Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:33:11 -0800
Reply-To: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Friday rant: fabric stores and women
In-Reply-To: <20110129084509.D6SC9.699947.imail@eastrmwml35>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
I believe I am one of those who might have helped set off this firestorm by mentioning the words "fabric store" and "women" in the same sentence. I do not apologize for this as I did not mean to imply that it's where they, and not men, belong.
Many years ago I had a friend named Phil who was always moaning about not being able to meet women. After the usual amount of consolation I finally resorted to telling him where in my experience they were likely to be found in considerable--and sometimes overwhelming-- numbers, and now to recommend fabric stores is sort of a stock line with me. "That was a joke, son, "as Foghorn Leghorn so wisely said when someone failed to notice he was belaboring the obvious. Yoga class is another such place but for heaven's sake don't take me to task for that, too. This thread is plenty.
Phil, by the way, never did go to a fabric store or to a yoga class, but instead found himself a mail-order bride from halfway around the world. I thought that was a little drastic, but what the hell do I know? I also think some of my remarks are fairly harmless and slyly humorous.
Stephen
--- On Sat, 1/29/11, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET> wrote:
From: Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: Friday rant: fabric stores and sewing
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Saturday, January 29, 2011, 8:45 AM
I've always wondered why a professional sewer, if male is called a "tailor," if female a "seamstress." Either way, it is a very respectable craft. mcneely
---- Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> So Jim,
>
> I wonder if I was one of the offending writers when I wrote " to your local
> fabric shop, ... I've gone there (yeah a guy) ". My apologies if I
> offended anyone. However, please note that in fact I do go to the fabric
> store for specific things, including those "punch eyes" for a tarp, got
> large needles and heavy thread to repair our leather couch in the family
> room, and snaps for the curtains in the Vanagon, so perhaps I can be given
> a little leeway on my comment. So I'm with you, I go there periodically. I
> guess my comment was probably just because sometimes I feel a little out of
> place in this store since every time it is all women customers and all women
> staff. And I often make a little friendly joke when I am there. And I
> actually sew on my own buttons when they come off shirts/pants, and travel
> on business with a small sewing kit.
>
> Craftsmen is craftsmen, it doesn't matter to me if it is metallurgy/oil or
> something else.
>
> Roland
>
> On Fri, Jan 28, 2011 at 5:08 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > 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
> >
--
David McNeely
|