Re: [h-cost] Grrrrr ... !
I believe the reason people are having trouble finding starch depends on supply and demand. I have no trouble finding Argo and the old blue bottle of Sta-flo starch in my area. If there is not a big demand for the product in your area, the stores will drop the product. In my county, there is diversity in age depending where you live. In the neighborhoods near me, people are old enough to know what to do with powder or liquid starch. If I drove 10 miles west, where the average people are younger generation, the stores' products differ. That generation would rather go to a dry cleaners than iron their clothes.If you show a lot of the younger generation a box or bottle of starch, they probably wouldn't know what to do with it. Many do not even own an ironing board. As far as product selection and retailers: Watch the Costco documentary that is showing this month on MSNBC. We have problems with Costco dropping products. The documentary explains how Costco buys, product lines, markets, etc. The problem is that the retailer and manufacturer cannot agree on their wholesale prices. When this happens, Costco drops the product. Costco has a 15% markup and regular grocer retailers have 25%. Costco is the number one retailer right now. When Costco, Sam's Club or WalMart drops them a product... what an impact the top three grocery stores can make on a manufacturer. Costco carries a limited assortment or only one product (example ketchup) to deliberately not give customers choices. Research shows that if you only have one or two choices of a product, a customer will buy it on spot so they don't have to go to another grocery store. Given a big assortment, a customer is confused and will not purchase. Here a video of 10 minutes of the documentary: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rock-center/47182853#47182853 Calvin Klein sued Warnaco Group, a supplier to Costco and other retail clubs, for selling CK goods to these cheaper retailers. BTW, you can still buy SK goods at Costco. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=2601slug=40239 91 Which would you choose for clothing-- Costco's 15% markup or a department store's 50%+ markup for a designer brand. My husband and I did an interesting survey last week. I was at Sam's Club and he was at Costco at the same time. We both had a copy of our monthly grocery list. We talked on the cell phone and compared prices. Sam's does carry a larger assortment of products than Costco. Costco only carries 4,000 products. Off the mainland U.S., Costco carries more products...I've been to their stores in Hawaii and Liverpool, England...love them! I wish we had the choices these location have. A big problem with retailers and manufacturers is the extreme couponers who are purchasing entire shelves of products. I don't think either end knows how to get a grip on this problem. But it is causing problems of keeping merchandise on the shelves for the other customers to purchase. Lastly, some retailers have different prices according to the location of the store. I have seen this at Lowe's and Food Lion within 10 miles of my house. Strange, both charge higher prices in lower income areas. Lowe's actually carries lower and higher ends goods at higher income neighborhoods. Now, Lowe's is tracking your purchases by your name. Try it! Get their Lowe's discount card, and purchase an item. Go to any Lowe's without a receipt to return the product. They will scan the item and card, and pull up your receipt from when you originally purchased the item. This can be good and bad. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/TheCostumeGallery ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Summer Classes at Visual Arts Center of Richmond, VA
The Visual Arts Center of Richmond, Virginia has summer session classes in fiber arts. There are classes in other genres too. http://visarts.org/adult-classes-2/fiber They have classes for adults as well as children. The link is to the adult classes. I am like a kid in a candy store and can't decide which classes to take. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites http://www.costumegallery.com/ www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/TheCostumeGallery http://www.facebook.com/TheCostumeGallery ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] GRRR
Date: Wed, 16 May 2012 12:31:49 -0700 Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... ! Well, those two I can understand, as you can make them easily. Tarragon in hot wine vinegar; let steep, and sugar in the blender. Sharon C. Sam's does carry a larger assortment of products than Costco. Costco only carries 4,000 products. Off the mainland U.S., Costco carries more products...I've been to their stores in Hawaii and Liverpool, England...love them! I wish we had the choices these location have. My beloved hubby does our shopping. (And he can tell cotton from linen fabric too!) He has to go to 3 supermarkets to get food without additives. One shop has a 10% discount for your 5 favourite buys. We can no longer find 5 things worth buying in the shop! Malt vingear from the house brands is diluted acetic acid with caramel added ! YUMThe bands without added tartrazine colour have been deleted. Plain sugar has anti-caking agent added which means it makes lousy fudge!Dumb bunnies in bulk fabric shops think linen and silk are textures not fibres. The world isn't what it was - I must be getting old!!! NO! LynleePS sorry this is off topic, but I did get fabric in there :) ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Grrrrr ... !
