JC Penney sold fabric?
02-26-2012, 10:22 PM
#326
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Location: S. W. Indiana
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I picked up some fabric at the thrift store today - a green gingham - that still had a JC Penney tag on it. It was apparently a remnant, 1-1/4 yards, with a price of 79 cents. I never knew Penney's had sold fabric - does anybody know when they stopped? I'd like to know if this is a true cotton gingham, too. I'd post a pic, but it's already in the washer. Perhaps later.
02-26-2012, 10:30 PM
#327
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Location: NJ
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I grew up in Brooklyn, NYC, but didn't have to go into "the City" (Manhattan) because we had A & S Dept. store in downtown Brooklyn that carried fabric. We also had two neighborhood 5 & 10 stores, Woolworths and Kresges (later became K Mart), that carried fabric as well. Back in those days girls had Sewing in 7th and 8th grades and those were the shops where we bought our 'materials' as we called fabric in those days. In 7th grade we made ourselves a pair of pjs and in 8th grade we made our graduation dresses.
Last edited by May in Jersey; 02-26-2012 at 10:33 PM.
02-26-2012, 10:31 PM
#328
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Location: Northern California mountains
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I remember them selling fabric. They re-organized in the mid 1950's and got rid of it, much to my annoyance at the time. Sears did it at about the same time. Some Wards still had fabric in 1980 or 1981, but were closing it out. The store near us was the company base at that time, but in horrible condition, leaky roof and all. There was a new bolt of heavy "railroad" denim that they discounted to $.50/yd, as it had some mold on it. DH convinced the clerk to wrap it without measuring it. He then put on a mask and washed it with heavy bleach.
02-26-2012, 10:32 PM
#329
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Mabank, Texas
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I do not know when JC Penny's stopped selling fabric but I purchased fabric from them in the early to mid 60's. At that time, I lived near the JC Penny's store located in the Casa View shopping center off of Ferguson and Gus Thomason in Dallas, Tx. Thanks for the memory as I had forgotten that they ever sold fabric.
02-26-2012, 11:31 PM
#330
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Allen Park, MI
Posts: 408
It was nice to see this thread revived.
This might be strange to say, and I'm certainly no spring chicken (almost 48), but in a way I wished I lived through through time when fabric in stores was quite common, as was making your own clothes and the other "domestic" skills were more highly valued. Don't get me wrong, I love living "modern" and wouldn't want to do without a lot of the freedoms and choices that, especially for women, were hard fought for, and of course the conveniences we have now (especially the 'net!). I suppose like many things those of us who didn't live at that time or aren't old enough to really remember, view it through rose colored glasses with a romanticized slant, but there is just so much cool about that time.
Fortuntely I see a revival of those times in some areas now. Sewing, I believe, is one of them - it's suddenly pretty "hip" to make clothes, especially using repurposed items (check threadbanger, for instance). There has been a resurgence in gardening and shopping and eating local, and look at the boon quilting has gone through since about the mid 1970s - especially the last 10-15 years. It's a multi-billion dollar industry now.
I know that my mother sewed - but I don't remember much. One of my brothers and my sister were nationally competative roller skaters, and I can barely remember her sitting at the machine making their costumes - oh how I wish I would have been old enough for her to teach me or at least perhaps get me interested. She never quilted, as far as I know. She did give me her sewing machine about a year before she passed, an older Kenmore, and I have a story I wrote about it about when I went back to college a few years ago, perhaps I'll share some time.
Anyhow, thanks for sharing all the nostalgia in your posts ladies (and gents?). I was a very pleasant walk down "memory lane."
This might be strange to say, and I'm certainly no spring chicken (almost 48), but in a way I wished I lived through through time when fabric in stores was quite common, as was making your own clothes and the other "domestic" skills were more highly valued. Don't get me wrong, I love living "modern" and wouldn't want to do without a lot of the freedoms and choices that, especially for women, were hard fought for, and of course the conveniences we have now (especially the 'net!). I suppose like many things those of us who didn't live at that time or aren't old enough to really remember, view it through rose colored glasses with a romanticized slant, but there is just so much cool about that time.
Fortuntely I see a revival of those times in some areas now. Sewing, I believe, is one of them - it's suddenly pretty "hip" to make clothes, especially using repurposed items (check threadbanger, for instance). There has been a resurgence in gardening and shopping and eating local, and look at the boon quilting has gone through since about the mid 1970s - especially the last 10-15 years. It's a multi-billion dollar industry now.
I know that my mother sewed - but I don't remember much. One of my brothers and my sister were nationally competative roller skaters, and I can barely remember her sitting at the machine making their costumes - oh how I wish I would have been old enough for her to teach me or at least perhaps get me interested. She never quilted, as far as I know. She did give me her sewing machine about a year before she passed, an older Kenmore, and I have a story I wrote about it about when I went back to college a few years ago, perhaps I'll share some time.
Anyhow, thanks for sharing all the nostalgia in your posts ladies (and gents?). I was a very pleasant walk down "memory lane."
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