The Lost Art of Sewing.

We live in an age of convenience. Anything we want is at our fingertips and for an affordable price we can get it. Just a few decades ago sewing was a commonplace skill that most young girls were taught how to do by their mothers. Somewhere that skill stopped being taught in the home as most girls today have never even seen a sewing machine.

Why did we stop sewing? Where have all the sewing machines gone and why has no one even noticed? There are many possible reasons that our culture has shifted away from sewing. I thought there were tree main causes of the lost are of sewing so I broke it down for you:

• Convenience - we aren't used to working for things anymore. Literally at the click of the mouse we can find anything we want on-line. There is a plethora of items on ebay.com or amazon.com and through google.com other sites can find what ebay.com and amazon.com are missing.
• Time - it is no secret that we live in a fast paced society. Socializing and our careers tend to weigh high on our priority list. Sewing isn't exactly a group activity and it is certainly time consuming. It is a lot quicker to pick something out in the store than to find a pattern you like, pick out material that you not only like but that will work for the pattern and then sew it. Is is also completely accepted that women are not necessarily found in the traditional 1950 "housewife" role anymore. Many women work outside of the home and have their own careers. Household responsibilities are spread throughout the family and different in every home. Purchasing clothes for the family is a household responsibility and if both parents work there is little time for "recreational" sewing.
• Cost - because of chain stores and outlets buying cute clothes can be very cheap. Right now our society isn't to focused on "labels" or specific trends and so it isn't a big deal to have clothes that don't wear a well known label. However, in the fabric market prices have increased. At your average fabric store material can cost over $10/yard, that makes for an expensive outfit if you compare it to the $10.00 shirt at the mall. Also don't forget about the price for the actual sewing machine and all the materials that come with sewing.

There might be other reasons why sewing is become lost and maybe I am wrong and the art of sewing is still flourishing somewhere.

Flower Power Taking Over Porters

Porters monthly card making class is taking a springy spin this month. "Flower Power" is their chosen theme for the four cards they are teaching how to make in this months workshop.

The class is Thursday, April 15 at 6:00 p.m. The class costs only $5.00, a pretty good deal for four custom made cards. Don't forget to sign up at Porters before you go so they have enough materials prepared.

"Flower Power" Cards

Preserve Easter Memories With Porters.

Porters is holding their April Scrapbooking Class. This month Porters wants to help you showcase your Easter celebration on one (or both) of their pre-made layouts. Class will be held on Thursday, April 8th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Don't forget to sign up at our Rexburg store to reserve your spot.

Here are the samples of what the pages will look like when you are done!

Etsy a Must See

Everyones heard of ebay but there is a new “E” word on-line that is attracting a lot of attention. Etsy.com was launched in June 2005 and within the first two years it was already a very profitable website. In 2008 it was estimated that Etsy had over 1.3 million members on its site.

So what is Etsy exactly? On Etsy, you'll find a huge selection of vintage items and home manufactured items such as candles, soaps, pottery, jewelry, apparel, gift baskets, and more. With over thirty-one categories to choose from almost anything can be found here. You won't find name brand products on Etsy, but you will find lots of unique things that can't be found anywhere else.

The way Etsy works is anyone can set up their own on-line store or sell individual items. It costs 20 cents to list an item and there is a 3.5% fee when the item sells. In 2007 Etsy reported selling 1.92 million items worth a total of $26.5 million. As of 2008 they had sold an estimated $90 million worth of items, tripling their profit from 2007.

If you have not yet checked out Etsy, go take a look around. You are guaranteed to find something unique and interesting.

http://www.etsy.com/