(no subject)

Last week, I took apart a worn-out blouse I liked, to use the pieces as a pattern to make some similar tops. As I was picking it apart, I found out that the reason the drawstring had never drawn properly was because it was sewn to the lace casing on one side, because it cuts production costs to have someone just sew the lace on over the drawstring, rather than sew the lace on and then thread the drawstring through.

Most people (myself included) probably don't much think about where the things we buy come from, or who made them, but I found myself wondering who had made my blouse, imagined a Chinese factory girl getting sleepy over her machine, not being as careful as she could have been when sewing on her 472nd lace casing of the day.