Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Garment Talk


One of the things I like about Sunbonnet patterns is how the figures are dressed!


I don't know about other parts of the country, but it seems like women in our area really enjoyed styling the clothes and even liked putting the dolls in scenes!



The above quilt block features a tied on pocket that women used to wear.  There's a book I would like to purchase now called The Pocket:  A Hidden History of Women's Lives. 1660-1900.  I'm wondering if any of you have read it?


I'm not a garment maker.  The few pieces I've made were for kids.  This usually involves Linda's assitance since she was a great garment maker when she was young.  I've pretty much given up with that now that my granddaughter is grown-up.

Over the weekend, I was a bit alarmed to read that McCall Pattern Company was closing a pattern manufacturing plant  in Kansas.  I even got a little irate.  Sewing is one of the many high school classes that have been cut from high school curriculums.  In our town, theses classes were incredibly popular and even had a waitlist...not to mention that our quilt guild sent lots of fabric and notions to help the kids.  I wondered what is going to happen to the sewing industry?


Well you know you have to be careful you get the WHOLE news.  It took some digging but I did learn that most of the work from that plant was being transferred to Wisconsin (see article here).  Apparently the Wisconsin plant prints on a thicker pattern paper which garment sewers prefer.

I also learned that the Kansas plant also prints patterns for other companies and has been experienced a lot of problems recently (see here).

I do really feel bad that the folks at the pattern plant are now losing their jobs.  However, I'm relieved that the patterns will continue to be made in the U.S.  What are your thoughts?

Have a safe and happy day!

 

3 comments:

  1. I just recently got rid of my huge box of patterns that I've been using and collecting since 1973. It took up a lot of space and I haven't made much since 2004 when both of my daughters got married. But, I can't tell you how many times I've 2nd guessed the decision to get rid of them. I'm glad McCalls isn't going out of business.

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  2. Somewhere I have a pocket made for me when I was doing 19th century living history. I need to look for it ...

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  3. Sew many different poses and patterns for SB Sue! I too learned to sew in Home Economics classes, even majored in it in college. But I didn't want to teach! Did not have the math aptitude for nutrition, nor interior design (numbers, you know!). Now as a quilter I'm using numbers again... something was on sale the other day at grocery store, for 9 cents each, limit of 4. I was able to quickly add that up to 36 cents!

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