Sewing-- a lost art?

There a some fundamental skills that should not be lost. One of those is the skill and art of sewing. Statistics show that the number of sewing, needlework and piece goods stores in the United States has remained stable for the past ten years or so, but many schools have dropped the teaching of sewing and other home economics type skills. Except for historical dramas, the portrayal of people involved in sewing has completely disappeared from the American media. When was the last time you saw someone in a movie or television show sewing clothes for their family?

The real fact is that the woman who sews at home, says the trade organization Sewing Fashion Council, is college-educated, is 25 to 45 years old, often has a child ; her household income is $35,000 to $40,000. "There is a very high correlation between highly advanced education and women who sew," said Caryl Svendsen, a spokeswoman for the Sewing Fashion Council, a consumer-information resource in Manhattan. The Sewing Fashion Council says that the average cost of a contemporary sewing machine is $1,125. And while 29 percent of machine owners surveyed in 1988 had incomes under $20,000, another 29 percent had incomes over $50,000

Sewing, like many other activities, has become high tech. The number of electronic and computer operated machines for sale has increased dramatically. Even if you are not into the newest electronics, sewing is skill that can enhance your ability to weather the storms of modern life.