I googled both Argo and Sta-flo and these brands are readily available on line...coupons and free shipping for some of the sites. Letting my fingers do the shopping sure saves on gas! -Original Message- From: penn...@costumegallery.com Sent 5/17/2012 3:44:33 AM To: 'Historical Costume' h-cost...@indra.com Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... !I believe the reason people are having trouble finding starch depends on supply and demand. I have no trouble finding Argo and the old blue bottle of Sta-flo starch in my area. If there is not a big demand for the product in your area, the stores will drop the product. In my county, there is diversity in age depending where you live. In the neighborhoods near me, people are old enough to know what to do with powder or liquid starch. If I drove 10 miles west, where the average people are younger generation, the stores' products differ. That generation would rather go to a dry cleaners than iron their clothes.If you show a lot of the younger generation a box or bottle of starch, they probably wouldn't know what to do with it. Many do not even own an ironing board. As far as product selection and retailers: Watch the Costco documentary that is showing this month on MSNBC. We have problems with Costco dropping products. The documentary explains how Costco buys, product lines, markets, etc. The problem is that the retailer and manufacturer cannot agree on their wholesale prices. When this happens, Costco drops the product. Costco has a 15% markup and regular grocer retailers have 25%. Costco is the number one retailer right now. When Costco, Sam's Club or WalMart drops them a product... what an impact the top three grocery stores can make on a manufacturer. Costco carries a limited assortment or only one product (example ketchup) to deliberately not give customers choices. Research shows that if you only have one or two choices of a product, a customer will buy it on spot so they don't have to go to another grocery store. Given a big assortment, a customer is confused and will not purchase. Here a video of 10 minutes of the documentary: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rock-center/47182853#47182853 Calvin Klein sued Warnaco Group, a supplier to Costco and other retail clubs, for selling CK goods to these cheaper retailers. BTW, you can still buy SK goods at Costco. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=2601slug=40239 91 Which would you choose for clothing-- Costco's 15% markup or a department store's 50%+ markup for a designer brand. My husband and I did an interesting survey last week. I was at Sam's Club and he was at Costco at the same time. We both had a copy of our monthly grocery list. We talked on the cell phone and compared prices. Sam's does carry a larger assortment of products than Costco. Costco only carries 4,000 products. Off the mainland U.S., Costco carries more products...I've been to their stores in Hawaii and Liverpool, England...love them! I wish we had the choices these location have. A big problem with retailers and manufacturers is the extreme couponers who are purchasing entire shelves of products. I don't think either end knows how to get a grip on this problem. But it is causing problems of keeping merchandise on the shelves for the other customers to purchase. Lastly, some retailers have different prices according to the location of the store. I have seen this at Lowe's and Food Lion within 10 miles of my house. Strange, both charge higher prices in lower income areas. Lowe's actually carries lower and higher ends goods at higher income neighborhoods. Now, Lowe's is tracking your purchases by your name. Try it! Get their Lowe's discount card, and purchase an item. Go to any Lowe's without a receipt to return the product. They will scan the item and card, and pull up your receipt from when you originally purchased the item. This can be good and bad. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/TheCostumeGallery ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Grrrrr ... !
