s103
There was a time when all clothes were made by hand, then by machine still by a tailor or seamstress. A sewing machine had great value and fabric was expensive and sometimes hard to get. Now most garments are made in factories with reputations for producing inexpensive clothing for the masses regardless of the cost to the natives. Maybe the future of apparel will turn back to the handmade, tailored custom kind.
Dolly Parton sings about a coat of many colors that her mom made for her as a child. This patchwork coat was made of discarded rags and fabric from hand-me-downs and attracted teasing and ridicule from school kids more fortunate than her, wearing real, store bought coats. The melody sounds happy and appreciative for a unique jacket unlike any other. The real coats of her antagonizer's weren't special like hers. I wonder if kid's today would notice something like a homemade outfit or if they would even care.
Charles Dickens wrote stories of poor orphans clad in their sole possession,one little suit of clothes. I remember David Copperfield selling the pieces of his tiny, layered outfit while traveling as a young, street kid. The shop in town was full of used clothes that he could see from the street being peddled by a shop keep with an eye for a quality garment. It seems back then the amount of proper clothes you had on directly reflected what class you belonged to. The hat or lack of was also a sign as to your financial status not to mention the shoes too.
American mothers made clothes for their children. Can you imagine your own mother making all of your clothes? Sounds mortifying right. Some kids were lucky with moms that could turn a flour sack into a dress and some matching undies. Pioneer people wore uniforms that reflected hard work and necessity. In the Dust Bowl Era the flour sacks were covered in decorative prints. The flour companies learned of the thrifty, ingenuity these women possessed and helped to make the home made garments more attractive to the children. I guess it's like any uniform if everyone else has on the same thing it's less embarrassing.
I had a uniform job in high school, Hot Dog on A Stick. It would seem with a tall, striped hat on my head I would have felt some embarrassment. Pounding away on lemons with a heavy metal rod in the middle of the mall food court, nope not embarrassed. It was like I joined a team of smart girls making money. This uniform looks perfectly in place with all members grouped together, appropriate background. Take a singular hotdogger out of that environment and have her pumping gas or getting a speeding ticket in those silly stripes and well, I'm just glad utube wasn't around then.
Growing up with my sister we were exposed to handmade, special occasion clothing sewn by my grandma. Granny came from a time when all respectable girls learned how to sew their own clothes and she is an accomplished seamstress because of this and her natural talents with fabric and thread. We would accompany her to the fabric store and choose lace, fabrics, buttons and all other notions needed. These are my beginnings in fabric.
My recent family sewing project, flannel pjs for christmas. It sounds mundane but I know how many warm buns I covered this year. I have heard many gracious 'thanks' for these cozy gifts and seen many wearers, warming my own heart. That was a pile of flannel stash so high I thought I would be lost and proclaimed missing by Christmas morning. Somehow over two dozen custom made pants with quirky, mismatched fabric pockets adorned family members from Ocean Beach to Ramona. I never underestimate the effect of handmade gifts on my loved ones. I've heard exclamations of, "oh, I remember when my grandma made pajamas's for me as a child" and "How did you get my size correct?" The eyes of adults looked past the owl, flannel, novelty prints and warmed with pride from the memories of sewing ancestors and the gifts they gave long before my foot ever felt a sewing machine pedal.
Today, modern day seamstresses come in all shapes and sizes, ages and backgrounds. I see more people waiting in line at the Joanne's fabric cutting counter than waiting for their cup of Joe at Starbucks. This is good for the availability of stash and sewing supplies. The one-of-a-kind (OOAK) movement is catching on like loops of yarn on a knitting needle. Human eyes are attracted to the unique and our spirits feel attached to the tradition and artistry reflected in an individual's handiwork, from flannel pajamas to hand woven textiles.
Dolly Parton sings about a coat of many colors that her mom made for her as a child. This patchwork coat was made of discarded rags and fabric from hand-me-downs and attracted teasing and ridicule from school kids more fortunate than her, wearing real, store bought coats. The melody sounds happy and appreciative for a unique jacket unlike any other. The real coats of her antagonizer's weren't special like hers. I wonder if kid's today would notice something like a homemade outfit or if they would even care.
Charles Dickens wrote stories of poor orphans clad in their sole possession,one little suit of clothes. I remember David Copperfield selling the pieces of his tiny, layered outfit while traveling as a young, street kid. The shop in town was full of used clothes that he could see from the street being peddled by a shop keep with an eye for a quality garment. It seems back then the amount of proper clothes you had on directly reflected what class you belonged to. The hat or lack of was also a sign as to your financial status not to mention the shoes too.
American mothers made clothes for their children. Can you imagine your own mother making all of your clothes? Sounds mortifying right. Some kids were lucky with moms that could turn a flour sack into a dress and some matching undies. Pioneer people wore uniforms that reflected hard work and necessity. In the Dust Bowl Era the flour sacks were covered in decorative prints. The flour companies learned of the thrifty, ingenuity these women possessed and helped to make the home made garments more attractive to the children. I guess it's like any uniform if everyone else has on the same thing it's less embarrassing.
I had a uniform job in high school, Hot Dog on A Stick. It would seem with a tall, striped hat on my head I would have felt some embarrassment. Pounding away on lemons with a heavy metal rod in the middle of the mall food court, nope not embarrassed. It was like I joined a team of smart girls making money. This uniform looks perfectly in place with all members grouped together, appropriate background. Take a singular hotdogger out of that environment and have her pumping gas or getting a speeding ticket in those silly stripes and well, I'm just glad utube wasn't around then.
Growing up with my sister we were exposed to handmade, special occasion clothing sewn by my grandma. Granny came from a time when all respectable girls learned how to sew their own clothes and she is an accomplished seamstress because of this and her natural talents with fabric and thread. We would accompany her to the fabric store and choose lace, fabrics, buttons and all other notions needed. These are my beginnings in fabric.
My recent family sewing project, flannel pjs for christmas. It sounds mundane but I know how many warm buns I covered this year. I have heard many gracious 'thanks' for these cozy gifts and seen many wearers, warming my own heart. That was a pile of flannel stash so high I thought I would be lost and proclaimed missing by Christmas morning. Somehow over two dozen custom made pants with quirky, mismatched fabric pockets adorned family members from Ocean Beach to Ramona. I never underestimate the effect of handmade gifts on my loved ones. I've heard exclamations of, "oh, I remember when my grandma made pajamas's for me as a child" and "How did you get my size correct?" The eyes of adults looked past the owl, flannel, novelty prints and warmed with pride from the memories of sewing ancestors and the gifts they gave long before my foot ever felt a sewing machine pedal.
Today, modern day seamstresses come in all shapes and sizes, ages and backgrounds. I see more people waiting in line at the Joanne's fabric cutting counter than waiting for their cup of Joe at Starbucks. This is good for the availability of stash and sewing supplies. The one-of-a-kind (OOAK) movement is catching on like loops of yarn on a knitting needle. Human eyes are attracted to the unique and our spirits feel attached to the tradition and artistry reflected in an individual's handiwork, from flannel pajamas to hand woven textiles.