Julia Altshuler wrote:
Mark Shaw wrote:

I've got both. And a sewing machine. I even use them sometimes.

Per the sewing machine: two years or so ago I found myself in
need of mending a shirt that was very valuable to me for
sentimental reasons, so I went out and bought one. From Target.
I was, and am, amazed at (1) how cheap it was, and (2) what an
absolutely amazing piece of engineering it is. I think it cost
me about forty bucks, and I'll NEVER have occasion to use all of
its functions.

http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=15553

What sort of machine?

I have no idea.

trot trot trot trot

trot trot trot trot

Brother, model LS-2125.

What sort of functions?

About six or so kinds of stitches, buttonholes, several kinds of
buttons, and a bunch of other stuff I don't remember (and am not
going to go dig the book out for).

All I know is, it does way more than I need it to, and I think
even the basic stuff is pretty cool.

I'm wondering about the machines that combine computer capacity
with Internet. That is, machines that have computers controlling the
straight and the zigzag and that can download the patterns from the
Internet. To the best of my knowledge, those are still high endly
expensive.

Seems to me that, with the right machine, access to the right
kinds of material and the appropriate patterns, and a little
practice, one might never need to buy off-the-rack casual
clothing ever again. And THAT'S kinda spendy, when you think
about it - the machine and a subscription to a pattern source
and sizing functions would be the major investment, and that
would pay for itself within a couple of years, probably.

Hmm. Perchance I've said too much.

--
Mark Shaw (And Baron) moc TOD liamg TA wahsnm
================================================== =======================
"The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead
of his tongue." - Anonymous

Mark Shaw wrote:

Seems to me that, with the right machine, access to the right
kinds of material and the appropriate patterns, and a little
practice, one might never need to buy off-the-rack casual
clothing ever again. And THAT'S kinda spendy, when you think
about it - the machine and a subscription to a pattern source
and sizing functions would be the major investment, and that
would pay for itself within a couple of years, probably.


It depends on the sorts of clothes one wears.

When I first started sewing lessons over 20 years ago, I thought I'd
spend 6 weeks on lessons, learn everything there was to know, and save
money the rest of my life.

It turns out that I wear cheap enough clothes that there's no savings on
making them myself. The fabric, thread and buttons literally come to
more than the ready made clothes. That's without factoring in the cost
of the sewing machine, the space devoted to a sewing room, the time
spent making them, and the expertise.

If one is a hard-to-fit size, likes higher end stuff, or enjoys unusual,
hard-to-find clothing, then sewing your own makes good economic sense.


The innovations in sewing machines that involve downloadable patterns
mostly apply to quilting. To make clothing, one still needs to
manipulate the fabric in 3 dimensions. There are mechanical aids for
doing that but nothing close to just feeding the fabric into a machine
and letting the computer do the rest.


I find that kind of neat. The basic sewing machine stitch, the one with
the hole at the point of the needle that catches a thread from the
bobbin, hasn't been improved on in 150 years. Zigzag was another
innovation. Other than that, every patented improvement to the sewing
machine including knee lifts, LED displays, programable settings (for
example, programable button holes), needle threaders, walking feet, and
even stitch regulators, aren't really new. Or rather, they apply modern
computer technology (which is new) to the same basic idea.


--Lia

"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
. ..
Mark Shaw wrote:

Seems to me that, with the right machine, access to the right kinds of
material and the appropriate patterns, and a little
practice, one might never need to buy off-the-rack casual clothing ever
again. And THAT'S kinda spendy, when you think
about it - the machine and a subscription to a pattern source
and sizing functions would be the major investment, and that would pay
for itself within a couple of years, probably.


It depends on the sorts of clothes one wears.

When I first started sewing lessons over 20 years ago, I thought I'd
spend 6 weeks on lessons, learn everything there was to know, and save
money the rest of my life.

It turns out that I wear cheap enough clothes that there's no savings on
making them myself. The fabric, thread and buttons literally come to
more than the ready made clothes. That's without factoring in the cost
of the sewing machine, the space devoted to a sewing room, the time
spent making them, and the expertise.

If one is a hard-to-fit size, likes higher end stuff, or enjoys unusual,
hard-to-find clothing, then sewing your own makes good economic sense.


Although it isn't as economical as when my own children were young, it still
saves some money sewing clothes for children. I am able to buy three or
four yards of flannel @ $1.99 a yd., and make enough sleep pants for all the
grandkids. Or buy some cammo material and make little pants or shorts for
all the boys, much cheaper than even some place like K-Mart sells them. In
most cases, kids clothes costs more than adult clothes. I also like to make
baby blankets. Especially little flannel blankets. The ones they sell at
the stores are so thin. I make double layered blankets, with coordinating
flannels. They are nice, thick blankets that stay soft and comfy.

But yes, in most instances, it hardly pays to sew for yourself anymore.


td

tiny dancer wrote:

But yes, in most instances, it hardly pays to sew for yourself anymore.

