they are better than the Bangladesh factories, but that's not exactly a high bar. There are thread about them here regularly.

T shirt type stuff.

Is one evil better than another?

I hate plastic in my clothing. Not only does it make me sweat like a ditchdigger in summer, it tends to pill and fray and shortens the life of the garment.

It's really hard to find 100% cotton or woolen or anything else in the stores these days.

I scored 2 cotton gauze shirts and one cotton/linen pullover last week and that was it in all the stores I went to.

Polyester SUCKS.

ETA: I should mention that some Bangladeshi folks have been speaking against any boycott of goods made there because people need those jobs to feed their kids. However, it's tough to cope with the fact that the profits the middlemen are making on their sweatshop labor are obscene. There is no other word.

Not sure how much clothing is made from it yet though.

unless it's mixed in with wool or cotton or even linen because it tends to sag and "grow," something it has in common with ramie.

Besides, it's a total pain in the ass to spin by itself, as are a lot of new vegetal silks. They're great in stuff that requires maximum drape, like lace shawls, not so good for sweaters.

it breathes, it feels good, it doesn't require dangerous chemicals to make like nylon or polyester (I've read).

Clothing at some higher end stores contain bamboo in the mix of fabrics. I think I have some bamboo socks, but not sure.

and some nasty chemicals are used to hook the short polymers in bamboo pith together into long polymer strands. It's roughly the same process that's used to produce rayon, made from wood pulp.

Still, there are sound environmental reasons to use the stuff: low water use, no pesticides or herbicides needed, quickly renewable. And, as you pointed out, it breathes and feels good, much the way rayon does.

It's still a pain in the ass to spin by itself. Also, it doesn't block UV radiation from reaching the skin, so blending it with something else makes sense there, too.

The wool is incredibly soft and the bamboo gives it a silken sheen. It also gives the wool a little extra strength, a good thing because I walk through wool socks in record time.

Love that stuff. I sew costumes for my kids and dresses for my daughter. It helps to live near downtown.

I'm fairly sure I still have a pair of old thermal pants which I bought in either Eugene or Bend--good for a winter in NW or Canada. I also have a pair of heavy cotton thermals, but unfortunately got them in China. I forgot to pack thermals pants I got here, so I had to go buy a pair in China since I was in northern part of country. I have 2 pairs..all of which I still have from my first trip in 06.

Of course, sometimes that means made in the Marianas.

If she doesn't mind used clothes, tell her to search "union made" on ebay. You can find a lot of excellent vintage clothes for reasonable prices.

over 500 people this week

and compared it to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory pointing out that the people in Bangladesh are working in conditions as bad or worse as what existed here 100 years ago.

That is when she asked about American made clothes.

I got 2 leather coats and half my work wardrobe at thrift stores. Go to a mid to upper income town/area and check out the secondhand shops. You'll be surprised what people give to charity. Awesome stuff, some of it never worn, and at a fraction of the price. Caution: Can be addicting. It's good for the planet too!

P.S. Thank you for informing her about sweatshop working conditions. Really. Thanks.

Lots of good name brands like Chico. All at Goodwill. I can't stand the clothing in the department stores any more; made by slaves, it costs a mint, it falls apart, and it's ugly.

all of the time for clothes and since we've moved a couple of times in 3 yrs, many household stuff too. I got a hair dryer for 3 bucks which I've been using for 3+ yrs now. The shorts I have on now I got at goodwill for 2.99 and they are my favorite most comfortable pair! Made in the USA!

Don't know if they're a chain type or not. They are "Life
In The Past Lane" and "Plato's Closet". You could come out
of Plato's with several outfis for that amount. Plato's also
has a sister shop called "once upon a child". Their discount
points accumulate and can be used at either shop. That's
where we get a good amount of summer and school clothes
for the kids.

The tags were still on many of them. All the department stores in my area donate their unsold items to Goodwill and the SPCA's thrift shops. I got a brand new, never worn pair of $65 Merrell slides for $6 there a few years back. I couldn't believe it, and especially that they were in my size. One can also find great stuff on their online auctions: http://www.shopgoodwill.com/listings/

Yesterday I scored a work skirt (VERY well homemade), a simple, white, long-sleeved white shirt, an evening wear long skirt and matching blouse and a long-sleeved St. John's Bay men's shirt. Total price: $9.50. Ya just can't beat that.