Many formerly readily available items are available via mail order, granted. But that doesn't help if you need it tomorrow! I know, I know, just need to plan ahead. Ann Wass -Original Message- From: R Lloyd Mitchell rmitch...@staff.washjeff.edu To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Thu, May 17, 2012 6:56 am Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... ! I googled both Argo and Sta-flo and these brands are readily available on line...coupons and free shipping for some of the sites. Letting my fingers do the shopping sure saves on gas! -Original Message- From: penn...@costumegallery.com Sent 5/17/2012 3:44:33 AM To: 'Historical Costume' h-cost...@indra.com Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... !I believe the reason people are having trouble finding starch depends on supply and demand. I have no trouble finding Argo and the old blue bottle of Sta-flo starch in my area. If there is not a big demand for the product in your area, the stores will drop the product. In my county, there is diversity in age depending where you live. In the neighborhoods near me, people are old enough to know what to do with powder or liquid starch. If I drove 10 miles west, where the average people are younger generation, the stores' products differ. That generation would rather go to a dry cleaners than iron their clothes.If you show a lot of the younger generation a box or bottle of starch, they probably wouldn't know what to do with it. Many do not even own an ironing board. As far as product selection and retailers: Watch the Costco documentary that is showing this month on MSNBC. We have problems with Costco dropping products. The documentary explains how Costco buys, product lines, markets, etc. The problem is that the retailer and manufacturer cannot agree on their wholesale prices. When this happens, Costco drops the product. Costco has a 15% markup and regular grocer retailers have 25%. Costco is the number one retailer right now. When Costco, Sam's Club or WalMart drops them a product... what an impact the top three grocery stores can make on a manufacturer. Costco carries a limited assortment or only one product (example ketchup) to deliberately not give customers choices. Research shows that if you only have one or two choices of a product, a customer will buy it on spot so they don't have to go to another grocery store. Given a big assortment, a customer is confused and will not purchase. Here a video of 10 minutes of the documentary: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rock-center/47182853#47182853 Calvin Klein sued Warnaco Group, a supplier to Costco and other retail clubs, for selling CK goods to these cheaper retailers. BTW, you can still buy SK goods at Costco. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=2601slug=40239 91 Which would you choose for clothing-- Costco's 15% markup or a department store's 50%+ markup for a designer brand. My husband and I did an interesting survey last week. I was at Sam's Club and he was at Costco at the same time. We both had a copy of our monthly grocery list. We talked on the cell phone and compared prices. Sam's does carry a larger assortment of products than Costco. Costco only carries 4,000 products. Off the mainland U.S., Costco carries more products...I've been to their stores in Hawaii and Liverpool, England...love them! I wish we had the choices these location have. A big problem with retailers and manufacturers is the extreme couponers who are purchasing entire shelves of products. I don't think either end knows how to get a grip on this problem. But it is causing problems of keeping merchandise on the shelves for the other customers to purchase. Lastly, some retailers have different prices according to the location of the store. I have seen this at Lowe's and Food Lion within 10 miles of my house. Strange, both charge higher prices in lower income areas. Lowe's actually carries lower and higher ends goods at higher income neighborhoods. Now, Lowe's is tracking your purchases by your name. Try it! Get their Lowe's discount card, and purchase an item. Go to any Lowe's without a receipt to return the product. They will scan the item and card, and pull up your receipt from when you originally purchased the item. This can be good and bad. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/TheCostumeGallery ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Grrrrr ... !
Exactly--I miss the days of being able to pop out to the store and grab the dye I need that day, or have a jug of liquid starch available when I don't have the time to mix my own,, I do still have one of the Wal-Marts with a fabric section nearby, so I can pop out for kid's costume fabrics if I need to. Small consolation for the Fabric Place being gone. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 7:35 AM, annbw...@aol.com wrote: Many formerly readily available items are available via mail order, granted. But that doesn't help if you need it tomorrow! I know, I know, just need to plan ahead. Ann Wass -Original Message- From: R Lloyd Mitchell rmitch...@staff.washjeff.edu To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Thu, May 17, 2012 6:56 am Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... ! I googled both Argo and Sta-flo and these brands are readily available on line...coupons and free shipping for some of the sites. Letting my fingers do the shopping sure saves on gas! -Original Message- From: penn...@costumegallery.com Sent 5/17/2012 3:44:33 AM To: 'Historical Costume' h-cost...