On average, in America, how many times is a shirt worn before it is discarded? Mull that over for a while.
Many of us can remember routinely wearing patched and mended clothing. Often a shirt or pair of pants became part of the “hand-me-down” circuit in a family, or even an extended family. “Get out of your school clothes!” was a frequent refrain in the average household not that many years ago (and probably, still today).
Mending, darning, and patching was something that over-worked homemakers routinely did. Where clothes today are “ready-made”, clothing of the bygone era was often hand made, and had to last from one kid to the next and on down the line.
Mending was a staple of the American woman’s lifestyle. This beautiful little pin-cushion, in the shape of a woman’s shoe, is part of the collection of the museum. It was in the cushion portion that pins and needles were kept for easy access, in this every day or weekly chore.
For many, if not most, mending is a thing of the past, because, as the Wall Street Journal tells us – the average lifespan of a shirt in America is… seven wearings. – Mannie Gentile