The problem I see is that some of the stuff is expensive. $68.95 for a simple night gown? $9.99 for one pair of socks? $142.00 pajamas on sale for $119.95? I'm sure they are good quality items, but they are priced too high for many people.

and have it fit properly. She could even put in side-seam pockets, for a hanky or keys.

I don't know from skirts, but I have done some tent and pants repairs, sewn some small sails, and know a bit about sewing machines.

With a little practice, skirts seem like simple things to make and the question is how many hours do you have to work to make a hundred bucks vs the time it takes to make a skirt after paying for the fabric...

The pencil skirts, beloved of manufacturers, don't fit well if you gain or lose a few pounds. Gosh, you don't suppose we're told tight skirts are "in" so manufacturers can skimp on the amount of fabric in a garment and put you in a position where you'll need a new skirt if you gain weight?

in their defense, a tight skirt is pretty sexy...

I don't really have weight fluctuations though, so I can wear mine.

because of her aunt's political views?

but it's worth a shot

but it's not one of those things that can be forced on people. My MIL had a mother who was a great seamstress, but my MIL loathed it -- never even learned to hem a skirt.

And eventually, even I got tired of sewing things that rarely came out as well as they had in my imagination. Especially when I started adding up how much they were really costing me.

but as job, school ect took up more time I stopped, my daughters are grown and I don't think they're interested

and then it never got opened again.

My daughter showed little interest. Maybe the sewing-gene skips generations.

but I know how to (or used to) and used to sew quite a lot. I'm not sure why I stopped.

As for my niece (age 23), she just wouldn't have the time even if she had the inclinaton. She's married, works full time, has a three year old and going to school part time. -- Given her finances I doubt she would have bought the skirt because the price shocked her - just not for the same reasons. Though she understood my point once I explained it all to her.

There's a place nearby that repairs my leather coat or other clothing. Some launderies have seamstresses. They don't advertise it, but it's a start.

The $98 is buying convenience, that 'one store for all' mindset. Trade agreements built these. I wouldn't care where they were made if they were paid good wages and had good working conditions, which would at the same time make it possible for Americans to compete.

would sew a whole skirt for much less? They do repairs -- not custom tailoring.

Fabric can be expensive and so can the other materials. I used to like sewing because I could make make something unique, but I didn't save a whole lot of money -- especially not if I counted any value for my own time.

Besides, where are the fabrics made? And the buttons, zippers, and thread? I don't ever remember seeing any made in USA signs in fabric stores.

For one piece, when you bring them the material (which can be found in fabric stores or online) which means you have to put something into the job, too. They have all the tools.

This has been my experience, in an area of mixed incomes. Some people are on food stamps or buy whatever they want as they can afford it, some getting their food from pantries. Some have expensive cars, others use shuttles, bikes, walk, take the bus or scooters. Some live in public housing, or in supported rentals, some in their own homes, or expensive rental properties, some are in school or looking to make their own money on the side.

The senior center and grocery stores have personal ads by people wanting to make some money on the side. As far as the fabric or zippers made in the USA, that is not likely, but can be had from artisans or online.

It will not be, for a very long time if ever, the way it was when we could go to a large store and find it with the ease that I mentioned above. A skirt as described is not worth $98.

sold here -- which can't be labeled made in the USA unless all the parts come from here.

So essentially, you have a skirt that is put together in the US from off-shore materials.

I recently bought a sewing machine because I have room for one now and it kills me to pay more to have my close-out store pants hemmed than what I paid for them (I'm short, but I can't believe most women wear a 36" inseam). Anyway, my new machine is a lot more fun than my mom's cranky old Singer, so I've been buying fabric for very simple projects. And I've been able to find 100% cotton made in the US at the three places I bought fabric (Ikea, Joann's and Hancocks). Not every bolt I liked met my demands, but I was surprised at how many did. If I were in my hometown, I know a bunch of places to go (my mother is a fabric junkie) and I'm sure I'll find those places here, but for those who have the time and inclination to sew, I can report that finding US-made fabric is less daunting than I thought it'd be.