@indra.com Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... !I believe the reason people are having trouble finding starch depends on supply and demand. I have no trouble finding Argo and the old blue bottle of Sta-flo starch in my area. If there is not a big demand for the product in your area, the stores will drop the product. In my county, there is diversity in age depending where you live. In the neighborhoods near me, people are old enough to know what to do with powder or liquid starch. If I drove 10 miles west, where the average people are younger generation, the stores' products differ. That generation would rather go to a dry cleaners than iron their clothes.If you show a lot of the younger generation a box or bottle of starch, they probably wouldn't know what to do with it. Many do not even own an ironing board. As far as product selection and retailers: Watch the Costco documentary that is showing this month on MSNBC. We have problems with Costco dropping products. The documentary explains how Costco buys, product lines, markets, etc. The problem is that the retailer and manufacturer cannot agree on their wholesale prices. When this happens, Costco drops the product. Costco has a 15% markup and regular grocer retailers have 25%. Costco is the number one retailer right now. When Costco, Sam's Club or WalMart drops them a product... what an impact the top three grocery stores can make on a manufacturer. Costco carries a limited assortment or only one product (example ketchup) to deliberately not give customers choices. Research shows that if you only have one or two choices of a product, a customer will buy it on spot so they don't have to go to another grocery store. Given a big assortment, a customer is confused and will not purchase. Here a video of 10 minutes of the documentary: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rock-center/47182853#47182853 Calvin Klein sued Warnaco Group, a supplier to Costco and other retail clubs, for selling CK goods to these cheaper retailers. BTW, you can still buy SK goods at Costco. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=2601slug=40239 91 Which would you choose for clothing-- Costco's 15% markup or a department store's 50%+ markup for a designer brand. My husband and I did an interesting survey last week. I was at Sam's Club and he was at Costco at the same time. We both had a copy of our monthly grocery list. We talked on the cell phone and compared prices. Sam's does carry a larger assortment of products than Costco. Costco only carries 4,000 products. Off the mainland U.S., Costco carries more products...I've been to their stores in Hawaii and Liverpool, England...love them! I wish we had the choices these location have. A big problem with retailers and manufacturers is the extreme couponers who are purchasing entire shelves of products. I don't think either end knows how to get a grip on this problem. But it is causing problems of keeping merchandise on the shelves for the other customers to purchase. Lastly, some retailers have different prices according to the location of the store. I have seen this at Lowe's and Food Lion within 10 miles of my house. Strange, both charge higher prices in lower income areas. Lowe's actually carries lower and higher ends goods at higher income neighborhoods. Now, Lowe's is tracking your purchases by your name. Try it! Get their Lowe's discount card, and purchase an item. Go to any Lowe's without a receipt to return the product. They will scan the item and card, and pull up your receipt from when you originally purchased the item. This can be good and bad. Penny Ladnier, owner The Costume Gallery Websites www.costumegallery.com 15 websites of fashion, costume, and textile history FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/TheCostumeGallery
Re: [h-cost] Grrrrr ... !
Does seem rather ironic that we have access to all kinds of exotic things we never thought we could get our hands on, via the Internet, but, locally, our choices are less and less. I still have one JoAnn's that is run out and pick up a spool of thread close enough, and two more, along with G Street Fabrics, within reasonable driving distance. But even G Street's assortment is sadly not what it once was--it is a sorry state of affairs when I go there with a 25% off coupon and can't find one thing I want to buy! I think ALL of our WalMarts have gone out of the fabric business. I know their assortment was hit or miss, but I once scored 6 yards of blue/orange Indian cotton plaid that made great early 19th century headwraps in the $1 bin. Hobby Lobby, which recently opened in our area, has a decent assortment of cotton prints. (When I reminded someone of that, she complained because they are more than $5 a yard, but THEY DO HAVE THEM!) Ann Wass -Original Message- From: Katy Bishop katybisho...@gmail.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Thu, May 17, 2012 9:16 am Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... ! Exactly--I miss the days of being able to pop out to the store and grab the ye I need that day, or have a jug of liquid starch available when I don't ave the time to mix my own,, I do still have one of the Wal-Marts with fabric section nearby, so I can pop out for kid's costume fabrics if I eed to. Small consolation for the Fabric Place being gone. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 7:35 AM, annbw...@aol.com wrote: Many formerly readily available items are available via mail order, granted. But that doesn't help if you need it tomorrow! I know, I know, just need to plan ahead. Ann Wass -Original Message- From: R Lloyd Mitchell rmitch...@staff.washjeff.edu To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Thu, May 17, 2012 6:56 am Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... ! I googled both Argo and Sta-flo and these brands are readily available on line...coupons and free shipping for some of the sites. Letting my fingers do the shopping sure saves on gas! -Original Message- From: penn...@costumegallery.com Sent 5/17/2012 3:44:33 AM To: 'Historical Costume' h-cost...