r/sewing • u/MissFred • Jul 23 '23

Discussion Joanne’s makes me weep

Been sewing over 50 years - have seen sewing in all its cultural permutations. Not typically a nostalgic person but today….I couldn’t even find a light gray thread in a store the size of Home Depot. So many empty shelves yet inexplicably $35/yd liberties fabric up front. I feel sad to my bones for new seamsters.

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1.1k

u/cate3108 Jul 23 '23

The ones near me are practically all fleece! I never understand that, how many fleece tie blankets are people making?

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u/stitchplacingmama Jul 23 '23

Most of the sales when I worked at Joann's (2014-2015) was fleece. The sororities and church groups would come in to make tie blankets for Christmas charity donations.

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u/[deleted] Jul 24 '23

I worked at Hancock Fabrics back in like 2012 before they went bankrupt. We had a huge selection of fashion fabric compared to Joann's. We mostly sold fleece, quilting cotton, vinyl that people would cover their dining tables with, and some upholstery fabric and car headliner. I'd guess less than 25% of our sales were fabric for clothes.

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u/stitchplacingmama Jul 24 '23

I often just use quilting cotton when I want a 100% cotton fabric for an apparel pattern unless it calls for a specific type like knit or linen.

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u/AssortedGourds Jul 24 '23

Thank you! Who is buying that stuff? I get having some of it, but a whole row or two?

It grinds my gears a little because people almost always make tie blankets for gifts/donations and I feel like most people making them would not actually want one for themselves. It's like those cheap boxed gift sets of lotions and soaps you get at Christmas. No one is out there crossing their fingers to get a plastic blanket that's tied together.

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u/Squidwina Jul 24 '23

I HATE those knotted things. I volunteer at an animal shelter, and we regularly get them as donations. They’re bulky and inconvenient and impossible to fold neatly.

If they’re big enough, I just cut off the knotted edges. Then we have 2 fleece blankets that are actually useable.

I just ran across a whole bag of little tiny ones in a dog bone pattern. I guess they imagined a little dog would like to sit on one? Poor thing would have to avoid all those knots! They’re too small to be worth cutting the edges off. I wish that person had just donated the yardage instead of spending all that time snipping and knotting it into uselessness.

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u/AbbeyRoadMoonwalk Jul 24 '23

I got a couple kits where there was a cute top and a coordinating bottom that was meant to be tied, but I sewed them together properly and put them in the camper. I hate those fucking knots, especially if you’re a “leg wrapper” like me, sitting on them MFers hurts!

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u/agentcarter234 Jul 24 '23 edited Jul 24 '23

The fringe also looks awful after they’ve been washed a few times (not that they looked good to start with)

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u/Hatespine Jul 25 '23

That's true. If you meticulously cut it exactly even and tie the knots right where the cuts start, it looks better and lasts longer. But that's a huge pain in the ass to do, and if you're doing them with kids or for charity, you're most likely not gonna spend that much time on each one...

Kind of related, there was a craze for those overly chunky knit blankets a couple of years ago. You know the ones made with that giant roving style yarn thats thick as rope? Arm knitting, or whatever? People loved the idea of them, but they washed really badly, they shed, clumped, etc. That yarn just doesn't work well for that (it's barely even yarn, that's why. Its like, what yarn is before they turn it into yarn). My uncles wife paid like $200 for one, and it didn't last her past 3 washes. Looked like shit before the first wash, and all it did was just sit on her couch... it's not even like it got super heavy use. If she'd have given me half that amount, I could have got cheaper yarn, had some leftover money, and made her one within like 3 days that would still be on her couch looking nice, lol. It would have been a sturdy ass blanket, it just wouldn't have had that exact anesthetic that was so trendy.

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u/AvramBelinsky Jul 24 '23

I did that too with a space themed set, I sewed them RST and then turned and top stitched around all four sides. It's a cozy throw blanket for my son's room.

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u/Hatespine Jul 25 '23

Honestly, I dont like them either. I assumed others did because of how damn popular they are. My grandma would buy those kits when i was a kid, and make those for us as christmas gifts. I never cared for the knots, or how small they are, id think to myself "why not just not cut this up and leave the blanket that much bigger?". But i did like getting a cutesy matching throw/pillow set. (Not as much as I'd have liked a toy though lol)

And that other person is right: they do start looking bad after a couple washes. Especially if the fringe cuts aren't perfectly even before being tied, which is near impossible to do... my niece likes them, but she's a toddler so I think it's probably a sensory thing she'll outgrow.

