Old 09-20-2009, 12:47 PM
  #41  
bearisgray
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
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If one wants to get super-picky and hung up on semantics,
most items are held together with something that was pulled through the fabric/material with a thread puller.

So- EVERYTHING (nowadays) is sewn with some sort of needle (thread-puller - thank you, Jean M. Auel) and cord/thread/leather/sinew/fiber.

So, the big difference is the what the needle is being held by

If the needle is held in someone's hand - I would say it was "sewn by hand" or "hand sewed"

or if the needle is attached to a machine - I would say it was "sewn by machine" or "machine sewn" -

even though we know that in most cases the fabric was guided by a person.

I think I would say "specially made" or "custom made" and just avoid using the term "hand-made" if any mechanized tools were used in the process.

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