Just an anecdote from one novice with a machine.

Northern Ireland.

The prices are reasonable and the quality is good, and given EU labor standards, it's not being made by pre-teens and economic slaves.

Italy produces rayon and wool suiting, Hungary and Romania produce cottons, cotton blends and rayon, CR produces poly blends, and NI produces a lot of linen.

Note that I said quality -- from the Indy shops, not Joann, Hancock or equivalent. Their fabrics are almost all Chinese and often very bad.

The best fabrics used to come from NC, SC and VA, but those mills are mostly closed. *sigh* We need to rebuild our textile industry.

I've got lots of old towels made in USA with union labor by Cannon, Fieldcrest and other names.



Thanks for the info about European sources for fabrics. I agree with you about the cheap fabric stores. Pretty useless. My mom used to make beautiful clothes for me and she would make a plain seam about 3/8" from the edge with silk buttonhole twist, for a subtle trim. Betcha can't even find that stuff anymore! She majored in costume design and fashion illustration back in the Dark Ages (when the only synthetic was rayon).

She also made me a dress from pink handkerchief linen!! And I was a size 8. I was tiny!

But it is pricey -- $6.50 for a 20 meter card. Imported, of course, but all silk is -- the US has never had a strong silk industry. I use it sparingly. That sounds like a lovely seam finish.

I won't say our textile factories were models of progress -- textile workers had truly outrageous rates of respiratory disease caused by poor ventilation and lint, and a lot of rivers got poisoned by the heavy metals in the dyes. They were in right to starve states and employed mostly poor women as a means of keeping their workforce docile. But even those conditions were better than what outsourcing our textile industry has done to the rest of the world.

I consider it a national security issue -- if we get smacked with a World War II type situation (with the shipping lanes cut off -- and it need not be a war; a dwindling oil supply or a stall in the major ocean current would do the same) we lack the factories to repurpose and the labor force to redirect. We've lost the skills and tools to support and supply ourselves. That makes us vulnerable. Most people don't realize just how critical textiles are, but they're the basis for everything from tires to tents to successful sterile surgery.

However the major upholstery manufactures in the US are located in No. & So Carolina. For years now they build their frames in the US. The springs are made here from high gage steel again from the US. Seat cushions are soy based and eco- friendly.

I recently learned, from one manufacturer, that they are switching over to US made fabrics. It is what Americans are asking for, and I say Kudos to them for making it happen.Who knows maybe we will see a revival of our textile mills.

Will they be a little more expensive, sure. However it will be better quality, for an investment that will last you 20 plus years.

I just replaced my sofa which was more than 25 years old, but I did not want a sofa drenched in flame retardants (no smokers here) because they're toxic for people and linked to thyroid disease in cats. Not a single one of the major brands would disclose what chemicals they used on their furniture, so I assumed the worst.

Anyway, I saved my money and had a custom sofa made by Johnston Benchworks (NC) in my choice of fabric. It was about 30% more expensive than anything from a department store, but it was handmade in the US (probably not union, though) and the frame, made of real wood, has a lifetime guarantee. A once-in-a-quarter-century purchase can be a little of a splurge, so I just saved longer to cover the cost (no credit cards here) and I am totally thrilled with it. Beautiful and about as ethical as I could manage.

As for sewing, it's worth learning or re-learning. I learned from my grandmas when I was small to hand sew, then learned basic machine sewing in school. I saved tons of money making clothing for my kids and I still sew clothing, slipcovers and curtains all the time, although now I'm using a lovely 1871 treadle machine to sew on - I wear out the electric ones too quickly. Fabric is tough to find, but even if I spend a little more to get good fabrics in the mail or on the internet, I'm still using better materials than any of the clothes or home fabrics that are used commercially. Sometimes I can find nice fabric at Goodwill in the form of clothing: wash, pick apart the seams, press the pieces and lay your new pattern on the fabric pieces and you can make a 'new' blouse out of an old one in a more contemporary style. It helps if you can buy the old clothing in larger sizes than you wear, though.

And why are you trying to discourage someone in that position from making a few extra bucks by beating up on this poster?

on someone, I think DU might be a rough place for you.

But welcome to DU anyway!

