Y'all, sewing and mending clothes is good, but it's not a particularly helpful blanket solution for people who have had new clothes put out financial reach by the tariffs, unless they already have access to a sewing machine & basic tools, because almost everything involved in sewing is tariffed too - ThreadSky

kebrightbill.bsky.social • 45 days ago

Y'all, sewing and mending clothes is good, but it's not a particularly helpful blanket solution for people who have had new clothes put out financial reach by the tariffs, unless they already have access to a sewing machine & basic tools, because almost everything involved in sewing is tariffed too

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jazzrat2000.bsky.social•45 days ago

I am going to go to thrift stores 300% as much

soritacea.bsky.social•45 days ago

I’m pretty sure they don’t teach sewing, cooking, or shop in schools any more. I kind of wish they still did because my biology lab students have no idea how to use a ruler, weigh & measure stuff. Or, follow simple cookbook-like instructions!

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

Yeah, it would be great if they still offered a class that covered all of those skills and every student had to take.

I learned to sew because my mom learned in 4-H as a kid, and is good at it even though she doesn't like doing it.

soritacea.bsky.social•44 days ago

Yeah, my mom taught me to sew & my grandmother taught me to knit & my dad taught me Morse code, lol. Back before all those vax for childhood diseases, parents spent a lot more time trying to keep sick kids entertained.

kathnotkathy.bsky.social•45 days ago

Yup. I want to get a seeing machine because my hands hurt too much to keep hand mending everything, and holy moly these prices are gonna suck. Machine parts are barely made here anymore. Machines are metal. The global economy was a good thing, actually. Isolationism sucks ass.

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

Yeah, and prices have been going up already the last few years. The entry level Janome machine I got on sale from Amazon for $85 a few years ago is now $155, which is still pretty cheap for a rare entry level machine with die cast metal parts, but it's not a small purchase.

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

Learning to mend is much more attainable, but garment construction isn't something people do as a hobby because it's cheap, because it's not in the best of times. And I say that as someone who thinks everyone should learn the basics of sewing and mending.

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

You can thrift sewing machines, but even then there's a decent upfront cost, and prices are sure to go up if everyone goes looking for used machines. If someone doesn't already sew, evaluating whether a thrifted machine is worth buying can be difficult, and sewing machine repairs aren't cheap.

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

(For example on thrifted machines, I bought a vintage machine built into a table, which I got primarily as a piece of furniture, with the idea that I might fix the machine one day. The quote I got from a repair shop to replace the damaged power cord was more than a new machine costs.)

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

For mending, getting a packet of needles and a few spools of thread from Walmart is still going to be relatively cheap even with tariffs, but a lot of fast fashion is made with such flimsy textiles that mending isn't a straightforward task.

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

I think people need to learn how to mend and do a lot more of it, but it's still a skill that requires time and practice to get good at.

(If you want to learn, buy Bernadette Banner's book 'Make Sew Mend')

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

There's a reason why the flour sack dress is the iconic garment of the Great Depression. Even people who have been hoarding fabric are eventually going to run out, and during the Depression people couldn't even afford calico.

Also, a lot of people depleted their stashes sewing covid masks.

stewie33.bsky.social•45 days ago

Not to mention that Jo-Ann, the last (that I know of) national chain of stores selling fabrics and sewing&craft supplies, is being put out of business by Vulture Capitalists.
😡😡😡😡😡

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

Yep, and after they drove most regional chains and local fabric retailers out of business.

amandamarcotte.bsky.social•45 days ago

Anyone who says this doesn't sew or they'd know what fabric costs.

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

And if they watch Project Runway, clearly never wondered why fabric budgets are so high

petticoatshrink.bsky.social•45 days ago

I can’t even imagine how little you’d have to know about sewing to think that sewing your own clothes is a cost-saving measure. You’d have to not only know nothing about sewing but also about any craft or project that would require buying fabric or related supplies.

kebrightbill.bsky.social•45 days ago

People really have no idea what textiles cost.

ckarion.bsky.social•44 days ago

People who do know about sewing their own clothes tend to thrift fabric. There is a whole re-make movement about it.

amyathene.bsky.social•45 days ago

Thrift and second hand is everyone’s friend right now.

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