making it in the usa

In my 20-year career in the apparel business, I witnessed the complete and total shift away from the manufacturing of fabric and clothing in the USA to making it all in the Orient. When I was first starting out, you could actually "run downtown" in New York City to check up on your production run. There was no placing of orders way  before knowing how much you sold, no predicting trends a year ahead, no international flights or FedExing. Now that's just the way it's done. Now it's a novelty if an article of clothing is made here.

With all the wastage involved, shipping costs, and duty rates on top of it all, it boggles my mind that it's still cheaper to produce things overseas. I guess the savings involved in using cheap labor just trumps everything. Third world countries don't provide health insurance or living wages to their workers and labor is still a chunk of the cost of an item. If a company has a conscience and doesn't want to buy into all that, do they just price themselves out of the market? I don't think most companies even question it anymore. But if it were me, I'd think it would be worth it to take a second look at producing in the USA again.

And, well, it is me! That's why my tiny little company is thrilled to be doing business with American Apparel. They are actually producing here in the USA, paying their employees decent wages, providing health insurance and good working conditions, exploring organic fibers, recycling their scraps, and making a decent, price-competetive product. They pay $12 per hour to start (and that was a few years ago- it might be more now), while a 3rd world factory might pay $1 per day for similar work. Yet, American Apparel has found a way to still be price-competetive on the most price-sensitive item in the market: the tee shirt. No duty payments, or overseas shipping costs might have a little to do with it. Having a vertically integrated business might have something to do with it (no middlemen or extra mark-ups along the way). What's not to love? Ok, so they've been busted for using illegal aliens, but who hasn't been in LA? At least they were paying them fairly. So they've had a few racy ads- whatever! Read more here.

I just received my first batch of tee shirt blanks from American Apparel and found them to be of excellent quality and fashionable fit. I still can't believe they support us little people by providing a pricing structure that allows for no minimums! I ordered a dozen total tee shirts divided between a few colors and sizes.  I spent all last weekend appliqueing my little heart out and I couldn't be more pleased with the end product! The tees are listed in the shop already.

Eat your heart out Fruit of the Loom!!!

a chirp for christmas

Whew! The holidays are over and the kids go back to school tomorrow! Between the blizzard and the winter break, we've had plenty of together time. Actually, the hubs and the grandparents did a lot with the kids while I was in the basement trying to make progress on sewing stuff for chirp & bloom.

Can I just say that I have the sweetest husband ever? He's more of a Amazon/Home Depot/Gap kind of guy, but he went and got himself set up with an Etsy account just so he could get me something I would like for Christmas. And this is after threatening to just wrap up the sewing machines I had to buy this year and stick those under the tree.

Out of all of my "favorites", he picked this sweet little bird necklace by Sue Urquhart of Lulu Bug jewelry in Santa Rosa, California. I find birds uplifting and cheerful. They are part of why I love working at home- I get to have the windows open and hear the chirping of the birds. The necklace is made of a material called "PMC" which stands for precious metal clay, the precious metal being silver. It's a relatively new material that's only been around for 12 years or so. I have only a vague idea of what is involved in metalsmithing, but what I usually picture is gobs of red-hot molten stuff getting poured into molds. Not so with PMC.

It handles basically like regular clay and gets fired in a kiln. Sue etches the imagery for her jewelry onto brass plates and prints the textures onto the clay. The technique allows for fine details which get even finer as the clay shrinks (about 15%) in firing. There is some finish work after the firing involving brushing and filing. I'm sure it's all a lot harder than it sounds, but not as hard or limiting as traditional metalsmithing. Sue's blog has all sorts of interesting tidbits about it.

See? Not all jewelry has to be made overseas in mass quantities.

get going with the cards

OK, it's the first week of December, so if you're sending holiday cards, now is the time to get it going! After emailing, facebooking, texting, and tweeting (well I don't tweet, but it seems like lots of people do) all year long, it's nice to utilize snail mail for a change and send out holiday cards. From the receiving end, I can confirm that the time involved in the choosing, writing, and mailing is worth it. I love getting the cards and especially appreciate the out-of-the-ordinary ones. Olds folks particularly love getting them because it might be the only time they hear from us all year!