And yes your peppering the poster for specific details and making rude statements are you beating up on someone who was trying to be helpful. the fact you feel smugly self-satisfied by doing so really only tells everyone a lot about you.

on tailoring in order to have it fit properly.

Then she'd have to somehow find materials that were all made in the US -- good luck on that.

Because otherwise, her skirt would be comparable to many other items that are put together in the US out of materials imported from elsewhere.

IOW, not "made in the USA."

I vote no on the side-seam pockets! No woman should EVER wear side-seam pockets! But she can make a little coin pocket straight across at bottom of waistband.

But that takes knowledge of sewing and practice.

she could then sew her own skirt for practically nothing, because she'd have the fabric, zipper, everything. Have your niece look at some of those refashioning sites on the internet -- lots of young women are reworking thrift store clothing into some pretty fabulous stuff!

No, not really. Good for you!

I think you are correct in your suspicion that she won't go shopping with you again.

Go shopping with someone who did that to me, I mean

in fact, I suspect the niece may go back at some other time and buy that skirt anyway.

Ranting at people only gets them to stop what they're doing at the moment.

It hardly ever succeeds at changing long term behavior.

When she and her sisters were teenagers I used to embarrass them in Abercrombie and Fitch by sort of dancing to the overly loud music they play there and commenting on the over priced shoddy t-shirts they had (this was also when I was paying the bills).

I was amused that by the time they were 20 and spending their own money they too hated A&F and found it over priced.

one skirt? you should be coming home with an armful for that much!

But really, why are thinking adults acting like they're not aware of environmental issues and conservation? It astounds me.

There are some designers that make a point of manufacturing in the US. I'm afraid I can't recall names right now but I'm sure you could google it.

the designers that insist on manufacturing in America use better quality products or something. But if you know of such made-in-America manufacturers or retailers, besides American Apparel, I'd be interested in knowing.

Also I feel as if Brooks Brothers has been advertising some made in America items in their windows lately.

more actually is going to matter to garment buyers. Witness all the people who think 98$ is outrageous- are they going to be happy paying 30- 30 buck more for a denim shirt? American consumers are spoiled by the low prices we get for foreign goods. It's very hard to get them to shop more ethically the minute it hits their pocket books.

go to any thrift store or even better and usually cheaper garage sales find something in the style your looking for doesn't matter what it looks like just the cut matters and use it as a pattern for what your making -cut carefully along the seem lines and viola you've a pattern more over for kids clothes you can re-cut adult cloths for kids especially little ones jeans and dresses, I've seen a beautiful party dress for a little girl made from re-cutting an old prom dress, using the existing gathers and ruffles ect all you need is a little bit of sewing skill and that's pretty easy really

the suggestion. She just wanted to buy a skirt -- not get a political lecture or be told she needs to learn to sew.

maybe I should post that in thrifty living

that a lot of people here were ignoring the niece's feelings, starting with the OP, who described following her niece around the store, "ranting" at her.

It seems a little too late for her now to start telling the niece she needs to learn to sew.

Good news! It's possible to learn new skills after you're older than 20!!

It's a solution. It won't work for everyone. No solution will work for everyone. Stop ripping people apart who are trying to help. You're being extremely mean in this thread.

It is too late because the aunt was chasing her around the store, ranting at her. According to the aunt!

I don't think that the solution to having alienated her niece is to offer different unsolicited advice -- this time, that she should learn to sew.

we have a very good relationship and she has been known to go off on her own rants (on other subjects) that I listen to patiently. In many ways we are a lot alike.

Oh and today, we did stopped by Target after having lunch. So she will appear in public with me.

that you weren't sure you'd be shopping again with her, and that that might be a good thing,so I misunderstood you to be saying that your relationship had been damaged.

If you go hunt often enough, you still get great clothes that are well made, lightly worn and stylish.

I just make it a routine to make a semi daily pit stop when It's time to shop for the new season. I buy winter clothes in late summer/early fall and summer clothes in late winter/early spring to get the most un picked over selection.

I donate money to my charity of choice at a three dollars to every dollar I spend for clothes to give my routine the point I want it to have.

when she goes to the fabric stores and buys material, where do you think the fabric comes from?

Was it made in the USA?

