VN002 Morfydd (Mo) Lewis, Laura Ashley, Carno

Mo Lewis and her sister Rosina were the first two sewing machinists for Laura Ashley, working first in Cardwells in Machynlleth, sewing for Marks and Spencers. She moved to Carno when she was 16 to work for Laura Ashley in the original factory and then in the new one, before relocating to north Wales in 1978. She describes Laura Ashley like working with a family, although in the early days the factory was very basic, with the kettle next door to the toilets, and the small workforce did everything, including the cleaning. She said making a dress could take a long time, with several attempts before the design was perfect. She and her husband were lucky enough to buy one of the new houses built by Bernard Ashley for the workers. Mo has always done sewing work, up to today now that she's retired.