Hi Jim
Don't tell everyone that!
The mystic of the needle and thread keeps me in Business!
Just kidding. Being able to attack the simple 
chores of sewing as well as changing a tire and 
basic wood work and use of tools and cooking 
should all be taught in todays schools as a NEED. 
BUT, as we have seen in the past 20 years Less 
and Less BASIC and I mean BASIC knowledge of things are being lost.
The Old school guys are retiring and die with 
their art. No NEW blood is in the game. Today a 
90 year old business went out of business and all 
the canvas work will be coming my way this 
summer. Also I got word a week ago another shop 
is retiring at the end of the year and has been 
turning customers over to us for the past 3 
years. We do not have to advertise. Simple ad in 
the phone book and a website. In the world of No 
Jobs and NO Skills in the Trades being taught as 
in years past this is a Very profitable aspect 
BUT you have to work! ahh the catch!
I enjoy it! it is never  the same. Some days I 
hate it. Others I enjoy it. I say all the time it 
is a dying trade and it is, The people doing it 
are dying. Not a trade you will get rich on. You can support a family. I am.
All in good fun.
The Basics are great but there is a bit of need 
to know for special application type stuff like 
marine, Canvas, High Temps, UV etc, Etc.

C-ya Jonce

>Today there was a thread on what to use to attach one fabric to
>another. All kinds of glues were discussed. Sewing was mentioned a few
>times, and in two of those posts it was mentioned that fabric stores
>are the haunts of women, etc. Like the kitchen was thirty years ago.
>
>I recently figured out how to sew. It didn't take long. I inherited my
>grandmother's 1926 Singer 101 and have put it to good use. I am a
>pretty good mechanic and woodworker, and I see no difference between
>those pursuits and sewing, or welding, or masonry to name a few.
>
>I have not been in a fabric store in a long long time, but I'm sure I
>will be again. I am a known face in my local upholstery shop. In the
>last several months, my sewing projects have included
>
>� nine hours of restitching a $2000+ pool cover
>� a kayak hatch cover like you can't buy in a store
>� a wheelchair cushion zipper, saving $200
>� a roll to hold all the pieces of my westy's removable seat track covers
>� reupholstery of a kitchen booth seat
>� a padded cover for my bulkhead-mounted Olympian Wave III in my westy
>
>and more.
>
>This is already over 3 grand worth of savings not counting the number
>of small items I've repaired. If you are excluding the acquisition of
>a sewing machine (dirt cheap) to your tool set because you think
>sewing is beneath you, and you are already process-minded and
>mechanically inclined, you are missing out on something that will help
>you immensely.
>
>I will soon replace the zipper in my westy poptop screen, sew a tyvek
>weather cover for my westy and sew a roll skirt for my kayak.
>
>Anything you want to know about it is on a youtube video. You can get
>into it for less than $50. It isn't rocket science.
>
>Jim