And the buttons? And the thread?

...a major chain. The only fabric made in the USA was muslin, and that's what I bought. Go figure!

Clothes are pretty loose now and therefore easy to cut out and sew.

I found a copy of this book when I moved into the family home. I made myself a witch's robe to wear at Halloween:
http://www.amazon.com/Make-Sewing-Patterns-Donald-McCunn/dp/0932538002/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367731102&sr=1-1&keywords=pattern+drafting

She could go to a GOOD fabric store and get some nice linen or silk for $98, and have money left over. Unfortunately, you have to go to a major city to get good quality natural fabrics. Most of the stuff at wallyworld is cheap cotton or fleece or icky polyester.

Where I go:
www.highfashionfabrics.com

I sewed some when I was younger. I made some nice clothes. But there are so many different sewing machines these days with so many different features, figuring out what I need is overwhelming.

I saved the reference to the pattern book. Thanks for that.

A Featherweight from 1947 and a Slant-O-Matic (401A)from 1956. If you could buy an old all steel machine that would be your best bet. I've never messed with computerized or all plastic machines.

Polyester is yucky. All the fabric at the cheap stores is flimsy cotton or polyester for quilters. Not substantial enough if you want to make something heavier. No silk or linen or wool either. You want to avoid rayon. Rayon is nothing but cellulose. It can't take a hot dryer. Viscose and acetate are two other names for rayon.

Not my machines, but the same model:






I have never seen the term "sewist" before. I guess seamstress is sexist?

Have made lots of clothes with that machine. Looking to get started again.

hers was in a cabinet. When she died last year my nephew's wife wanted it so I let her take it (she sews a lot and very well).

I still have a Singer portable I bought in 1971 or so.

Both still work great.

But I do have the folding steel card table with a hole cut in it to fit the machine. I have a light wood/beige metal one for the slant needle and a black metal/dark wood one for the featherweight.

A good steel machine lasts forever!!

too many bells and whistles make the machines less reliable.
unless you want to do only knits, in which case a serger would be great. either way, you just need to get a lesson in threading and running the machine, and you're good to go.
there are some great blogs on buying (larger size than yours) vintage and refitting/ repurposing them. Awesome way to gain confidence with refitting and redraping clothing.

The idea of non-electric in any appliance appeals to me. But I'm a flop at sewing, crochet and knitting. Just can't get it right. But I was very good at needlepoint, go figure.

I have a friend who loomed her fabrics until just recently, and I'm part of her fabric design and jewelry company. Which is not selling anything right now as we're both sort of past it all.

I am blessed to have another friend who is a professional at sewing. We are considering me buying the materials as my part and her sewing, and I will do the vending on Amazon.

I have few ideas and she needs the money as much as I do. But I don't think we will beat the mass produced prices, but we are using our imaginations to make our products interesting.

faster than you can say "ouch, I'm bleeding all over my homework!".
I'm a good sewer now, but it took years, and I do it only out of *dire* necessity.
Good luck to you in your new endeavor, sounds like fun!

And as far as that bleeding, that's why I developed a fear of electric ones. In my junior high school we had huge machines and I saw a girl get hurt.

One of those needles went right through her fingernail and sewed her finger to the work! I was always like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs after that.

I have a thing about vacuum cleaners and blenders. High pitched sounds rattle me. But heavy industrial machinery and engines, no problem. Go figure.

In this venture I'll supply the materials as I can afford and creative ideas, make patterns and she'll do the sewing whenever she can.

If we can't get a decent price, we'll just give them away. Truth is that I don't have a head for business and math, I just like to make things happen.

So if the point is to buy American, this won't accomplish much.


http://www.business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard

What is the standard for a product to be called Made in USA without qualification?
For a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limits on the claim, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. The term "United States," as referred to in the Enforcement Policy Statement, includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and possessions.
What does "all or virtually all" mean?
"All or virtually all" means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content.
What substantiation is required for a Made in USA claim?
When a manufacturer or marketer makes an unqualified claim that a product is Made in USA, it should have — and rely on — a "reasonable basis" to support the claim at the time it is made. This means a manufacturer or marketer needs competent and reliable evidence to back up the claim that its product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.
What factors does the Commission consider to determine whether a product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.?
The product’s final assembly or processing must take place in the U.S. The Commission then considers other factors, including how much of the product’s total manufacturing costs can be assigned to U.S. parts and processing, and how far removed any foreign content is from the finished product.