There's more to it than just the end price of the clothing, though.
For one, if you are willing and able to buy clothes that were not
made in sweat shops (which pretty much excludes anything you can buy
at Target, Kmart, or Walmart), then you might find that making your
own clothing does ultimately "pay."


--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

In article ,
tiny dancer wrote:
In
most cases, kids clothes costs more than adult clothes.

For an incredibly variant definition of "most."
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

On Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:49:44 -0400, Shelly
wrote:

tiny dancer wrote:

But yes, in most instances, it hardly pays to sew for yourself anymore.

There's more to it than just the end price of the clothing, though.
For one, if you are willing and able to buy clothes that were not
made in sweat shops (which pretty much excludes anything you can buy
at Target, Kmart, or Walmart), then you might find that making your
own clothing does ultimately "pay."

Yes, ban those sweatshops!

We need those women and girls to become prostitutes instead!

Or better yet, let's just let them starve to death!

Note: Whenever I find myself on the same side as Paul Krugman, I know
that I'm almost certainly wrong:

The advantages of established First World industries are still
formidable. The only reason developing countries have been able to
compete with those industries is their ability to offer employers
cheap labor. Deny them that ability, and you might well deny them the
prospect of continuing industrial growth, even reverse the growth that
has been achieved. And since export-oriented growth, for all its
injustice, has been a huge boon for the workers in those nations,
anything that curtails that growth is very much against their
interests. A policy of good jobs in principle, but no jobs in
practice, might assuage our consciences, but it is no favor to its
alleged beneficiaries.
~Paul Krugman, Slate, 3/20/97

There are no easy answers.

--
Handsome "Jack" Morrison

Something you won't see very often. No, it wasn't photoshopped.
http://picasaweb.google.com/handsome...on/GoCardinals

Jimmy Carter has no shame. spit
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBu...20080415b.html

Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster
into Victory and Hope, by Michael Yon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/pro...283155&s=books

Obama Unveils Jobs Plan for Bitter Rural People. Heh.
http://www.scrappleface.com/?p=2940

Obama To Rural Pennsylvanians: Vote For Me, You Corncob-Smokin', Banjo-Strokin'
Chicken-Chokin' Cousin-Pokin' Inbred Hillbilly Racist Morons. spit
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/259984.php

Obama's perfect storm of phoniness, arrogance, elitism, & condescension:
http://proteinwisdom.com/?p=11801
http://althouse.blogspot.com/2008/04...iebreaker.html
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/bl...podhoretz/3325
http://michellemalkin.com/wp/wp-cont...08/04/snob.jpg

Obama: Trade with Cuba - Good...Trade with Colombia - Bad.
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/20...rade-with.html

A book that *every* American should read (and NYT #1 bestseller): Liberal Fascism, by Jonah Goldberg
http://www.amazon.com/Liberal-Fascis.../dp/0385511841

"Shelly" wrote in message
...
tiny dancer wrote:

But yes, in most instances, it hardly pays to sew for yourself anymore.

There's more to it than just the end price of the clothing, though. For
one, if you are willing and able to buy clothes that were not made in
sweat shops (which pretty much excludes anything you can buy at Target,
Kmart, or Walmart), then you might find that making your own clothing does
ultimately "pay."


From where do you think most of the fabrics are imported?

Me? I like to sew sleep pants/pajamas/gowns for the grandkids because
unlike the ready made, most flannel *fabric* hasn't been chemically treated
to be fire resistant. Since none of my grandkids smoke in bed, I prefer
their little bodies not be exposed to chemically treated fabric to sleep in.

td

tiny dancer wrote:

From where do you think most of the fabrics are imported?

You can be careful about where you buy your fabric, too.

Me? I like to sew sleep pants/pajamas/gowns for the grandkids because
unlike the ready made, most flannel *fabric* hasn't been chemically treated
to be fire resistant. Since none of my grandkids smoke in bed, I prefer
their little bodies not be exposed to chemically treated fabric to sleep in.

Good for you. The subject I addressed was "cost," not flame
retardant PJs.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

tiny dancer wrote:
I like to sew sleep pants/pajamas/gowns for the grandkids because
unlike the ready made, most flannel *fabric* hasn't been chemically treated
to be fire resistant. Since none of my grandkids smoke in bed, I prefer
their little bodies not be exposed to chemically treated fabric to sleep in.


One of the quilt groups I belong to took on making quilts for at-risk
babies. That's kids born with AIDS or drug addictions or almost
anything that puts them at a disadvantage to start. There's also having
one of kind quilts in the hospitals so the hospital staff can give them
away to kids who need something to cuddle with when getting nasty
procedures done. We wanted to work with the hospitals to make the
quilts out of the best materials and had access to some of the best
advice out there.


