Before she died two years ago her granddaughter, Marcia Howe, had the foresight to ask her to share and pass on her skills so they were saved for now and, possibly, future generations.
Since she died, Ms Howe has not only perfected her craft, but has even turned the old skills into a new business, giving up her job at GSK in Barnard Castle to become a full-time machinist like Edith.
“She was a great teacher, strict, but her high standards have helped me now I’m making things for other people,” says Ms Howe
Edith was diagnosed with cancer and as her condition deteriorated, Marcia spent more and more time at her house.
“We wanted to keep her at home so my mum and I were there every day. I’d come home to put my children to bed then go back and stay overnight with her. There was a lot of time to fill and only so many photos you could talk about, so to give us both something to do I asked her to teach me to sew.
“I thought her skills would be lost otherwise and there would be no one left in the family who could repair things. It gave her a purpose and she really loved it,” explains Ms Howe, 34.
“I did sewing at GCSE but it wasn’t good enough for gran. She started me off doing lines upon lines of different stitches. When it wasn’t right I had to unpick it and start all over again, which was great really because it taught me how to do things properly.”
The first thing Ms Howe made was a blanket to keep her gran warm in the evenings. “It took me days to finish it, but now I can make one in a couple of hours,” she says.
Together they also made costumes for the Barnard Castle Meet.
When she died, Ms Howe inherited Edith’s sewing machine, which has only just stopped working to be replaced by a new model.
“After she passed away I made things because I enjoyed it, I wasn’t thinking of a business then. I wanted to make a teepee and a table tent for my own children, then I started making presents for other people.
“I carried on sewing and sewing then thought I’d do a craft fair and really enjoyed it. I loved talking to people and the whole social side.”
By the time she took a stall at Barnard Castle School’s Michaelmas Market last November, Ms Howe had quit her job as a sterile operator at GSK and, as well as supporting her plumber husband Morgan with his business, established Edith Jones Handcrafted Items.
As well as blankets, table tents and tepees for children and pets, her range includes teething rings, dinosaur tails, bunting, felt garlands and, her speciality, memory bears.
These fully jointed teddies can be made from the client’s choice of fabric to preserve special baby clothes, the clothes of a loved one or even school uniform.
In October, she is taking a stand at her biggest fair yet, the annual Durham Shopping Extravaganza, one of 70 handpicked stalls selling a range of high quality goods in time for Christmas.
The event has raised in excess of £425,000 over the last 28 years, which has supported more than 90 charities. It takes place at Ramside Hall Hotel, Durham, on Wednesday, October 4, from noon to 8.30pm and on Thursday, October 5, from 10am to 4pm.
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