So selecting a European fabric solves that. Heck, their labor conditions are better than in the USA.

Also, it's quite possible to find fabric that is 100% made in the US - the Internet is a handy thing.

I've been shopping there for pieces when I can, http://www.fairindigo.com/index.php/fair_trade/Women_Made-in-USA

Vintage stores are a good source for USA clothing, especially for younger girls. I'm a size 12-14, so nice intact pieces can be difficult to find, but if your niece has a smaller frame, lots of options out there. http://sammydvintage.com/vintage-style/union-labels-ilgwu/

Modcloth has a section on Made in USA: http://www.modcloth.com/store/modcloth/made-in-the-usa

It's harder to find union-made Made in USA clothes in single pieces that aren't uniforms or work clothes. But clothes made in the US by small business people are out there. If your niece is into retro, goth, steampunk, etc. many of those are made here.

does it sound like the niece is into retro, goth, or steampunk?

The style of the skirt wasn't specified. An a-line skirt could be a variety of different things. I bought an a-line from Fair Indigo made of recycled fabric.

But maybe they sell expensive goth a-line skirts made of polyester.

Try hitting the links and less focusing on your agenda. You've posted more in this thread than anyone else.

The options are out there, a little expensive, but I'm old enough to have the cheap stuff fall apart on me in a short time that investing in something made here that will take 10 years to wear out makes economic sense. I realize not everyone has that option, but I'm in a place where I can do what I can there.

I've seen people say that Made in USA clothes aren't fashionable, so I try to keep tabs on places that have a nice variety.

I'm super cheap by necessity, retired and it's jeans, t-shirts, sneakers and fleece. Or sweats, boots, layers to keep the chill from hurting. A friend gave me a black leather long coat for when it's really cold, and I have some knits. That's about it.

Thrift stores are the best for me, but I'm no clothes horse. Not into shoes, either. I just wear the same things over and over. Long as I'm clean and dressed, no one objects, haha.

god) and I shop thrift stores for replacement clothes. I also had occasionally shopped for work clothes as well, and often found very nice clothing for work. I actually look more stylish now than ever, because dang, the clothes in the dept stores are worse than ugly! If high-end stores have nice clothing, the prices will knock you down.

Like I said upthread, I got a whole wardrobe for a trip to Europe for about $60. I am buying a couple of pairs of Dansko shoes on Ebay for about $30 a pair, just to avoid wearing tennies in Paris and Rome. I'll have to do some tailoring on a few of the pieces, but that's fine.

You are unlikely to escape the luggage trap, and security is pretty high over there. That sounds like a great trip, be safe and keep it simple.

Have you ever seen Rick Steve's youtube channel?

http://www.youtube.com/show/ricksteveslectures

A few of his videos there about traveling in Europe. I've also seen his guide to packing to keep things easier. I see an Eurorail pass ticket in your near future!

Mr Pipi and I go to breakfast every Sunday morning at a little family owned place in town.

Most times I wear whatever, and don't even bother with real shoes. Just some clog type slippers.

Today I wore an old v-neck sweater with a big hole in the right elbow and some bleached out areas all over it and a pair of stretch jeans that had been worn a few times for painting.

I looked like I raided a bag lady's shopping cart for her wardrobe.

He's always telling me he's never known a female before who has cared so little about clothing as I do.


PS...I bought a (used) shirt on eBay today just to make him happy

thanks!

Omaha Steve turned us onto some union made coffee from Hawaii, too. With eco-friendly practices, union labor and good prices. No need to give up on our own getting work. I think our good labor practices when we have them are a great example to promote instead of the global corporate SOP.

When I sew for others (very rarely - I am a fitting perfectionist with minimal spare time) an unlined or flat-lined A-line with a turned and machined hem is about 2 hours of work plus fitting. I charge $25-50 an hour. Materials are 1.5-2 yards, a zipper, skirt hook and eye, thread, a small amount of interfacing and pocket lining (if pockets are desired). Invisible hems and significant hand work cost more. I charge cost of materials without markup. For an average poly-cotton, I'd estimate materials at $25. So indeed, she can probably get a custom skirt, properly fitted, for 75-$125. (That would include drafting the pattern because I don't use paper patterns for basic garments like tee-shirts and A-line skirts. It's easier to draft than mess with the 97 bazillion variables of a paper pattern.)

