Becky Plunkett interview with Sadie Oakes, Katie Hooks, Lynda Stafford, Lara Chupp, and Lily Smith (part five)

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. This is the fifth installment in a five-part interview; in this part Lily Smith shares her knowledge of tatting, a method of handcrafting durable lace, that she first started practicing fifty years before. At the beginning of the interview, she remembers the Smith family home in Norman, North Carolina, which was demolished and rebuilt, and a neighbor who taught her how to tat with an old-fashioned ball and shuttle. At 3:40, Smith recalls Addie Labinal, a schoolteacher who tatted impressive headpieces, and then she states that neither her mother nor her daughter learned to tat. Then she demonstrates a tatting trick and classifies a picot and a scallop pattern. At 9:18, she reflects on innovations to the shuttle, primarily the introduction of the built-in bobbin and the use of unconventional materials like ivory and tortoiseshell. At 12:14, Smith voices her preference for white thread and shares old and new methods for whipping it on, or fastening tatting to garments. Next at 15:25, she recalls childhood memories including some of her chores, like tending the farm with her brothers Max and Stanley. After explaining that she only tats with one shuttle, Smith describes a flower basket quilt she is working on. At 20:30, she remembers a family camping trip, an unsuccessful attempt to construct a blouse, and sewing her sons baby dresses. An unidentified man enters at 24:40, after which the interview returns to the topic of her sons clothing and customs for dressing boys. Next at 27:10, Smith lists natural dye sources for thread and Easter eggs, including onion skins, bloodroot, and burnt straw. She claims that her grandmother was an expert tailor who used the first sewing machine imported into the United States. Smith reminisces on the ingenuity required of rural Southerners in the past, then she spends the remainder of the interview detailing her familys singing traditions. At 32:25, she remembers her mothers favorite hymn, Did You Think to Pray?, and her grandfather, a pastor who sang the same with or without his teeth. Smith also sang until a surgical operation affected her voice. At 37:00, she says she prefers music in a minor key, considers how the folk songs that she learned in her youth are often heartbreaking, and her theory that those songs originated in the Amish community. Katie L. Hooks (1884-?) was born in an unknown city in Georgia; by 1950, she had relocated to Atlanta, where she lived with her husband Lucis H. Hooks. Lydia Stafford (1945-?) was born in an unknown city in Georgia. By 1950, she lived in Laurens, Georgia, with her parents Alfred L. Stafford and Louise Stafford. Lily D. Smith (1895-?) was born in Norman, North Carolina, and lived in Richmond by 1935. She married Wiley Smith, with whom she had five children: Franklin, Nellie, Lily May, Roberta, and Nell. Additional biographical information has not been determined. No transcript exists for this recording. Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions. As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us inaposition to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, andbias isreflected in our descriptions, whichmay not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materialsaccurately.Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment.We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created.Additionally,our work to use reparative languagewhereLibrary of Congress subject termsareinaccurate and obsolete isongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or description please let us know by emailingreference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.