Material Pleasures: Reflections of a Textile Collector is a book written by June Chambers, of Bond Head.
Chambers has been an exceptional contributor to the preservation and promotion of history and ways of life in the New Tecumseth and Bradford West Gwillimbury areas and beyond for decades.
Her book was launched April 27 at the Tec-We-Gwill Hall in Newton Robinson. Chambers was introduced by her grandson, Kent Chambers, to more than 60 people gathered to learn more about her book. He said he was delighted to introduce his grandmother and spoke of enjoying her creativity throughout his life.
This creativity in thought and action appears throughout the 215-page, easy-to-hold, soft-cover book. Photos, mostly taken by June, illustrate the text. It is dedicated to her “mate,” David Chambers.
The opening paragraph reads, “This book is about the joys of collecting, the intimate knowledge that it brings, connecting with people and places from an era so different from today. It’s about quilts, blankets, coverlets, and needlework, mostly from Waterloo County but some from Simcoe County, eastern Ontario, upper New York State and Pennsylvania, textiles dating from 1834 to the 1940s.”
The book presents engaging stories that introduce the life behind the textiles and their possible origins. The brief histories of how certain pieces were acquired, and their interesting features, connect the reader with the author and her curiosity and respect for items in her collection. As she comments on specific auctions and local auctioneers, her appreciation for the process comes through.
Among the histories of textile and needlework creations such as knitting, crocheting, tatting, weaving, quilting and so forth, there is a section on how Chambers used duct tape as a textile to create items for entry into the Beeton Fair. It also tells of creating with her grandchildren using duct tape.
Snippets of her life as a collector on her own and with her husband, David, such as buying and restoring the Barclay House on Yonge Street in Innisfil, are inspirational. They transformed the house into a tearoom that Chambers ran for several years. Although the home sadly no longer exists, the story shows the difference that can be made to people’s sense of community and connectivity through another’s ability to bring a vision of possibilities to reality.
In June 2022, Chambers was given a place on the Wall of Honour at the Museum on the Boyne. The letter by the Tecumseth and West Gwillimbury Historical Society (TWGHS) in nominating her reads, “There is no doubt that June’s involvement with TWGHS has been pivotal to the many contributions to heritage made by TWGHS and has been a major reason for the society’s longevity and continuing success.”
Besides being a member of TWGHS since 1979, Chambers is an active member of the Bradford Historical Society and contributed to Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The Legacy of West Gwillimbury. At other points in her life, she was a volunteer at the Gibson House in Willowdale and Montgomery’s Inn in Etobicoke. She also was an interpreter at Black Creek Pioneer Village for 16 years.
Chambers wrote a play, Saving Grace, that was presented to the public in 2018. It relates to her the original owners of her current heritage home in Bond Head.
Those interested in purchasing a copy of Material Pleasures: Reflections of a Textile Collector can contact Chambers at [email protected]. The book costs $25, with postage and packaging costing $10.
Rosaleen Egan is a freelance journalist, storyteller, and playwright. She blogs on the website rosiewrites.com.