If I was looking for a sewist, I'd post an ad on CL, or go to the locally owned independent sewing shops and post an ad or ask if they have a listing of local sewists. (Indy shops, because the big boxes don't offer these services.) there are a lot of part time sewists who have the skills.

For the first garment, it is entirely reasonable to ask the sewist to make a muslin (the sewist will know what this means) so both client and sewist can gauge fit and skills.

Warning - quality fabric is getting expensive. Poly-cotton and poly are still cheap, but they look it. A decent cotton twill can be had on sale for $6 a yard, but averages $10. Wool blends start at $15; pure wool and pure linen start around $25. Big box fabrics can look good, but their target market are quilters and beginner level sewists.

Nice stuff

doggie belly bands and sweaters. http://www.etsy.com/
Thousands of real folk making fashion and art.

I know. I went looking after hearing about lead being in dog toys from China. Yikes! My babies chewing on lead? They're so little, it wouldn't take much to get them sick. So I went looking for their favorite kinds of toys. Made in China....China.....this one, China......here's one - Indonesia........Japan.....China.....China......China.


It's not right.

Thank you, dflprincess.

Last edited Sun May 5, 2013, 11:44 AM - Edit history (1)

into making a purchase I otherwise would not make on account of ethical issues, I factor in an additional percentage toward a charity. I'll look online (either before or after the purchase) and try and find a charity that directly supports the workers making the item I purchased that are being exploited.

Then, after the purchase, I donate an extra percentage based on the purchase price of the item to the activist group supporting the exploited workers. It isn't exactly the best solution but it has the dual positive effect of lessening the damage we, as consumers, would do otherwise from our purchase and it monetarily "penalizes" me for making the purchase so it always makes me really have to consider trying to make a more ethical purchase next time to save myself the "penalty."

I have a little second income of making dog beds and a dog toy. However, even tho handmade (and I get lots of comments how they hold up better than store bought made in china etc) I still am forced to use fabrics that are not made in USA. I need certain cute doggy prints that I buy looking for bargains as I actually don't make hardly anything off my labor. The only thing I know is made in USA is the stuffing for the toys as I use raw wool right off the sheep that belong to a friend near me

I have shopped second hand stores forever and buy most my clothes there but of course most of those are also made with fabrics not made here, so I don't know how you can get around it and have any kind of selection or be able to afford it on the average persons budget.

cloth available today is made in those overseas manufacturing places that are as bad as the clothing factories. You will have to spin your thread and weave your cloth first before you can be 100% sure about clothing not made by slave labor. It's sad but true.

I had to buy them online though

probably designing some too.

It could be the start of a USA based business for you (and me, too, if I can ever afford a new, good sewing machine).

These sites sell US-made skirts (and other stuff):

http://freshproduceclothes.com/clothes/skirts

This one used to be all US made but now has some imported products so you have to check the description. Also pricier:
http://www.pendleton-usa.com/category/Women/SKIRTS/1809/pc/1815.uts?currentIndex=0&pageSize=12&parentCategoryId=1815&categoryId=1809&subCategoryId=1809&subCategoryId=1809&type=category&parentCategoryId=1815&categoryId=1809

More websites are actually starting to include tags for domestic vs. imported products but you usually have to really search for it. And there are problems with country of origin labels - you often don't know if they are completely US made or just assembled from imported components, and then you can get stuff made in appalling conditions from the Mariana Islands and they can still be labeled the same as anything from the US. But even an imperfect system is better than nothing I guess.

Online shopping is not really the same as going out and trying stuff on but I it's really hard to just go to a store and find stuff that's not imported.

when i became a naturalized citizen in 2002, they gave us little flags (I still have it to commemorate one of the most important moments in my life). It was a great day except for 2 things: (1) George W. Bush gave the recorded "welcome to the country" speech, (2) those little flags were made in China.

thanks