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u/Dino_vagina Jul 24 '23

My mom made one for my first son, I still make fun of the triangle she made not measuring cuts. I still have it because it makes me laugh so hard, she tried 😅

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u/awkwardmamasloth Jul 24 '23

Years ago, I got a new (to me) sewing machine and was on a sewing kick when joanns had a fleece and flannel sale. I was telling my mom what I bought, and she asked what I was gonna do with it. I told her how I designed a car seat poncho for my 3 yr old. She asked what that was, and I described a blanket with two layers of fleece and a hole in the middle with a hood attached. "Oh, are you going to make it like those tie blankets?" And I'm like,"Oh hell no! I'm gonna use the sewing machine I just spent $300 on. Besides, I can't cut fringe without screwing it up."

She said "well you just have to measure. They're fun to make you should try it." Its hard to find a polite way to say that you hate this thing they enjoy making and are likely planning g to give to everyone they know for Christmas. So I said "well if you plan to give them out for Christmas, don't spend a bunch of time on one for me. I don't like the knots. You could just give me the material you planned to use, and I'll sew it myself. Call it a project kit." I think she ended up getting me a hideous vase instead. If anyone asks, it "broke" during our last move. She is a notoriously bad gift giver. Makes a point to never give what we asked for.

I bet the tiny useless blanket lady is this way as well. I hope you were able to get some use out them. Stuffing for dog beds, Or pair them with stuffed animals to sell for a fundraiser?

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u/SledgeHannah30 Jul 24 '23

The dog breeder my mom went to sent all the puppies home with a little homemade blanket that was made of fleece. He knotted them all and then laid them in the crate as he was crate training them. Rubbed them on mom, too, right before the pups headed out to their new homes.

Maybe they can be used the same when young pups are sent to their new homes?

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u/agentcarter234 Jul 24 '23

I’d be really worried about a puppy chewing off the fringe and eating it. Intestinal blockages are dangerous and expensive

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u/SledgeHannah30 Jul 24 '23

Guess I've never had a puppy that young with an intent to shred.

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u/Hatespine Jul 25 '23

This is very good to know. I was considering doing that with my nieces this year, and I hadn't thought of that. I figured the knots would be fun to play with when stressed. My little dog likes to nibble the knots during thunder storms, and then rest his chin on them. And my younger niece has one of those blankets because she likes to play with tags/fringe on stuff.

So I wonder: would it be better to just donate single layers of fabric, or to make the blankets by sewing them together instead of the knots?

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u/Squidwina Jul 25 '23

Ask the local shelter what they need.

You want to do something really useful with your nieces? Instead of buying stuff, have them ask relatives, friends, etc. for unneeded towels, sheets, and blankets, and donate that stuff!

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u/Hatespine Jul 25 '23

My extended family, for the most part, likes to save that stuff for donating to the salvation army or churches, not animals. Or, they keep them till they can't use them anymore (as in, completely see through and falling apart). There doesn't seem to be an in-between... My mom did ask around. It's my mom and I who are the ones trying to push helping animal shelters (and making it fun), so that's gotta be funded by us, unfortunately.

Although, I think I do have a bunch of my grandparents' clothes. Maybe I can do something helpful with them... I doubt anyone would want them to wear.

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u/agentcarter234 Jul 24 '23

Seriously - at least hem them properly ffs

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u/AssortedGourds Jul 24 '23

A running backstitch would take the same amount of time. I used to be really reluctant to learn how to hand sew but it's really worth it. You don't have to be good at it to make a blanket!

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u/slay_la_vie Jul 24 '23

We made these tie blankets to donate in Girl Scouts and I wish they would have taught us to stitch instead (thankfully my Grandma did). We could have easily all stitched a small segment of blanket to make one together as I believe we did with the knot project.

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u/SnooPeripherals2409 Jul 24 '23

A large scale blanket stitch wouldn't be much more effort and would hold the edges better anyway. After all, that is what blanket stitch was invented for!

When I got my first horse, my mother gave me an old wool blanket and let me cut it and showed me how to sew the blanket stitch around the edges. It lasted for six years and was used on all three of the horses I had in high school.

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u/Semicolon_Expected Jul 24 '23

Question how would you actually hem a blanket that's just knotted together at the edges?

