I realize this is a little off topic, but after a day of shopping I had to vent to someone. I am the daughter of a life long Seamstress ( someone who earns their living sewing). As a result I learned to sew and what to look for ( defects especially ) when purchasing clothing.

It is easy to see why there are so many people with maxed out credit cards after buying clothing at the crazy prices. I would not be complaining so much if you were getting a quality garment. Not to get off on another topic but at least there was a time when you learned in high school how to sew and a good weave of fabric.

If you are wondering what I am talking about ….. have you bought an item that after a few washes started to either fall apart or it shrunk? That is because the days of good old polyester and cotton are fading. Now clothes are made of spandex ( a dryer is not it’s friend) or Viscose … What’s that you ask a sneaky way of you having NO CLUE what you are buying. Viscose is RAYON a silky material but cheap to produce and after a few washes will be very see through and start to frey (fall apart) this needs to be gentle cycle or DRY CLEAN ONLY.

A more serious problem is the way things are sewn together. I found a perfect blouse the other day, until I saw the back. The style was a lacy pattern on the upper shoulder area and the lower section was solid. The one side was about three inches higher than the other and the store clerk could not understand what I meant. Are you too going on a job interview in a Jacket with one arm longer than the other? Do you really think you look bad in clothes or is it , they are poorly manufactured and the sleeve is set wrong making it look like you have a growth sticking off your arm.

Who can remember ever finding a small piece of paper in a pants pocket with an inspection number on it? If you are no longer finding these, it’s why the quality is poor,  no one inspecting things as they are made. Specifically a union worker inspected every piece that left a factory to be sure it was evenly put together with a quality piece of fabric and seams were all together and the loose threads were trimmed.

The lesson here is if you can still find a MADE IN THE USA or UNION LABEL in your clothing you are on the right track, if not ask a grandmother somewhere if she knows about these things or at least someone who can share their knowledge with you. Doing so will save you money , maybe embarrassment and bring some joy to an older person in the form of feeling needed.

Here is a link to a sewing blog that may be helpful.