And the next best thing to making them yourself... a short browse on esty.com yields almost too many great handmade and limited edition cards to choose from. From the irreverent to the refined, here are my picks:

 

I love this series from dippy lulu that plays off the famous "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON" British wartime poster circa 1939.

I wish I had time to sit by the fire and knit up some cards like these from Vermont-based Alderwood.

The imperfections make this silk-screened card from Port Hope Press special, plus it's a little silly. A bonus: the paper is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

The letterpress technique makes the simple nondenominational sentiment stand out this card by Kirtland House Press. You can feel good that the paper is 100% recycled cotton and the ink is soy-based.

More letterpress from Yee Haw out of Tennessee. Such attitude!

Did I mention I love letterpress? Fugu Fugu Press has many sweet yet modern designs all on recycled paper using soy-based ink.

And last but not least, this card from tinaseamonster is, in her words, "perfect for your post-goth lifestyle". I'm all over it! Live for today!

upcycling 101

Lately I've become intrigued with the idea of "upcycling" clothing. The term "upcycle", was first used by by authors William McDonough & Michael Braungart in their 2002 manifesto on sustainable design: Cradle to Cradle; Remaking the Way We Make Things so I bought the book and am reading it right now. To be truly upcycled, according to McDonough & Braungard, a material would be either composted and used to fertilize the next crop of raw material or if manmade, returned to it's original pure state for reuse in quality manufacturing. Recycling only converts used commodities to new materials of lesser purity and quality than the original form, using a lot of energy in the process. Most of what is manufactured today are such "monstrous hybrids" that the different components cannot be separated and returned to their original state and ultimately wind up in a landfills after their second, lesser life.

Upcycling has taken on a somewhat different meaning in the indie design world. Upcyclers convert something that has outlived it's usefulness into something equally or more useful and beautiful, extending the life of the raw material. The item may or may not wind up in a landfill when the it is done with its second life, but it doesn't require much new energy to create it and slows down the need for more raw material. Much upcycling is going on in the indie design world by companies like Sardine Clothing Company who use unwanted t-shirts as their raw material and convert them into funky skirts and dresses.

 photo courtesy Sardine Clothing

I visited the Sardine booth at the Crafty Bastards show in DC and again at Cut the Craft! in Philadelphia where they were doing a brisk business with the hipster crowd. They also have a thriving business with boutiques. Upcycled clothing is impossible to mass-produce in the traditional way and has become a niche market for indie companies who also want to be easy on the environment. Cotton production is especially taxing on the environment. 25% of the world's pesticide use is on cotton crops. Cotton also requires extensive irrigation, organic or not. Then comes the milling, bleaching, and dying which release toxins into the environment. After that comes shipping over long distances using fossil fuels.

 photo courtesy Peeko Apparel

Peeko Apparel has found a unique way to convert men's shirts into modern tunic-style tops for women. Brook, founder of Peeko, feels reusing the shirts not only takes some stress off the environment, but also helps the community by supporting the charity shops where she buys the shirts.

 photo courtesy of The Devil Made Me Do It

This gorgeous pieced scarf by The Devil Made Me Do It was upcycled from cashmere sweaters. Cashmere production also causes huge strain on the environment, so extending the life of it is a good thing. If only the demand for new fiber would go down! The incredible demand for cashmere has caused farmers in China to overpopulate the grasslands with goats, stripping the lands bare and causing desertification and dust storms. Unfortunately, the true cost to the environment has not been factored in to the price of cashmere which seems to get cheaper and cheaper every year.

 photo courtesy of Snuggle Pants

This adorable child's skirt by Snuggle Pants uses every last scrap of wool from retired sweaters. First, pants are ingeniously cut from the cloth of sweaters, then whatever slivers are left get made into these charming skirts. The finished garments are even cuter than the original sweaters they came from!