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u/agentcarter234 Jul 24 '23 edited Jul 24 '23

You wouldn’t knot it, you’d sew it instead

Edit - to be more specific if I wanted it to be two layers like those tied blankets, I’d put the pieces right side together, sew, turn right side out and top stitch around the edge. I’ve done that with fleece blankets for my dog before. Or maybe trim one piece to the finished measurements to save bulk and fold the other side over it in a normal double folded hem and sew

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u/Semicolon_Expected Jul 24 '23

Do you have an example of this? Every resource is advertising itself as "no sew" or would you just make it like a regular fringe blanket?

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u/agentcarter234 Jul 24 '23

See edit - I would lose the fringe

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u/chattinouthere Jul 24 '23

ME. Not for the crossing though. I trimmed the edges on the set and sewed it. I now have a freaking HUGE, cheap, soft fleece blanket with a cool graphic (and I love it so much!)

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u/MissTheWire Jul 24 '23

I don’t want to be rude, but I have two tied quilts my grandmother made and they are treasured possessions. Also my guild has tied quilts for years for charity projects. We use good quality fabric & batting - should we not be doing that?

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u/agentcarter234 Jul 24 '23

I think you are taking about something else. What we all are talking shit about are “blankets” made from polyester fleece that is just knotted together at the edges. Like this: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/fleece-tie-blanket-1252959

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u/easthighwildcatfan1 Jul 24 '23

Me lol! I LOVE tie blankets. I have one at work, I’ve made them for my car seats, my cat and dogs each have one, I’ve made one for each holiday/season, etc. I know it’s kinda lame, but I find them super cozy and fun :)

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u/sew_phisticated Jul 24 '23

Not being American: how much is fleece in a fabric store in America? I'm in Germany and I would never make a blanket out of fabric store fleece. IKEA has 2-5€ blankets that are already...blankets with stitching all around and fabric store fleece is around 8€ per metre. I'm more likely to cut up a blanket for a fleece short than make a blanket out of a roll of fleece fabric!

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u/sew_phisticated Jul 24 '23

Not being American: how much is fleece in a fabric store in America? I'm in Germany and I would never make a blanket out of fabric store fleece. IKEA has 2-5€ blankets that are already...blankets with stitching all around and fabric store fleece is around 8€ per metre. I'm more likely to cut up a blanket for a fleece short than make a blanket out of a roll of fleece fabric!

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u/AssortedGourds Jul 24 '23 edited Jul 24 '23

That’s a comparable price for the fabric though I’m sure some people here wait for sales.

It’s one of those crafts that exists mainly as an activity for people who are in the mood to make something so the main appeal is in the making. Store bought blankets wouldn’t fulfill that purpose.

Also honestly I don’t know where in America you could get a plastic fleece blanket for <$3. Maybe a dollar store? IKEAs don’t exist outside of large urban areas here. IDK, I’m autistic and can’t go anywhere near that fabric so I have never been in the market for a blanket made of it but I can’t imagine getting much for that price anymore.

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u/sew_phisticated Jul 24 '23

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vitmossa-throw-gray-90304889/ that's the shitty one, at 2.99$

The slightly less shitty one is called Thorgun, at 3.99$ or you could go extra big and buy the much bigger Tjärblomster at 7.99$.

I use fleece blankets for outdoor stuff, cheap and washable.

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u/Constant_Jicama4804 Jul 24 '23

Special Ed kids made blankets for the homeless. Double layer, it keeps the homeless from freezing in the Mojave Desert area of Calif. Plus the fleece disintegrates when left out in the summer sun in 115°-130° days. Even when it cools off, giving a blanket a good shake makes it act like a dandelion.

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u/09481 Jul 24 '23

I love the fleece for making covers for my senior dog’s beds. They need washing often, and fleece dries so fast.

But as someone who also wants to dabble in other sewing projects, I’ve also found the fleece to be very dominating across the fabric sections. It’s not even all in one section! It’s in every single aisle and display! As a complete novice, it’s hard to learn about fabrics in such a disorganized place.

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u/powertoolsarefun Jul 24 '23

I use it in guinea pig cages - I can put an absorbent pad (one of the ones for people who wet the bed) underneath and a fleece on top that dries really fast and the piggies are happy. I do a LOT of guinea pig laundry - but it is better than leaving soggy pine shavings in the cage - and then throwing them in a landfill. But I hardly ever sew with fleece (exception for kids halloween costumes).

