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Member since 6/24/05
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Posted on: 9/20/13 8:02 AM ET
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/business/us-textile-factories-return.html?hp

The article describes how some of the old textile and clothing factories have been automated here, and can now compete with overseas manufacturing. Clothing makers here prefer locally made fabric, for many reasons.

I'm always glad to see any manufacturing returning to the U.S. but especially clothing and textile making.
  
Member since 5/30/13
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Posted on: 9/20/13 9:03 AM ET
Interesting article. I hope the trend continues.

It is good to a portion of the industry coming back. I don't think the rest will. It makes me a bit sad.

When I was in college, I worked as a skilled garment worker, and loved it. Even then it was almost impossible to find workers with the skills to do the job (military contractor, one worker making items from start to finish at one station). I was the only person born in the US who wasn't management, the rest were all women from the Philippines who had married Americans. They had all worked in the factories there. I BSed my way in.

I was very young then, now I'm looking for land to build the "retirement house". I'd really love to see a new generation make things for a living, using tech skills they already have, and garment industry skills they could learn.
  
Member since 1/29/10
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Posted on: 9/20/13 9:44 AM ET
In reply to maryl
Interesting article. Thanks for posting.


-- Edited on 9/20/13 8:12 PM --
  
Member since 4/14/04
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Posted on: 9/20/13 10:13 AM ET
While the headline sounded bleak, I like seeing articles like these and I am hopeful about the increase in domestic manufacturing. It may look different now than in the past, but I think it's still a good thing.

Thanks for sharing!

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Liz
  
Member since 12/15/02
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Posted on: 9/20/13 10:37 AM ET
In reply to maryl
It so simple a solution to our jobless around this county. And there was an article stating that one of the smart phones was only $10 more to produce in the US. Bring factory jobs back to the US. And stop and corporate welfare to company do manufacturing overseas for products that are sold here. Let's put America back to work. If fabric was once again produced in the US it would probably be much cheaper. With the price of oil these days in transportation costs alone.
  
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Member since 7/30/02
Posts: 8991
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Posted on: 9/20/13 12:53 PM ET
Perhaps we home sewing hobbyists will be able to buy more local fabric! I used to like it when Polartech was made here in Massachusetts, but they moved the production overseas. (No idea if it has been moved back or not.)

P.S. Those sweatshirts featured in the article sound pretty nice!
-- Edited on 9/20/13 12:57 PM --
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With a great wardrobe that's still in the flat-fabric stage.
  
Member since 5/10/06
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Posted on: 9/23/13 10:51 AM ET
Thank you for posting the link! The article was interesting and well-written. I found it intriguing that rather than celebrating that the fewer jobs needed to run the factory are high-quality, well-paid, skilled, and safe jobs that won't kill you with cotton lung, they bemoaned that it required fewer jobs. While jobs are the main economic benefit of factory production in the US, there are a whole lot of other economic reverberations that benefit us as well.
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http://theslapdashsewist.blogspot.com
=================
2007: purchased 115+, sewed 105+
So close to parity, yet so far

Trying again in 2008
Yards purchased: 133
Yards sewn: Somewhere around 95

2009? I give up
  
Member since 4/12/05
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Posted on: 9/23/13 12:10 PM ET
article

It takes a while to load, so be patient.
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Currently working on a boys quilt. Sized 40 x 40 inches. It has chickens, chicken eggs, cows, fish, sea life, afield with water, Dachshunds, mini sailboats, and many colorful other fabrics. The blocks are a 4 x 4 finished size, so many of them are needed.
This my 4th quilt in 7 months.

Bernina 630, Bernina embroidery module, Pfaff 2036, Bernina 1200DA serger, Unique Sewing Cabinet 450L

Gardening info: zone 8 standard map and zone 6 Sunset map
  
Member since 4/14/04
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Posted on: 9/23/13 4:37 PM ET
In reply to nicegirl
I noticed that as well.

I would think that creating higher-quality, higher paying, skilled jobs would be the main goal of updating manufacturing in the U.S, even if it means fewer low-end paying jobs than in the past. It's still better than recent past where there were almost NO jobs at all!

I felt optimistic after reading it, in spite of the rather cynical tone. I wanted to say to the writer, *Don't let perfect be the enemy of good*.
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Liz
  
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