The concept of repurposing unwanted clothing is nothing new. It was done out of necessity in the 1940's and throughout history. What child of the 1980's doesn't have a picture in their mind of Molly Ringwald wearing her transformed thrift store dress to the prom in the movie Pretty in Pink? The difference with today's "upcycling" is that people are aware of the negative impact that typical mass production has on our environment and are being creative about minimizing it. If only the big companies would do more to lessen their impact as well!

Cut the Craft! 2009

If you didn't make it to Cut the Craft! this weekend in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, you really missed out on a treat (but thank goodness for the internet because you can still purchase items from these sellers online!). Local green fashion heroes, Scott and Maryanne of Sardine Clothing Company organized the event that showcased a nicely balanced variety of locally made and ecologically responsible goods. My co-conspirators, Beth and Maria came along to get a jump on their holiday shopping and found a plethora of charming and affordable gifts.

photo courtesy of Sardine Clothing

27 vendors filled the former factory space at 376 Shurs Lane, many of which had been at Crafty Bastards in DC in October, and will be at more shows coming up next month. The smaller venue made for better chatting with the artists and easier browsing.

Jennifer McBrien of JennyJen42 creates the cutest appliqued pillows, bags, and accessories ever! That is, when she's not busy teaching art to high school kids or painting.

 

Squeeeee! Plush toy designer, Jen Bennett Gubicza of Zooguu , is shown here with her ingenious astroturf-lined display and squee-worthy characters.

Mama Ma i's colorful ribbon-trimmed baby items include "fidget" fiddle toys, burp cloths, and colorful dolls designed by Jessica Perkins and tested by her own little one.

Sara Selepouchin of Girls Can Tell puts her architectural training to good use through her diagrams of everyday things screen printed on kitchen towels, oven mitts, placemats, journals, and book pages.

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Architects and designers, Christina and Kimberlee of Rogue Theory, displayed a cheerful array of clutch purses, wallets and other small items just perfect for gifts.

Sardine Clothing Company didn't disappoint with their one-of-a-kind urban chic skirts, scarves, and bags made locally from reclaimed t-shirts and sweaters. These folks are my upcycling gurus!

Josh Harmony makes modern pottery that juxtaposes geometric motifs on organic forms using a pleasing color palette. You'd better hurry if you want one of his vessels, he's off to Brazil for adventures on Dec 8th.

We got sidetracked at Lisa Volta's soap, bath salts, lip balm, and fragrance display, compelled to smell everything. The Volta Soap line contains no animal products, uses only all-natural essential oils, and is handmade locally.

The sweet selection of ribbon and button-embellished cards at aptly-named Sugar Paperie invited prolonged browsing. Owner Monica Stroter was pleasant to chat with as well.

More great gifts were to be found at Pinkkiss Pottery. Shauna Pincus features her sensitive line drawings on anything from spoon rests to a full place setting of dinnerware.

There were too many great sellers and items to describe them all here. There is no reason to buy mass-produced foreign-made gifts with the amazing work being done by our local artisans! More indie craft shows are coming up over the next few weekends if you missed this one. Bazaart on Nov 27-28 in Baltimore, Crafty Balboa on Dec 5 in Philadelphia, Holiday Heap on Dec 5 in Baltimore, Bazaar Bizarre in Boston on Dec 6th and San Francisco on Dec 12-13. Many, many more shows all over the country are listed here.

invisibly-zipped pillow project

I've been feeling all crafty this week, maybe since I am anticipating going to the Cut the Craft! indie craft show in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia this weekend, November 21-22. This show has fewer vendors than Crafty Bastards in DC, but I am confident it will be equally delightful. Some vendors I recognize from Crafty Bastards like Jenny Jen42 and Sardine Clothing Company will be there. These indie shows are not he craft shows you think of with the ubiquitous watercolors of flowers in a vase, scarves with piano keys, and that certain kind of pottery that looks lost in time. It's definitely worth a jaunt over there!

So, I decided to whip up the lumbar pillows I've had planned for the hand block printed fabric I bought from Jenny Nelson at Home Sweet a while back. The fabric is a blend of organic cotton & hemp and is printed with non-toxic ink. The fabric is very soft and smooth (not what I expected of hemp), yet has substantial weight. I ordered a half yard of the minileaves pattern in chocolate which turned out to be exactly enough to make two 16" x 26" pillow fronts (17" x 27" including seam allowance).

