed! My lathe was specifically designed by Dennis, and is purely for turning bobbins and other small items. I have yet to turn anything larger than a bobbin. The intricacies of bowl turning are still a mystery to me.
Soon after we moved to Winslow, Heather started to make lace and today she runs a local lace club, of which I am a member (and chief carrier of books, pillows and all the other necessary paraphernalia). Being able to make lace myself, has helped me to understand what a lacemaker requires in a bobbin. Believe it or not, I never have enough bobbins either!
In 1991 Dennis and Kathleen decided to go into semi-retirement. This gave Heather the opportunity to leave teaching and join the business full-time. Until then, she had been burning the midnight oil decorating and spangling bobbins. At the same time, the business moved to our home and the name was shortened to Winslow Bobbins.
From the early days we specialised in making commemorative bobbins and basic bobbins required by beginners. We have also turned a wide variety of woods, both exotic and indigenous, and have narrowed the choice down to a dozen or so favourite and popular woods. The availability of these does vary, as some timbers are in short supply. In these days of environmental concern, we try to ensure that the woods we purchase originate from sustainable sources and we actively promote recycling. To minimise waste, off-cuts are used to produce travel bobbins, lacemaking tools and other small turned items.
We decorate our bobbins in several different ways. Most commonly we use a pyrograph to 'burn' designs and then paint them using enamel paints. At Lace Days, personal messages can even be pyrographed while you wait. I can well remember the first time I was to pyrograph messages in public - in fact I 'hid' in a cupboard and wrote them all in private. Nowadays I think nothing of demonstrating my 'skill' in public and now even give talks about my work - entitled 'Confessions of a Bobbin Maker'.
All our bobbins are available spangled 'The Winslow Way' - a simple method developed by Dennis using stainless steel wire. Over the years many lacemakers have successfully adopted this method. Spangle the Winslow Way explains our method of spangling, with the aid of diagrams.
We now attend over 60 lace functions a year, travelling all over the British Isles and beyond. In 1996 we attended the IOLI Convention in Ann Arbor and during the summer of 1998 we went to San Diego for the 1998 Convention and to Seattle to visit the Lacemakers of the Puget Sound. With the expansion of overseas orders, directly related to our presence on the Internet, we send bobbins to lacemakers in other parts of Europe, all over the US, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and even Antarctica. Early in 1999 we combined a little business, with pleasure, and visited Australia where we met several different lacemaking groups.
At the beginning of August 2000 we again attended the IOLI Convention, this time in Indianapolis, and in 2001 we repeated the experience in Tulsa (OK). So, in the future, we look forward to receiving invitations to travel even further afield with our bobbins - you never know we may be paying a visit to somewhere near you!
I'm certainly happy in my work. I'm never going to earn the amount of money I would have if I'd stayed with the bank, but the quality of life is unbeatable. In what other job would I meet such friendly, happy people who seem to have such an insatiable demand for the tools of their craft. I hope that it will last until I really DO retire to 'play in the shed'.
Since the major part of this history was written, there have been a few significant changes. In March 2001 Kathleen and Dennis decided that they had had enough of British winters, and decided to move permanently to Spain. Heather and I took the opportunity to move Winslow Bobbins back to it's origins in Highfield Road. We, therefore, bought the family home, and in the process not only gained more living and storage space, but another purpose-built workshop.
At the end of July 2003, Heather and I decided that we had outgrown the bungalow at Highfield Road and had no time for the large garden. We therefore decided to move to a larger house with a smaller garden in Buckingham.
Even though we no longer live and work in Winslow, we decided to avoid confusion and retain the business name. We have after all only moved 6 miles up the road. After an amazingly smooth sale and purchase we moved into our new home at the end of September 2003.
Now almost three years later we are still delighted with our move. We have been busy making the house suit us and our business, this included building a small workshop/storage area within the integral garage. Kathleen and Dennis are now almost totally retired. You may have seen them helping us at the NEC, where it's 'all hands on deck', but for the third year running they don't intend returning during the cold and wet British winter this year (2006).
Despite all the changes, Winslow Bobbins, now in it's 35th year, continues very much as before.