@indra.com Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... !I believe the reason people are having trouble finding starch depends on supply and demand. I have no trouble finding Argo and the old blue bottle of Sta-flo starch in my area. If there is not a big demand for the product in your area, the stores will drop the product. In my county, there is diversity in age depending where you live. In the neighborhoods near me, people are old enough to know what to do with powder or liquid starch. If I drove 10 miles west, where the average people are younger generation, the stores' products differ. That generation would rather go to a dry cleaners than iron their clothes.If you show a lot of the younger generation a box or bottle of starch, they probably wouldn't know what to do with it. Many do not even own an ironing board. As far as product selection and retailers: Watch the Costco documentary that is showing this month on MSNBC. We have problems with Costco dropping products. The documentary explains how Costco buys, product lines, markets, etc. The problem is that the retailer and manufacturer cannot agree on their wholesale prices. When this happens, Costco drops the product. Costco has a 15% markup and regular grocer retailers have 25%. Costco is the number one retailer right now. When Costco, Sam's Club or WalMart drops them a product... what an impact the top three grocery stores can make on a manufacturer. Costco carries a limited assortment or only one product (example ketchup) to deliberately not give customers choices. Research shows that if you only have one or two choices of a product, a customer will buy it on spot so they don't have to go to another grocery store. Given a big assortment, a customer is confused and will not purchase. Here a video of 10 minutes of the documentary: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rock-center/47182853#47182853 Calvin Klein sued Warnaco Group, a supplier to Costco and other retail clubs, for selling CK goods to these cheaper retailers. BTW, you can still buy SK goods at Costco. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=2601slug=40239 91 Which would you choose for clothing-- Costco's 15% markup or a department store's 50%+ markup for a designer brand. My husband and I did an interesting survey last week. I was at Sam's Club and he was at Costco at the same time. We both had a copy of our monthly grocery list. We talked on the cell phone and compared prices. Sam's does carry a larger assortment of products than Costco. Costco only carries 4,000 products. Off the mainland U.S., Costco carries more products...I've been to their stores in Hawaii and Liverpool, England...love them! I
[h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
My favorite thread has been discontinued without so much as a peep. I am preternaturally p.o'd at the venerable Coats Clark, but now I need to switch threads. My old favorite was the sometimes deingrated Coats Clark cotton- wrapped polyester. It had the shine of cotton and the strength of polyester. Coats is now producing it under the same name but it's all polyester. Ideas? I know some folks out there are thread snobs, but I just want something that's (a) available!! and (b) will hold up. A little (c) affordability and (d) good color range wouldn't hurt either. A basic, workhorse thread!! Second question: how do you match thread to fabric if you can't actually *compare* them in a store? ==Marjorie Wilser @..@ @..@ @..@ Three Toad Press http://3toad.blogspot.com/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
I am finding the quality of CC 100% poly to be superior to Gutterman and the other Melnicke (sp?) It seems much smoother to me. And now that they have gone to the European style bobbin I like them even more! Sg On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:11 AM, Marjorie Wilser the3t...@gmail.com wrote: My favorite thread has been discontinued without so much as a peep. I am preternaturally p.o'd at the venerable Coats Clark, but now I need to switch threads. My old favorite was the sometimes deingrated Coats Clark cotton-wrapped polyester. It had the shine of cotton and the strength of polyester. Coats is now producing it under the same name but it's all polyester. Ideas? I know some folks out there are thread snobs, but I just want something that's (a) available!! and (b) will hold up. A little (c) affordability and (d) good color range wouldn't hurt either. A basic, workhorse thread!! Second question: how do you match thread to fabric if you can't actually *compare* them in a store? ==Marjorie Wilser @..@ @..@ @..@ Three Toad Press http://3toad.blogspot.com/ __**_ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/**listinfo/h-costumehttp://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume -- -Sg- ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
I stopped using the cotton wrapped polyester years ago, as my then-new Bernina didn't like it. (It went through the top okay, but always seemed to gum up the bobbin.) At that time, I switched to the long-staple European-made threads made by Guttermann and Mettler. I've always found them satisfactory--the only caveat is, I find it harder to tie a twist knot in the end--I attribute that to the fact that they are intrinsically anti-twist and snag. I know some people tend to look down their noses at these threads, but I have been using them for years now and am very pleased. The color selection is good, although once in a while, I come up short. Ann Wass -Original Message- From: Marjorie Wilser the3t...@gmail.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Thu, May 17, 2012 11:12 am Subject: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions My favorite thread has been discontinued without so much as a peep. I m preternaturally p.o'd at the venerable Coats Clark, but now I eed to switch threads. My old favorite was the sometimes deingrated Coats Clark cotton- rapped polyester. It had the shine of cotton and the strength of olyester. Coats is now producing it under the same name but it's all olyester. Ideas? I know some folks out there are thread snobs, but I just want omething that's (a) available!! and (b) will hold up. A little (c) ffordability and (d) good color range wouldn't hurt either. A basic, orkhorse thread!! Second question: how do you match thread to fabric if you can't ctually *compare* them in a store? ==Marjorie Wilser @..@ @..@ @..@ hree Toad Press ttp://3toad.blogspot.com/ __ -costume mailing list -cost...@mail.indra.com ttp://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Grrrrr ... !
