Sewing Notions

Are your sewing tools Leaded? Optima fabric measuring guide with yellow & black markings: 3010 ppm Lead

July 12, 2020July 10, 2023

Introduction (for those new to this website): Tamara Rubin is a federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children, her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005. Since 2009 Tamara has been using XRF testing (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)…

Dritz purple vinyl “Fun Tape Measure”: package says it has Lead, but it tests Lead-Free!

March 18, 2020July 10, 2023

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Introduction: Tamara Rubin is a federal-award-winning independent advocate for consumer goods safety and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children, her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005. Since 2009 Tamara has been using XRF testing (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for toxicants…

Antique child’s thimble “For A Good Girl”: 839,800 ppm Lead (90 ppm is unsafe for kids) + 139,600 ppm Antimony.

January 20, 2020April 5, 2021

When tested with an XRF instrument this antique (likely c. 1920-1940) child’s thimble (given as a reward to children who have done a good job with a sewing project!) that has the words “For A Good Girl” on the side…. had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 839,800 +/- 6,000 ppm Antimony (Sb): 139,600 +/- 2,500…

Not So Old…German Dritz Blue and White Vinyl Measuring Tape for Sewing: 1,372 ppm Lead. [90 ppm is unsafe for kids.]

May 23, 2019April 5, 2021

When tested with a Niton XL3T XRF instrument in consumer goods mode this blue and white vinyl Dritz brand measuring tape (pictured here, marked “Germany” and “Dritz”, purchased by my friend 15 or 20 years ago, c. 2000) had the following readings: Lead (Pb): 1,372 +/- 59 ppm Barium (Ba): 2,234 +/- 82 ppm Antimony…