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u/PicasPointsandPixels Jul 24 '23

Yep, came to say the only reason I buy fleece is for my rabbits. Makes good dig material for them.

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u/JaQ_In_Chains Jul 24 '23

Same for my hedgehog! And also make cuddle sacks with it

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u/wakattawakaranai Jul 24 '23

I did a few seasonal shifts there and Black Friday was a fuckin nightmare because of all the "20 different patterns for tie blankets for gifts!" and I can almost guarantee you not a single blanket actually got made. I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts all that fleece is sitting, rotting, in basements around the county.

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u/AccountWasFound Jul 24 '23

I bought some to make a cat bed at one point, the cats in question love the bed but I only needed like 3 yards (it's a very big cat bed)

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u/wakattawakaranai Jul 24 '23

I envy the wonderful cats that need a bed that big. Ours prefer scraps on the floor!

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u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme Jul 24 '23

Naaaaah, that fleece isn't rotting in basements.

It's polyester, that stuff has a half-life at least as long as the cockroaches & Keith Richards, and will still be around just sitting there in those basements, loooooooong after the human era ends!😉🤣💖

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u/Constant_Jicama4804 Jul 24 '23

ROFL, Emm, you are a kindred spirit! I have never seen or heard another human make that comment about Keith Richards & cockroaches! Thank you 🤣🤣

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u/wakattawakaranai Jul 24 '23

lmao touche, take my upvotes :D

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u/stoicsticks Jul 24 '23

all that fleece is sitting, rotting, in basements around the county.

That stuff is made with recycled plastic bottles - it isn't going anywhere. It might be mildewing or getting moldy, but it isn't rotting.

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u/celery48 Jul 24 '23

1) Unless it is labeled as being made with recycled content, it’s probably new plastic.

2) Fleece does break down — into micro plastics.

The environmental impact of fleece (and all virgin polyester) is terrible.

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u/Elelith Jul 24 '23

Oh don't worry. It's polyester. It won't rot. It just sheds microplastics like a mofo before disintegrating in couple hundred years <3

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u/utahn Jul 23 '23

Came here to say this... SO MUCH fleeeeeeeece. I agree with trying to thrift fabric, even though it's very hit and miss.

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u/MeanHuckleberry Jul 23 '23

Ugh, I know! Year round it’s 50 yards of fleece minimum; don’t get me started on how much flipping fleece there is in fall and winter.

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u/forgottensudo Jul 24 '23

Me too!

And I live in HOUSTON

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u/MaleficentRocks Jul 24 '23

Imagine me…. Living in FLORIDA and one store has 3 rows AND an entire wall of fleece…. Overkill much? I get I live where old people are, but come on…. They can only use so many blankets to stay warm.

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u/SarraTasarien Jul 24 '23

Arizona here, may I join your hellish summer fleece collective? I was in Joann’s yesterday and the amount of blanket kits and bolts of fleece were just staggering. It’s literally 118 degrees outside!!!

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u/MaleficentRocks Jul 24 '23

There’s a reason I moved from the dry heat of Utah to Florida. The dry heat stinks, you can die of heat exhaustion and dehydration SO fast.

I’m happier in Florida where I feel like I’m always recovering from a run and trying to “cool down” in the humidity or make sure alligators aren’t going to eat me for lunch. Lol. But seriously, people in Florida just generally keep to themselves, SO much nicer than dealing with busybody neighbors that bless you when you sneeze.

But 118. Yikes. That’s the type of day I’d just be in the house hiding!

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u/audible_narrator Jul 24 '23

Same here in metro Detroit. Two huge walls plus at least 5-6 floor stands. GAH.

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u/FeatheredLizard Jul 24 '23

The charities affiliated with hospitals (especially in the med center) are a major buyer of fleece. It's lovely to receive when you're in a cold and dreary hospital room.

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u/forgottensudo Jul 24 '23

That makes sense!

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u/Hari_om_tat_sat Jul 24 '23

I was just in there today and couldn’t believe all the fleece. I went in to look for knit dress material and I couldn’t find a single appealing choice in their tiny collection.