All our Walmarts got rid of their fabric awhile back - but they've brought it back. It's not what it was and it is hit and miss, but its better than nothing. What I've found with our JoAnns is that so many things are on sale and as such, coupons are useless - if I really need to use a coupon on fabric, I have to plan early enough to get it the one or two weeks of the year it's NOT on sale. That and their employees are not helpful on fabric - I worked for them for a while and they loved me simply because I knew the difference between cotton and wool! Michael Deibert OAS AAS LLS Sent from my iPhone On May 17, 2012, at 9:44, annbw...@aol.com wrote: Does seem rather ironic that we have access to all kinds of exotic things we never thought we could get our hands on, via the Internet, but, locally, our choices are less and less. I still have one JoAnn's that is run out and pick up a spool of thread close enough, and two more, along with G Street Fabrics, within reasonable driving distance. But even G Street's assortment is sadly not what it once was--it is a sorry state of affairs when I go there with a 25% off coupon and can't find one thing I want to buy! I think ALL of our WalMarts have gone out of the fabric business. I know their assortment was hit or miss, but I once scored 6 yards of blue/orange Indian cotton plaid that made great early 19th century headwraps in the $1 bin. Hobby Lobby, which recently opened in our area, has a decent assortment of cotton prints. (When I reminded someone of that, she complained because they are more than $5 a yard, but THEY DO HAVE THEM!) Ann Wass -Original Message- From: Katy Bishop katybisho...@gmail.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Thu, May 17, 2012 9:16 am Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... ! Exactly--I miss the days of being able to pop out to the store and grab the ye I need that day, or have a jug of liquid starch available when I don't ave the time to mix my own,, I do still have one of the Wal-Marts with fabric section nearby, so I can pop out for kid's costume fabrics if I eed to. Small consolation for the Fabric Place being gone. On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 7:35 AM, annbw...@aol.com wrote: Many formerly readily available items are available via mail order, granted. But that doesn't help if you need it tomorrow! I know, I know, just need to plan ahead. Ann Wass -Original Message- From: R Lloyd Mitchell rmitch...@staff.washjeff.edu To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Thu, May 17, 2012 6:56 am Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... ! I googled both Argo and Sta-flo and these brands are readily available on line...coupons and free shipping for some of the sites. Letting my fingers do the shopping sure saves on gas! -Original Message- From: penn...@costumegallery.com Sent 5/17/2012 3:44:33 AM To: 'Historical Costume' h-cost...@indra.com Subject: Re: [h-cost] Gr ... !I believe the reason people are having trouble finding starch depends on supply and demand. I have no trouble finding Argo and the old blue bottle of Sta-flo starch in my area. If there is not a big demand for the product in your area, the stores will drop the product. In my county, there is diversity in age depending where you live. In the neighborhoods near me, people are old enough to know what to do with powder or liquid starch. If I drove 10 miles west, where the average people are younger generation, the stores' products differ. That generation would rather go to a dry cleaners than iron their clothes.If you show a lot of the younger generation a box or bottle of starch, they probably wouldn't know what to do with it. Many do not even own an ironing board. As far as product selection and retailers: Watch the Costco documentary that is showing this month on MSNBC. We have problems with Costco dropping products. The documentary explains how Costco buys, product lines, markets, etc. The problem is that the retailer and manufacturer cannot agree on their wholesale prices. When this happens, Costco drops the product. Costco has a 15% markup and regular grocer retailers have 25%. Costco is the number one retailer right now. When Costco, Sam's Club or WalMart drops them a product... what an impact the top three grocery stores can make on a manufacturer. Costco carries a limited assortment or only one product (example ketchup) to deliberately not give customers choices. Research shows that if you only have one or two choices of a product, a customer will buy it on spot so they don't have to go to another grocery store. Given a big assortment, a customer is confused and will not purchase. Here a video of 10 minutes of the documentary: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/rock-center/47182853#47182853 Calvin Klein sued Warnaco Group, a supplier to Costco and other retail clubs, for selling CK goods to these cheaper
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
A doll maker friend of mine showed me how to make a 'quilter's knot'. I have been using it for years now for 'normal' sewing and have never had a problem with tying a knot. To ensure a smaller knot, I just make fewer wraps around my needlehope this helps! Sg On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:43 AM, annbw...@aol.com wrote: I stopped using the cotton wrapped polyester years ago, as my then-new Bernina didn't like it. (It went through the top okay, but always seemed to gum up the bobbin.) At that time, I switched to the long-staple European-made threads made by Guttermann and Mettler. I've always found them satisfactory--the only caveat is, I find it harder to tie a twist knot in the end--I attribute that to the fact that they are intrinsically anti-twist and snag. I know some people tend to look down their noses at these threads, but I have been using them for years now and am very pleased. The color selection is good, although once in a while, I come up short. Ann Wass ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Grrrrr ... !
