Elastic binding tape for a sewn jersey blanket: what is it?

Dear users, dear designers,
I read something online about an elastic binding tape for
sewn jersey blankets. What is it, and what do you use it for?

That’s a great question, Josefa. I’m curious about the answer, too.

Best regards, Ina

The elastic binding tape is supposed to prevent the blanket from fraying, and it’s elastic so that it stretches along with the blanket, which is naturally stretchy. A non-elastic binding tape would just tear open at the seam and unravel, which is why elastic binding tape

is used. Best regards, Inge

OK
but aren’t there also non-stretch binding tapes? What are those used for?

Firm binding tapes are often used for bath mats, etc., because nothing should ripple and they should lie flat. You can also use firm binding tapes at the top of basket bags or bags for a neat finish.

Best regards, Inge

What material are binding strips made of?

They’re usually woven from sturdy cotton yarn, often in a twill weave, since that’s sturdier than a regular plain weave

Best regards, Inge

If I start asking now what a twill weave is or what a cross weave is, we’ll end up in a wormhole of naive questions.
There’s so much to learn.
How long does it take to train as a women’s tailor, and how many years of professional experience did it take you to learn all of this?

I trained as a retraining student from February 1986 to February 1988, followed by six months of patternmaking. The entire program was taught in an intensive format—we started at 8:00 a.m. and went until 4:30 p.m. Our instructor came from the Aschaffenburg Fashion School, and the program was funded by the employment office.
If a school leaver trains for this profession as an industrial seamstress nowadays, there are three levels. After the first year, you’re a seamstress and can sew simple, light tasks as part of the production line; after the second year, you’re a finisher and can already tackle more complicated items; and after the third year, you’re a fully qualified women’s outerwear seamstress (DOB = Damenoberbekleidung). After that, you can also add patternmaking; it was offered at our school, and I took advantage of it.
I then worked for a while as a floater seamstress in the local garment industry until I started my own business running an alteration shop. I ran it for almost four years, but then the 1993 recession broke my business’s neck. Around 40,000 workers were laid off here, so people no longer had the money to pay for a seamstress.
But if you learn the trade of tailoring—whether as a ladies’ or men’s tailor—you have to complete a three-year apprenticeship. There’s an interim exam after about 1 1/2 years, and after three years, you take your journeyman’s exam. My oldest daughter completed this apprenticeship. We both trained at the same time, with a time lag of about half a year, and we even had some of our theory classes together at times. It was absolutely hilarious when our classes registered together—we all grinned when my daughter’s name was called and they said, “Please have a parent or guardian sign this,” and my daughter’s instructor said to me, “Go on, put your John Hancock on it” :-) When the tables were turned, my daughter asked, “Mom, do I have to sign for you now?” :-))) The look on the teacher’s face was just priceless :-)

Love, Inge

That sounds good.
What did you actually do before you started sewing?

Back then, I was working as a waitress and buffet attendant—I didn’t have any vocational training, just one year of home economics school, which qualified me as a housekeeper, but nothing more. Since I’d married very young and my first husband didn’t want me to work. That’s just how it was back in the ’70s, and I was too young to stand up for myself. When I eventually separated from him, I was left with three small children and no vocational training. At first, I did cleaning jobs so we could get by, and then I worked as a waitress at my sister’s bar until I got the job as a buffet attendant—because after the divorce, I needed a job that also provided health insurance.  My partner at the time—and now my husband—actively supported me in my decision to learn a trade, just as he has in every situation, both then and now.
This coming Saturday will mark 40 years since we became a couple, and we’ve been married for just under 32 of those years.

Love, Inge

Congratulations on the anniversary :-)

Inge really is a special woman—with her life story and everything she’s overcome. And even today, she’s still the kind of person who gets things done, gives of herself, and helps others. There isn’t even a single word that captures all of that. I’m glad that life has finally set you on the right path and that you find joy in so many things today: your husband, your children, your grandchildren, sewing, and your commitment to others.

Warm regards, Ina