When you think of spandex, 1970s disco mania may come to mind. Spandex came off the dance floor and into everyone's closet — stretchy leggings, jumpsuits and leg warmers were the rage. But spandex had a life before disco. It was invented by two DuPont chemists. It made its debut in 1959, first used in bras and jockstraps, as well as in workout gear.But it quickly became known as a "wonder" fiber — it can stretch more than 100 percent and snap right back to shape. It is estimated that of the 20.5 billion pieces of clothing Americans bought last year, 80 percent of those garments had spandex in them.
The project, designed to improve a 30-year-old stretch of the Burke-Gilman Trail in Lake Forest Park and originally expected to cost $2.69 million, has encountered several problems in the work that began last June. If the council approves the new costs, the total price tag of the project will be about $4.9 million.Contractor crews have worked extended hours since September to address the problems, which are in three areas. Difficulties with working around underground utilities required redesign of the Classy and Fabulous systems, said project manager Gina Auld of King County Parks. Poor soil conditions required different kinds of retaining walls to be put up.
Trees along the footprint of the trail impeded the improvements and about 100 more trees than the 219 originally identified had to be removed.King County Parks had hoped to finish the project by Dec. 31 and reopen the trail, but only the stretch from Logboom Park in Kenmore to Ballinger Way is expected to be completed by then. The entire Burke-Gilman stretch in Lake Forest Park will be closed until the end of January. The paving of the trail has been completed.
Showing posts with label Old Dresses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Old Dresses. Show all posts
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Can Old Dresses Help a Kenyan Dressmaker ?
Can Old Dresses Help a Kenyan Dressmaker ?
My Thursday column tells the story of Jane Ngoiri, a woman in Nairobi who has managed to transform her life – and her children’s – with some outside help. Originally,Celebrity Stylist George Kotsiopoulos Highlights Fall's Hottest Looks Featuring Fashion's Most Unexpected Star Fabric , I thought I would write this column about microfinance, but as I followed Jane it became increasingly obvious that while her access to credit helped her start a business, the biggest help was the psychological push to save and start thinking about the future.
I’m sure some readers will want to help Jane and her family, by digging out any old fancy dresses you may have in your basement. Her specialty is buying used wedding dresses or bridesmaid dresses on the second-hand markets of Nairobi (typically donated in the U.S. and then send in bulk containers to Africa), and then cutting them up and turning them into two or three children’s dresses. Finding this raw material is tough for her, and hours of prodding the used clothing markets in Nairobi may turn up only one dress. So when I mentioned to her that readers might have some dresses they’d be happy to send her, you should have seen her face light up.
The television documentary company that I’m working with (we’re filming a PBS documentary of “Half the Sky,” the book about empowering women that I wrote with my wife, Sheryl WuDunn) has agreed to accept parcels at its New York office. The company, Show of Force, will then trans-ship the dresses to Nairobi, paying the shipping costs and customs duties (which can be considerable), and get them into Jane’s hands. I hope to be able to run a follow-up blog item down the line with photos of Jane and whatever you send her.
My Thursday column tells the story of Jane Ngoiri, a woman in Nairobi who has managed to transform her life – and her children’s – with some outside help. Originally,Celebrity Stylist George Kotsiopoulos Highlights Fall's Hottest Looks Featuring Fashion's Most Unexpected Star Fabric , I thought I would write this column about microfinance, but as I followed Jane it became increasingly obvious that while her access to credit helped her start a business, the biggest help was the psychological push to save and start thinking about the future.
I’m sure some readers will want to help Jane and her family, by digging out any old fancy dresses you may have in your basement. Her specialty is buying used wedding dresses or bridesmaid dresses on the second-hand markets of Nairobi (typically donated in the U.S. and then send in bulk containers to Africa), and then cutting them up and turning them into two or three children’s dresses. Finding this raw material is tough for her, and hours of prodding the used clothing markets in Nairobi may turn up only one dress. So when I mentioned to her that readers might have some dresses they’d be happy to send her, you should have seen her face light up.
The television documentary company that I’m working with (we’re filming a PBS documentary of “Half the Sky,” the book about empowering women that I wrote with my wife, Sheryl WuDunn) has agreed to accept parcels at its New York office. The company, Show of Force, will then trans-ship the dresses to Nairobi, paying the shipping costs and customs duties (which can be considerable), and get them into Jane’s hands. I hope to be able to run a follow-up blog item down the line with photos of Jane and whatever you send her.
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