In my neighborhood (in NYC) some of the little mom and pop ethnic convenience stores still sell Argo. Hard to find Linit, though (the liquid starch I used to get and use for a number of things...) Anne On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 5:49 AM, stils...@netspace.net.au wrote: Guddammut, time for a Cartman-like rant: Those *%$$! bxstards at the #@^$! supermarket have stopped stocking %(#! starch. Real starch, not that %$!@)( spray lubricant. You bxstards! -C. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
In cottons cotton poly, I like Meineke (whatever the spelling) and Guterman best. I, too, sneer at the shreddy CC thread. In silks, I prefer Earth Bell, tho I've never seen it in the US. --cin Cynthia Barnes cinbar...@gmail.com On Thu, May 17, 2012 at 8:11 AM, Marjorie Wilser the3t...@gmail.com wrote: My favorite thread has been discontinued without so much as a peep. I am preternaturally p.o'd at the venerable Coats Clark, but now I need to switch threads. My old favorite was the sometimes deingrated Coats Clark cotton-wrapped polyester. It had the shine of cotton and the strength of polyester. Coats is now producing it under the same name but it's all polyester. Ideas? I know some folks out there are thread snobs, but I just want something that's (a) available!! and (b) will hold up. A little (c) affordability and (d) good color range wouldn't hurt either. A basic, workhorse thread!! Second question: how do you match thread to fabric if you can't actually *compare* them in a store? ==Marjorie Wilser @..@ @..@ @..@ Three Toad Press http://3toad.blogspot.com/ ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
I also prefer the all cotton threads, especially Gutterman. My sewing machine was prepped by my repair guy to deal with the all cotton when he asked me my preference, and for the most part I've had no problems with it. I can usually get all cotton at the local fabric chain stores. As to color matching, I no longer bother. I keep a selection of basic colors - red, blue, black, white, green, purple, cream/neutral, and medium grey. I use those to sew with. I rarely topstitch so it doesn't show. If I do plan on topstitching, I tend to use a color that will contrast, either a little or a lot, depending on what I want. This means I can usually get the larger rolls of thread, and I don't have a color that hangs around for years because I only used a small amount for a project. I think I got the purple only because my daughter likes the color for her clothes. Kimiko On May 17, 2012, at 8:11 AM, Marjorie Wilser wrote: Ideas? I know some folks out there are thread snobs, but I just want something that's (a) available!! and (b) will hold up. A little (c) affordability and (d) good color range wouldn't hurt either. A basic, workhorse thread!! Second question: how do you match thread to fabric if you can't actually *compare* them in a store? ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
I used to buy Coats Clark cotton poly by preference, but it became so fragile awhile back that I switched to Gutermann poly. I recently bought some Gutermann all cotton and was surprised to find I like it less than their poly--the poly is smoother. I always match colors very carefully--I want the inside of garments to look as good as the outside. I have dozens of partial spools (I just sorted them all out by color). When a spool gets really low I use it up as hand-basting thread. Fran Lavolta Press Books of historic clothing patterns www.lavoltapress.com On 5/17/2012 1:41 PM, Kimiko Small wrote: I also prefer the all cotton threads, especially Gutterman. My sewing machine was prepped by my repair guy to deal with the all cotton when he asked me my preference, and for the most part I've had no problems with it. I can usually get all cotton at the local fabric chain stores. As to color matching, I no longer bother. snip ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
On 05/17/2012 05:51 PM, Lavolta Press wrote: I used to buy Coats Clark cotton poly by preference, but it became so fragile awhile back that I switched to Gutermann poly. I recently bought some Gutermann all cotton and was surprised to find I like it less than their poly--the poly is smoother. I agree with Fran's opinion of Gutermann all-cotton; I found it so rough as to be unusuable (and that was for hand-sewing). Nowadays, I use Gutermann's silk for most of my hand-sewing. If CC cotton/poly is gone, I'm not sure what I'll get the next time I break out my machine. -- Cathy Raymond ca...@thyrsus.com (610) 805-9542 Even imperfection itself may have its ideal or perfect state. --Thomas de Quincey ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
