Originally Posted by
Lew Schiller
My wife learned to sew and sew well in parochial high school. Apparently it's a skill people no longer need as it seems fewer people have it. Do they still teach it in schools?
A big driving force for sewing last century was the shortages brought about by the wars. Not only has there not been any (of either) for a while in our countries but now our beloved and wise business owners have fired local workers and are instead exploiting third world countries to make clothes. How many people would pay $10 for fabric and thread then spend a day making a t-shirt when you can buy two at your local shopping plaza?
As a consequence nobody (yes I know I'm generalising) knows how to sew and we have a skills drain and a glut of superior yet really cheap sewing machines.
They still teach it in schools, although now it's called (in Australia anyway) "textiles" or some such thing. Apparently, home economics didn't sound career oriented enough so was renamed (cooking has been renamed "food technology").
OK, I've ranted enough, must be bed time.