Recently I added a new item to my “Shop” page: closures.
One of the items I’m linking to are clasps for Barbie-sized (or smaller) dolls’ overalls, and I’m doing this blog post because I like to be open and honest about where these notions are coming from.
I buy my overall clasps (shown at the top of this page) from an Etsy store called simply “I Sew for Doll,” which seems to be shipping from a distributor in New Jersey, here in the USA.
The back of the business card displays their store hours, but the “Open 9 to 5” is followed by “China time,” so they must be located in China with a distributor in New Jersey because my package shipped from Amboy, New Jersey.
So yes, this business card is cute, and the Etsy store, IsewForDoll is filled with wonderful tiny accessories which you can’t buy anywhere else; however we need to remember, as buyers, that China is a communist country, run by a dictator (Xi Jinping) who has ordered and upheld crimes against humanity, all of which have been funded by the growing economy in China.
Because of this, I no longer buy goods from my local Dollar Store, which gets 42% of its products from China, and when I buy fabrics at a fabric store, I check to see if their cotton is made in China. And when it is made in China, I don’t buy it.
Occasionally, I admit, I have bought goods from IsewForDoll, simply because I can’t find the same goods anywhere else.
But when I do, I say a little prayer for the people of China, in hopes that eventually their country will become more tolerant. I pray that their leaders will one day honor the memories of those who were killed in Tiananmen Square, and will end the unjust imprisonment of the Uyghurs in prison camps, which is still going on in China today (among other tragedies related to their unfair communist government).
And let’s face it, the people who work for IsewForDoll, both in China and in New Jersey, are just that… PEOPLE. They are human beings. They deserve an opportunity to earn a living, just like any other human being on this earth.
Please understand… I have nothing against the Chinese as an ethnic group at all!
Heck, I have cousins who are Chinese Americans (living in Hawaii), and they’re just regular ol’ people, going about their business. I love my cousins! When the island of Maui was on fire, I was praying for my precious cousins’ safety and genuinely worried about them.
But the Chinese government has done horrible things to their own people. That needs to stop. Every penny we spend on goods coming out of communist China helps to fund the cruel government that’s running the show there.
So it’s a tough call… to buy or to boycott. How badly do we need these teeny tiny little overalls clasps?
For now, my store will be including links to companies like I Sew for Doll, which is shipping its goods from a distributor in the US, even if the goods were first manufactured in China or another country that’s actively committing human rights violations. I give you the link, but as a buyer, you have to make the call.
Where will your money go?
I’m also making a conscious effort to avoid buying goods that ship directly from China and similar countries. Call it a personal boycott, if you like, even though the US government is only cracking down on the goods coming out of China that are counterfeits — like knockoff “Nike” shoes and knockoff “Apple” phones.
In the past few years, I’ve done a lot more purchasing of fabrics and notions from second-hand stores, than I am from JoAnn’s. It’s better for our earth!
What about you? How do you feel about buying tiny buttons and sewing notions that are exported from countries where a dictator is committing crimes against the people of that country?
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Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:
*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, JoAnn Fabric, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.
Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with any of the doll or toy companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly enjoys designing her doll clothes to fit a variety of dolls. To learn more about the doll companies mentioned in today’s post, please visit the doll or toy company’s website.