How things change

I particularly love the jeans with rips that kids pay 100 or up a pair for.

Those crack me up as well. A few years back a fellow we worked with came in with some jeans he was really proud of, they had "artistically" placed holes all over them, apparently they cost $600 :eek: :rofl: :eek: :rofl: :rofl:

I don't think he was overly impressed when I mentioned I'd seen some ones that weren't already worn out for under $5 down at good will :rofl:

We never used the iron on patches those were to expensive :eek:, there was some sort of garment glue that I can't remember the name of that we mostly used. Nowdays I'm not poor, just cheap so I still put patches on but use a sewing machine (can't hurt to stay in practice cause you never know)...
 
My mom always sewed the patches on. No glue had been invented yet that would hold cloth together for any length of time. Remember, I am the oldest FWW member. I am an antique.

When I was old enough, I darned my own sox. Mom had this thing that looked like an egg with a handle. You put it inside of the sock to hold the cloth smooth so you could sew back and forth in rhythm with the fabric of the sock. Thank all of the deities for the positive advances humans have managed to make.

Yep! I (well Myrna actually) still patch the pants. Nope! The socks become shop rags---no darning.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
when I was a teen, we used to go to a place called the dungaree factory in brooklyn ny.
It was a dingy old house that was turned into a retail store. You couldnt move in there, it was so crowded, the pants piled high above your heads, all the closets and bathrooms turned into changing rooms.
Youd buy a pair of levis or lees, or wranglers and theyd last until you outgrew them. Then passed them to one of your siblings, or cousins, jeans that lasted forever., and jeans that were inexpensive, yet durable.
I purchased 2 pairs of levis today, this morning, 60 dollars each. Man, things have changed.
I bought a Michaels Kors sweater, I thought the sales clerk was kidding me when she told me the price.
 
I can deal with the holes... as long as they aren't drooping.

(No, I really don't want to see your underwear! Yes I'm talking to you "insert-random-hollywood-heartthrob-name-here")
 
when I was a teen, we used to go to a place called the dungaree factory in brooklyn ny.
It was a dingy old house that was turned into a retail store. You couldnt move in there, it was so crowded, the pants piled high above your heads, all the closets and bathrooms turned into changing rooms.
Youd buy a pair of levis or lees, or wranglers and theyd last until you outgrew them. Then passed them to one of your siblings, or cousins, jeans that lasted forever., and jeans that were inexpensive, yet durable.
I purchased 2 pairs of levis today, this morning, 60 dollars each. Man, things have changed.

So loml figured out why jeans don't last anymore. She was taking a spinning class and the teacher was talking about why (well made..) homespun clothing lasts much longer than most store clothing. Its all about the tightness of the twist. For knitted its all one piece of yarn but for woven the part that matters most is how hard the warp (front to back strands on the loom) were spun.

The tighter the thread is spun the longer the piece of cloth lasts. The cotton thread used in jeans used to be twisted really hard and thus the jeans were super tough and lasted a long time. The downside of that (for the manufacturer) is that harder spun thread wears on machines a lot worse (and when it causes failures they tend to be spectacular). So most manufacturers about ~30 years ago switched to a lower twist thread and now less wear on the machines, but the pants don't last so long (and you buy more pants .. win win .. for them).

I bought a Michaels Kors sweater, I thought the sales clerk was kidding me when she told me the price.

:rofl: I have the same reaction a lot. On the plus side it means I buy stuff less.
 
They were called dungarees back then. My Mom wouldn't let me wear them to school :(

I was in High School when Levis were popular. Not the blue jeans but the white ones. Levis corduroy in winter.

You're right! I always wanted a pair of dungarees! Had to wait for Christmas to get a pair. They lasted a long time.
Getting back to what Jim C Bradley alluded to, my mother would darn socks all the time, had to for nine kids. After a while the socks had more darn than sock, but they were darn good!
 
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Getting back to what Jim C Bradley alluded to, my mother would darn socks all the time, had to for nine kids. After a while the socks had more darn than sock, but they were darn good!

Only darned the wool socks and mostly only the hand knitted ones by the time I came around. They sure are nice in the winter.

The thing that goes inside the sock is a Darning Egg or Mushroom (Chas made a really nifty one here: http://familywoodworking.org/forums...Another-Darn-Mushroom&highlight=darn+mushroom - on the todo list now since I made the mistake of showing it to someone ... :rolleyes:)
 
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