Went into a Joanne’s about 2 months ago looking for denim.
First time in about 10 years I had been to that store and it was depressing. Fabrics weren’t organized by types i.e. corduroy, cottons, denims but by themes! It was gross.
Wandered back into the pattern section and found 3 women my age. We spent the next half hour lamenting the down fall of the home sewing movement and if you want to sew, cost wise, it’s now a luxury.
Tell me about it, lizma.
The influx of cheap ready-to-wear clothing, courtesy of the slave wages paid in Asia, pretty much killed the industry. Our 90-year-old family fabric business went under about 10 years ago because of this economic shift. Maybe it's some kind of weird karma that Joanne's and the other chains that screwed the mom-and-pop shops are now feeling the pain.
And yes, I am still bitter about it. Forced my uncles who were in business with my dad to have to seriously pinch pennies in their declining years. My parents had both passed away when the business died, so they didn't have it quite as bad.
I agree.
Each time I revisit Jo Ann the fabric section grows smaller. Most often more expensive to sew an item than to merely buy it. Quilting, though, continues to be popular.
Like Diogenes Lamp, I also surf the thrift shops for used clothing. I repurpose the fabric. I am an artist and find very interesting fabric for my still life paintings.