Photo credit: art.com
So it seems that with the passing of generations we have lost something special... the ability to sew. The reason why I am bring thins up right now is two fold. First, my grandmother just handed down to me her mother's sewing machine. I am really excited about this because it means that I now have something in my possession that has been in my family for 4 generations. The machine is a turn of the century Singer and is peddle powered (enviro swoon). My biggest regret is that I don't actually have a picture of it to put into this post, but I will get one.
The second reason for this topic is the recent addition of EcoEquitable to the Free Store line-up. This past week the ladies of EcoEquitable were working furiously to alter clothing at the Free Store. I was really happy to see this for a couple of reasons.
Of course it makes sense to repair and alter clothing. Back in the day, even before my time, clothing was super expensive. The thought of replacing torn pants with new ones was unthinkable. Nobody had that kind of money and quite frankly I am surprised that people still do have that kind of money. Repairing dress pants costs under $10, you would be hard pressed to get a better deal than that for new pants.
Next, altering clothing gives you more flexibility. Pants are too long, shorten them. Gain the freshmen fifteen, have your shirt or pants taken out a little. Want to add a patch or two, you got it! Altering clothing kind of gives you the best of both worlds. You have some clothing that you like and that you have potentially broken it in already. Or you like the look but it doesn't fit anymore. Altering can give you the best of both worlds.
And don't forget the environment. You may not know it but it takes over a thousand gallons of water to make one pair of jeans (from the growing of the cotton to the dying of the fabric). And if you think about it, our landfills aren't getting any emptier. Repairing clothing and increasing its useful life will keep it from the landfill.
Anyways, you owe it to yourself to give EcoEquitable a chance at the next Free Store. For a couple of bucks I think you will be extremely pleased with the results, and your wallet will thank you in the long run.
-jON
http://thesustainabilitree.blogspot.com