I mean, here is the wastage. Was that close or what?

I went with a 22" invisible zipper closure along the bottom seam and no trimmings for a sleek look. You can get a a special invisible zipper foot here that is convertible to machines with different shank types. I always feel like I have dyslexia or something when I read the directions for putting in invisible zippers. There are several tutorials out there if you can't figure out the instructions that come with the zipper. This tutorial by Lara at Kirin Notebook is very good.


Step one, the part about ironing the zipper, is very important. In it's zipped-up state, the coils curl in on themselves. If you don't unzip it and manhandle the coils flat with an iron (you should be able to see stitching next to the coils if you are doing it right) you won't be able to sew very close to the coils and your zipper won't be invisible.

The part that messes me up, though, comes at the pin-on stage. Match right side of fabric to right side of the zipper with the coils pointing away from the edge. Do one side first.

Then lay the piece down next to the other side and line up edges. Flip the zipper over and around, pinning right side of zipper to right side of fabric with the coil facing away from the edge again. Once both sides of the zipper are sewn down, zip it up. Hopefully, right sides face out and you zipper is invisible. Once you've done it once, you will think invisible zippers are easier to put in than the regular kind.

Close the rest of the pillow with right sides together. To get up close to your invisible zipper stitching, use a normal zipper foot. Hint: unzip the zipper some before you've stitched all the way around so you will be able to turn it inside-out at the end. The 16" x 26" size is a standard pillow form size available at places like Jo-Ann Fabrics.

Chic and eco-friendly!

crafty bastards 2009

You gotta just love the name of the six year-old indie arts and crafts fair, Crafty Bastards, that took place yesterday in Washington D.C.  Intrigued, headed south to meet up with my mom and attend the show. We just had to see what the kids are up to these days in the craft world.  According to the Washington Post Weekend section, 30ish is almost too old to be part of the indie movement. Humph! So 40ish must be absolutely too ancient to participate. No matter! We went and loved it. We had a fabulous time meeting some of the exhibitors, buying gifts, and getting inspired.

Before arriving, I knew I had to get over to booth #5 and meet fellow Delawarean Jenny Nelson of Home Sweet.  I've admired her block printed fabrics from afar (on etsy) and had to see them in person. Her booth was instantly recognizable by her signature prints that read well from a distance.

So many products were ever so clever. The upcycled suitcases given the graphic pop culture treatment by the folks at Final Approach just made me smile.  Being 40ish, I'm not exactly the target market for the cases, but I was sorely tempted to get the Bill Clinton one.

Who knew what could be made with old sweaters from the thrift store and a serger?  We spent some time with Tamara Embrey, of The Devil Made Me Do It , admiring her ruffly dresses, skirts, and hats and talking sergers.  She has the Babylock Evolve and I just bought a Viking Huskylock 936. We're serger nerds and proud of it!  

As I walked around, I started getting interested in display ideas. A booth is, after all, is a temporary retail store. A well put-together one makes the products that much more tempting. Some of the displays evoked that Anthropologie store feeling, which was appropriate since the show was sponsored in part by Urban Outfitters, the parent company of the chain. 

Katie Wagner of Moonlight Bindery had a appealing arrangement of vintage briefcases filled with her hand-bound journals.

Elisa Shere's  modern jewelry that utilizes recycled precious metal and salvaged parts from vintage jewelry was appealingly displayed. She draped her necklaces over antique serving platters and an old-fashioned makeup case, then contrasted them against pops of apple green (my favorite), all atop a contemporary botanical print table covering.

My award for freshest booth design goes to Something's Hiding In Here.  The uncluttered booth had it's white side panels down, blocking out the visual noise of adjoining booths. The back wall, fully covered with a calming forest scene, was genius and set off the case of wooden jewelry perfectly.  Loved the moss too!

I've come to a conclusion after the show: there is absolutely no need to buy mass-produced gifts.  The most stylish and fun items out there are handmade.