Originally Posted by kd124
I used to carry a kit with me when I had the kids and when I worked. I think anymore a lot of people don't have a needle and thread--goes along with the disposable society I guess as well as lots of non-sewers.
You know, I can probably count on one hand how many days this year my hand did not touch a needle or pin. Sewing is practically like breathing for me. It's woven into the fabric of my life!
Reading all the posts in this thread is really eye opening. I didn't realize that sewing was such a rare skill and was not being done by most people. I know quilting is in a revival and millions of people in America quilt, maybe more than ever. I live within 15 miles of 7 different quilt shops.
But your point is well taken that not sewing is a way of life that goes with a disposable society. If a hem pulled out or a button pulled off, you take it to the cleaners? That would never occur to me!
I guess I was struck by this right now because I am reading the Passage by Justin Cronin. The book deals with the renewal of American society after a cataclysmic event.
People who survive have basic skills for living. They know what to eat -- how to get it and how to prepare it. They know how to cover themselves from the cold with clothing and bedding. They know how to make trees into heat.
My business is quilting and I hang out with a lot of quilters and gardeners, with husbands who fish and hunt. I guess that not knowing what to do with a needle would be both depressing and laughable to anyone who has ever visited us. Maybe sewing is a country and suburban thing, and not sewing is a city thing? I don't know. I'm just asking....