The Wordsmith's Forge

>>I think I've done everything on here but the coven robes, and that's only because I don't need specific/specialized religious clothing.<<

Hilariously, we bought a nativity pattern set for it!

>>You have to set the thing up, which is a pain. Then it keeps quitting, which is frustrating, and if you've gone to the trouble of setting it up, it usually breaks right in the middle of a massive amount of work, because why go to all that trouble for just a small job?<<

Exactly.

>>Plus the machine is noisy and needs specific space, so it's hard to do anything else at the same time. With handspring, you can have a conversation, meditate, think about your to-do or grocery list, watch tv/listen to the radio, etc.<<

My grandmother's singer was in a sort of desk where the machine would fold down into it and leave you a flat work surface for other crafts. It was brilliant. It had a treadle as well as the electric upgrade. Honestly, it worked better than the modern ones, and that was before they turned into computers that sew. :/

Indeed, much of my hand sewing has taken place while talking with people.

>> I think machines might only be better for sewing long straight lines, speed*, or sewing bulk amounts of sewing*.<<

I found it so.

>>A sample an inch or few inches would be cheapest. I'm not sure how large it would have to be to show drape. I have seen upholstery and wallpaper samples in the 1 ft square to 3 ft square range. That might work if someone wants to order a larger sample before ordering something /really/ expensive.<<

You need at least a foot to see any drape, 3 is better, and none of that compares to seeing how it hangs off the end of a bolt in a store. You can look down a whole row of a hundred bolts and tell at a glance which to examine closer.

>>That's one of the reasons I sew. I can thrift quality stuf and do basic tailoring myself. Alternately, I can scrounge fabric, and make something that is exactly what is want.<<

Yep. I've done historic garb and ritual wear. I've made clothes for myself because I couldn't find what I needed in stores. The last is why I considered fabric stores a backup in case buying new ceases to be an option. I am capable of hand-sewing a capsule wardrobe of plain cotton knitwear. But that just got a lot less feasible, because I would want to do it affordably and not pay velvet prices for very basic fabric.

>>I could see that for high fashion stuff, but I'd think that there would be some 'staples' that would remain mostly consistant.<<

If people were logical, sure. But they're not. They're redesigning perfectly serviceable products every year or two, just to justify having a job of designing products or packages. It's such a waste of resources, at a time when we really need to reduce waste.

>> Maybe someone could set up a fabric salvage or ragpicking buissiness?<<

Salvage is a great idea. I think a fabric cooperative could work too.

>>Though, I'll probably check out the clearance sales, once the store gets that far.<<

I definitely want to check ours, maybe after the fishbowl if it does well. The last couple didn't sell a lot.