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Date:         Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:11:04 -0600
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Friday rant: fabric stores and sewing
Comments: To: Jonce Fancher <streetbugs@frontier.com>
In-Reply-To:  <20110129015805.A1E5510FA51@relay02.roch.ny.frontiernet.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252

Hey, Jonce,

I didnt mean to imply that there is nothing to know about sewing. Quite the contrary. My point is that there is nothing to be afraid of about sewing, either as a craft, which must be developed, or as "woman's work" like cooking used to be and now many men enjoy and excel at.

Yes, it is a basic skill. My grandfather taught me to make a whistle from a branch when I was very young. Who will I pass this on to? Same with mechanic skills. And, as you point out, the basic skills of sewing and mending, joinery, etc. Who will we pass this knowledge to? It doesn't look good, but I'm prepared to try.

Schools prepare youth for college. There is an unfortunate stigma against doing with one's hands that we must overcome before we are all skill-less. I was in Gees Bend, Alabama, recently, with the famous quilters who have toured the world with their art (Google it). I asked them if any of the younger kids were taking up their craft. They said no. I asked why, and they immediately went into the motions of texting on a cell phone. Sad.

Jim

On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 7:59 PM, Jonce Fancher <streetbugs@frontier.com> wrote: > Hi Jim > Don't tell everyone that! > The mystic of the needle and thread keeps me in Business! > Just kidding. Being able to attack the simple chores of sewing as well as > changing a tire and basic wood work and use of tools and cooking should all > be taught in todays schools as a NEED. BUT, as we have seen in the past 20 > years Less and Less BASIC and I mean BASIC knowledge of things are being > lost. > The Old school guys are retiring and die with their art. No NEW blood is in > the game. Today a 90 year old business went out of business and all the > canvas work will be coming my way this summer. Also I got word a week ago > another shop is retiring at the end of the year and has been turning > customers over to us for the past 3 years. We do not have to advertise. > Simple ad in the phone book and a website. In the world of No Jobs and NO > Skills in the Trades being taught as in years past this is a Very profitable > aspect BUT you have to work! ahh the catch! > I enjoy it! it is never  the same. Some days I hate it. Others I enjoy it. I > say all the time it is a dying trade and it is, The people doing it are > dying. Not a trade you will get rich on. You can support a family. I am. > All in good fun. > The Basics are great but there is a bit of need to know for special > application type stuff like marine, Canvas, High Temps, UV etc, Etc. > > C-ya Jonce > > >> Today there was a thread on what to use to attach one fabric to >> another. All kinds of glues were discussed. Sewing was mentioned a few >> times, and in two of those posts it was mentioned that fabric stores >> are the haunts of women, etc. Like the kitchen was thirty years ago. >> >> I recently figured out how to sew. It didn't take long. I inherited my >> grandmother's 1926 Singer 101 and have put it to good use. I am a >> pretty good mechanic and woodworker, and I see no difference between >> those pursuits and sewing, or welding, or masonry to name a few. >> >> I have not been in a fabric store in a long long time, but I'm sure I >> will be again. I am a known face in my local upholstery shop. In the >> last several months, my sewing projects have included >> >> • nine hours of restitching a $2000+ pool cover >> • a kayak hatch cover like you can't buy in a store >> • a wheelchair cushion zipper, saving $200 >> • a roll to hold all the pieces of my westy's removable seat track covers >> • reupholstery of a kitchen booth seat >> • a padded cover for my bulkhead-mounted Olympian Wave III in my westy >> >> and more. >> >> This is already over 3 grand worth of savings not counting the number >> of small items I've repaired. If you are excluding the acquisition of >> a sewing machine (dirt cheap) to your tool set because you think >> sewing is beneath you, and you are already process-minded and >> mechanically inclined, you are missing out on something that will help >> you immensely. >> >> I will soon replace the zipper in my westy poptop screen, sew a tyvek >> weather cover for my westy and sew a roll skirt for my kayak. >> >> Anything you want to know about it is on a youtube video. You can get >> into it for less than $50. It isn't rocket science. >> >> Jim > >


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