Monday, December 22, 2008

Ladies, your help is needed

If you have been reading many of the sewing and craft blogs and websites, you may already be aware of a new law to be enacted in February of next year. This law will require that anything used in production of a product to be used by children under the age of 12 MUST be tested for safety, and bear a label stating that it has passed these tests.
This law will effectively put small manufacturers out of business, as the testing is cost-prohibitive. What you may not realize is that grandmas and home sewers who make items as GIFTS will also be liable to comply with the law.
This legislation could have a negative effect on the sewing industry as a whole. Fabric suppliers, threads suppliers, notions suppliers and sewing machine vendors will all be held liable for testing. The law will also have an effect on any business or entity that deals with any children under the age of 12: schools, daycare institutions, churches, even children's gymnasiums or after-school activity classes such as recreational sports.
Please read Kathleen Fassanella's excellent blog, www.fashion-incubator.com , for further updates and information. And please, contact your congressman and let them know of our concerns.

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