The result: No easy answers. Some fibers catch fire easily but then
burn quickly. Other fibers are slow to catch, but when they do catch,
they melt at high temperatures and can do more damage as they stick to
skin. Some fibers wash easily which makes them more sanitary. Some
fibers dry quickly which makes them more comfortable or easier on the
parent doing laundry.


To my knowledge, there are no dangers associated with chemically treated
fabrics for babies to sleep in. That doesn't mean you can't have a
preference for all natural fibers anyway (I like to stick to cotton
myself), but there's no reason to suspect health troubles down the line
from chemically treated fabric.


The fiber that interests me the most at the moment is bamboo. It's
starting to appear in stores. Because it grows quickly and without a
lot of need for pesticides, it's being advertised as green. That's led
to wondering about the claims. Is it really more environmentally
friendly than cotton?


The result: No easy answers. If you really want to do something for
the environment (and, for that matter, sweatshop conditions), cut down
on the consumer end. The most ecologically sound clothes are the ones
in your closet. Wear them until they wear out. Then shop at used
stores. Hoo boy, have I got that one covered.


--Lia

"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
. ..
tiny dancer wrote:
snipped

One of the quilt groups I belong to took on making quilts for at-risk
babies. That's kids born with AIDS or drug addictions or almost anything
that puts them at a disadvantage to start. There's also having one of
kind quilts in the hospitals so the hospital staff can give them away to
kids who need something to cuddle with when getting nasty procedures done.
We wanted to work with the hospitals to make the quilts out of the best
materials and had access to some of the best advice out there.


The result: No easy answers. Some fibers catch fire easily but then burn
quickly. Other fibers are slow to catch, but when they do catch, they
melt at high temperatures and can do more damage as they stick to skin.
Some fibers wash easily which makes them more sanitary. Some fibers dry
quickly which makes them more comfortable or easier on the parent doing
laundry.


To my knowledge, there are no dangers associated with chemically treated
fabrics for babies to sleep in. That doesn't mean you can't have a
preference for all natural fibers anyway (I like to stick to cotton
myself), but there's no reason to suspect health troubles down the line
from chemically treated fabric.


The fiber that interests me the most at the moment is bamboo. It's
starting to appear in stores. Because it grows quickly and without a lot
of need for pesticides, it's being advertised as green. That's led to
wondering about the claims. Is it really more environmentally friendly
than cotton?


The result: No easy answers. If you really want to do something for the
environment (and, for that matter, sweatshop conditions), cut down on the
consumer end. The most ecologically sound clothes are the ones in your
closet. Wear them until they wear out. Then shop at used stores. Hoo
boy, have I got that one covered.


--Lia

Thanks for an interesting and informative post, Lia. Down here there is a
large 'Kid's Exchange' twice a year. Parents sell used clothes and all
kinds of kids products, furniture, baby items, bouncers, swings, strollers,
toys, etc., at the fairgrounds. It's gotten to be a huge event each spring
and fall. My daughters have shopping at it down to a science. They take
their wagons, Radio Flyers I mean, with them, so they can really shop. We
also make use of craigslist, both selling and buying. I make clothes for
the boys for special things, like all matching outfits, especially for the
twins. Those are sometimes hard to come by second hand. And then once,
especially little boys, get past a certain age, their pants and pajamas are
pretty well worn out. Knee's torn, etc. And it seems the fabric ready made
pajamas are made from, really don't stand up to washings the way the ones I
sew do. I like working with flannel, 100 % cotton flannel.

Some of the baby blankets I make are flannel, some are cotton quilted, and
some are fleece. Those I make especially for the grandkids and as gifts
mainly because I can choose the fabric/colors/patterns/prints, etc. Each of
the children have favorites. My grandson with autism loves planes,
helecopters, rocket ships, etc. I found some cotton fabric with all his
favorites, and then backed it with a plain white cotton quilted fabric, and
satin blanket binding. It's always been his favorite blanket. The twins
have matching snoopy fabric quilts, Jake has choo choo trains, and my baby
granddaughter has lady bugs, red and apple green fabric. My older
granddaughter has a really pretty fleece fabric with bright tuorquoise
elephants floating on a pink background. I've always loved sewing kids
clothes, partly for the cost/savings, and partly because of all the neat
kids fabrics. Plus, I like to take patterns and create just the right
dresses. I may take the puffy sleeves from one pattern, add a peter pan
collar from another, etc. And with the little boys, they love their
pockets. So I usually add those big cargo pockets to their little cammo
pants I make them.

Thank you for a great idea, I have crocheted little hats/caps for
charity/hospitals, etc. But I could also make some little blankets too.
I'll have to check into that.

I haven't seen bamboo fabric, I'll have to check into that too.

As for the chemically treated fabrics, a couple of my grandchildren have
very sensitive skin, they can get a rash from many things, so I like to keep
things as simple as possible. Plus, two of my grandsons have significant
sensory issues, so softness, texture, etc., is very important when choosing
clothes for them.

td