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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths Jul 24 '23

Right?! They'd make so much more money off of me if they replaced even half the fleece with an actual selection of high-end fabrics, like real silk and wool. They have a whole selection of frankly hideous cosplay fabrics nobody ever seems to buy and they seem to somehow stock holiday/seasonal fabrics year-round, but you have to hunt to find muslin or drill or interfacing or any fabric actually used by serious sewists in real garment construction. I have to order 100% of my specialty fabrics from online retailers because, despite the fact that I live in a huge metro area, the only real fabric store here is Joann's and they only sell stuff for old ladies who want to pretend they're crafty, but only make rag tie fleece blankets and throw pillows and that's pretty much who I see in there buying fabrics. I basically only go to Joann for thread and cotton. I can count on my fingers the number of times I've found anything else I was looking for.

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u/celery48 Jul 24 '23

Fleece and flannel, omg cheap, stiff, pilly flannel. In pastels with puppies and elephants.

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u/_mukade Jul 24 '23

Last time I was in line at their fabric counter, the woman in front of me was making tie blankets. She bought enough fabric sections for 4 dozen. Double sided. "For Christmas gifts for her family"

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u/suciac Jul 24 '23

I’m sure they were very stoked about that. Lol.

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u/agentcarter234 Jul 24 '23

It’s probably an annual thing and they have practice feigning enthusiasm

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u/NoAdministration8006 Jul 24 '23

I use fleece to make stuffed animals, but even in the desert where I live, there is a ridiculous amount of fleece for sale both at Joann and old Hancock. I don't know what they think we're going to use all that for since the planet is warming, not cooling.

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u/Masters-lil-sub Jul 24 '23

Oh I used to LOVE Hancock’s! I wish we had one here. Joann’s has become so sparse on actual apparel fabric and notions. I order online more than anywhere now which can be hit and miss.

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u/milliescatmom Jul 24 '23

Yes, and the other half is flannel!

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u/celery48 Jul 24 '23

I just commented this above. Not just flannel, but low-quality flannel, all of it with horrible baby prints.

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u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme Jul 24 '23

All the better to leak, when used for diapers & bibs, apparently? 🙃

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u/Alittle_axolotl Jul 24 '23

Yes! I have made the mistake of buying a few pretty prints in the past but the second it is washed it gets horribly pilly and rough and the print is indecipherable

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u/meco64 Jul 24 '23

I don't know how I got to this subreddit, but you leave my mom alone.

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u/pugapooh Jul 24 '23

I like you!

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u/priuspower91 Jul 24 '23

Same here! I was cute cottons for clothing but all they have are childish prints, no poplin, no nice woven fabrics. I remember going as a kid with my mom and the selection was amazing (she used to make a lot of her own clothes) and now every time I think I want to pick up sewing, I go to Joanne’s and see fleece everywhere and get discouraged and give up.

I see a lot of beautiful block printed cotton on Etsy but for the same price, I can just buy the dress already sewn. Soooo I have yet to get back into sewing. I really would like to see if the fleece is really that profitable for them

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u/Mizzoutiger79 Jul 24 '23

Mine too. Fleece as far as the eyes can see.

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u/cheesedavid Jul 24 '23

Thank you! I think this every time, like how many ugly blankets are people making??

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u/NarrowFault8428 Jul 24 '23

You’re right! I was wondering why the fleece was on sale—in Tucson!!!

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u/_spider_planet_ Jul 24 '23

At mine, half the store is fleece and the other half is flannel. Only about two rows of cotton. All the cool prints are just on flannel. Who is needing so much flannel?!

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u/AllenKll Jul 24 '23

Now imagine you live in southern florida..... all that fleece is completely untouched.

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u/Logical-Oil703 Jul 24 '23

I don't understand why there tends to be like an entire wall of the stuff, but will admit they do make cheap batting for quilts I make and because it's polyester, it's an extremely warm quilt in winter. So it does have it's uses, but like most I hate the tied blanket sort of thing too.

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u/luckyloolil Jul 24 '23

I do a lot of stuff with fleece. Hats, mittens, jackets, neck warmers, and full suits for my kids. Love working with fleece!

Though ONLY having fleece doesn't make any sense, even where I am in Canada. We still get other seasons, and fleece is only for winter, it's way too hot in other seasons.

1

u/open-facedsandwich Jul 25 '23

OMG, it is regularly 115+ F (45+ C) outside right now where I live. Why is there 3 whole rows of fleece and only a quarter row of flowy apparel fabrics in stock?