-- Message: 8 Date: Thu, 17 May 2012 08:11:19 -0700 From: Marjorie Wilser the3t...@gmail.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Subject: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions Message-ID: bec82a77-4330-4c05-88f9-ebd433cb6...@gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes My favorite thread has been discontinued without so much as a peep. I am preternaturally p.o'd at the venerable Coats Clark, but now I need to switch threads. My old favorite was the sometimes deingrated Coats Clark cotton- wrapped polyester. It had the shine of cotton and the strength of polyester. Coats is now producing it under the same name but it's all polyester. Ideas? I know some folks out there are thread snobs, but I just want something that's (a) available!! and (b) will hold up. A little (c) affordability and (d) good color range wouldn't hurt either. A basic, workhorse thread!! Second question: how do you match thread to fabric if you can't actually *compare* them in a store? ==Marjorie Wilser I use Guterman, but that is mostly because it is the only 'brand' name thread that seems to be readily available around here. I use either the 100% cotton or the 100% silk, but then I am mostly doing hand sewing not machine sewing these days. As for the second question, take a little snip of fabric with you when you go to buy the thread. Claire -- ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume End of h-costume Digest, Vol 11, Issue 103 ** ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
The fancy-pants polyester European threads always shredded in my machine, fwiw. My workhorse cast-iron Singer worked just Fine with cotton-covered polyester. Ann in CT From: Cin cinbar...@gmail.com In cottons cotton poly, I like Meineke (whatever the spelling) and Guterman best. I, too, sneer at the shreddy CC thread. In silks, I prefer Earth Bell, tho I've never seen it in the US. --cin Cynthia Barnes ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
I knew answers on thread preference would be all over the map--some like fancy pants European threads, some don't.Also interesting to note that some want to match thread to fabric exactly, others don't care. As to color, I veer towards the match exactly, but if I have a spool that is close, I will sometimes use it. And, as I've said, sometimes I can't find a good match with the European threads and had to fall back on Coats and Clark, but only for hand sewing, since my Bernina can't handle it. Guess I'll try the new formula, and see if I still have trouble. Ann Wass -Original Message- From: Ann Catelli elvestoor...@yahoo.com To: Historical Costume h-cost...@indra.com Sent: Thu, May 17, 2012 8:34 pm Subject: Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions The fancy-pants polyester European threads always shredded in my machine, fwiw. My workhorse cast-iron Singer worked just Fine with cotton-covered polyester. Ann in CT From: Cin cinbar...@gmail.com n cottons cotton poly, I like Meineke (whatever the spelling) and uterman best. I, too, sneer at the shreddy CC thread. n silks, I prefer Earth Bell, tho I've never seen it in the US. -cin ynthia Barnes __ -costume mailing list -cost...@mail.indra.com ttp://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
Hi Claire, I was positing having to buy my thread online. . . hard to upload that bit of fabric swatch :-D ==Marjorie Wilser @..@ @..@ @..@ Three Toad Press http://3toad.blogspot.com/ from Claire: I use Guterman, but that is mostly because it is the only 'brand' name thread that seems to be readily available around here. I use either the 100% cotton or the 100% silk, but then I am mostly doing hand sewing not machine sewing these days. As for the second question, take a little snip of fabric with you when you go to buy the thread. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Thread- reluctant switcher needs suggestions
That's funny, Ann, . . . I've _heard_ the modern machines had trouble with CC, but my Pfaff has never (save for a couple of occasions) had trouble with it. Now, all bets are off. I bought some CC all-poly thread simply because it was all I could find. It's WAY better than the original all-poly threads of 30 years ago-- but not nearly so nice and tidy as the cotton-covered one they usta had. I'm really glad I brought this up. It's giving me new ideas and things to try. Thanks to one and all! ==Marjorie Wilser @..@ @..@ @..@ Three Toad Press http://3toad.blogspot.com/ On May 17, 2012, at 7:10 PM, annbw...@aol.com wrote: I knew answers on thread preference would be all over the map--some like fancy pants European threads, some don't.Also interesting to note that some want to match thread to fabric exactly, others don't care. As to color, I veer towards the match exactly, but if I have a spool that is close, I will sometimes use it. And, as I've said, sometimes I can't find a good match with the European threads and had to fall back on Coats and Clark, but only for hand sewing, since my Bernina can't handle it. Guess I'll try the new formula, and see if I still have trouble. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
