RE: cheap fabric

[Betty & David Eyer <Betty_and_David@compuserve.com>]

Poster: Betty & David Eyer <Betty_and_David@compuserve.com>

I agree that very cheap cotton fabric can be found by the determined
shopper.  Most stores that carry quilting supplies also carry cotton
sheeting.  You can get 90" wide white cotton sheeting for about 3 bucks a
yard; because of the extra width you will need less of it.  Three yards of
that and a package of RIT and you have several pieces of basic clothing.  

I am not a person who enjoys shopping.  I do what I call "blitzkreig"
shopping - I am on my lunch hour, I have a list and I am going to blow
through the store in 30 minutes or less and hit the car with or without any
purchases after that time.   I do drive-bys of my favorite dry good stoors
- including WalMart, Fabric Warehouse - and some of my non-favorites like
Cloth World once a month or so and I know what bins to check for remnants
and clearance.  I buy linen at 6 bucks a yard two weeks after Easter, I buy
cotton flannel at 4 bucks a yard in January, and I buy krinkle cotton for 2
bucks a yard after Pennic.   

If a college student can not afford a tunic and their camp mates cannot
afford a tunic, then how the heck can they afford beer, food and their
entrance fee? Rock concert tickets are 35 bucks a pop and college students
go to them in droves.    I remember being young and poor and I would go
without food, be creative and ingenious and do deep inhaling exercises
around young men in order to get what I really wanted for my amusements.  I
imagine that young folks still do these things today. 

I also do not get the argument that one must wear a bikini to be
comfortable in hot weather.  If this were really a good idea, folks who
live in tropical and semitropical places would wear only a g-string.  In
actuality, folks who live in very hot places tend to wear loose garments of
natural fibers that cover much or all of their skin.  Since you can in good
conscience wear a variety of African, middle eastern and far eastern
clothing  in the SCA, I don't see a good argument for wearing a bikini, no
matter how good (or bad) you look in one.  I see nothing wrong with
dressing as a (period) slave - if I can have my fantasy within the
parameters of the SCA, so can you. If you want to walk around being led by
a leash in someone else's hand, I can just avert my eyes.  Frankly,
rudeness and intolerance are far worse to me than a little fetish here and
there.  No doubt in the lowly streets of Venice and London in period there
were some strange behaviours apparent for all the world to see.  However,
nudity IN PUBLIC is out of the question because it is a) illegal b)
inappropriate for children and c) deprives others of their choice to see or
not see your nudity.  

I agree that sneakers are OK at Pennsic (for health reasons) and I am not
offended by an exercise bra peaking out from beneath a celtic tube dress or
a middle-eastern vest (for practicality).  These are, IMHO, common sense
accomodataions to reality.  Ears, star trek paraphernalia, american
revolutionary war gear and bikinis are not only failing the "reasonable
attempt" rule, they are flaunting their disregard for that rule.   The
lower end of SCA requirements for participation is really pretty darned low
and if we lower it any  more we may as well be doing roll playing games. If
this is not what you want to do there are plenty of other amusements around
that fit those other costumes.

Magdalena de Hazebrouck
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