Life's unanswered questions...

I used to have to cut them all out of DS's clothes as the labels brought him out in itchy lumps.

Sometimes I still cut them out of my own clothes.

Me too, but isn't annoying when you want to replace something, only to find you've removed the size label too?

Or the washing instructions

Or after two washes anything not cut off has faded so is unreadable.

My bugbear is the long loops of ribbon supposedly to help with keeping them on the hangers, but always appear at the neck of jumpers and dresses. They have to go!

Why put them at the back of the neck anyway?

There are usually more labels sewn into the side and a cardboard removable label on when being sold.

I've got a very old top on today and yes, the label in the back of the neck is still scratchy. (M&S)

Yes those loops are so annoying B9 they never stay tucked out of sight.

Oh good sodapop it is not just me!

Someone on here posted a good use for those ribbon loops but I can't remember what it was and have a whole bundle of them.

Bin!

That's the trouble, I would cut them off and keep them for craft, but somehow never used them. Bin it is!

I just look at them and think - 'surely I haven't bought that many tops?' Perhaps they breed in the drawer.

One suggestion was for gift tags. Other that spring to mind are lavender bags, dolls' clothes, or hanging loops for face flannels.

I wish that they would make toasters where you can get all the crumbs out. The little tray at the bottom is no good at all. I recently bought a new toaster and since then I ALWAYS put the toast in one of those toastie bags but some crumbs have still managed to drop through.

One unanswered question in our house is why do they not use the same adhesive for supposedly resealable packs of rice and pasta (that aren't) as the really strong stuff they use for the price labels you can never get off things you've bought as gifts? Perhaps they could just swap them over and save us all a lot of trouble?

Why have Bird's Eye Peas changed from zip bags to resealable bags?

So fiddly compared to the zip bags.

I have them in the back of nightdresses. Seems worse as you are lying down and the scratching is really annoying as you try to sleep and then you have to get up and look for scissors....grrr.

I too cut them out,they drive me mad if i leave them on,

Some manufacturers are now printing the garment details on the inside instead of labels, much better!

The cheaper ones are a polyester fabric and are cut with a laser to give them a super-tidy clean edge. This is in fact burn-sealing the edge, hence the scratchy feeling. Woven labels are much more expensive. They are less scratchy because the edge can be woven in. Even these though are now often polyester so can be woven as a strip and cut by laser.

The soft ones are woven cotton with a woven edge. They are many times more expensive both to design and to manufacture than the cheapest printed polyester ones.

Why do men's shirts have to be sold with so much wasteful packaging around them?

My DGD said to me the other day, "Nanny, I really love the clothes you make me." I was so pleased, until she continued ".....because they don't have scratchy labels!" So not just adults who find them a literal pain in the neck

Sometimes I cut holes in nice new jumpers due to cutting out the nasty scratchy label. I'd pay a little more for a soft satin label or a species of cotton part- lining that has the writing on it. I have actually made cotton part-lining for the back of the neck of two M and S jumpers.

Some clothing has the maker's label printed directly on to the back of the neck and that is really successful. Probably could not be done with knitted jumpers.

Woolovers labels are the scratchiest I've come across. The only solution is to simply cut them off. There usually is a label with care instructions sewn into the left side seam. As for the hanging ribbons, they're just a silly waste of space and if you don't want them creeping above the neckline of your jumper, well, what are scissors for?

I was wondering this morning, there are so many ponies in fields by motorways and busy A roads, do they suffer respiratory problems because of the fumes and fuel emissions ?

Yes, they do. And they would also suffer skin irritation from any scratchy labels in their rugs or saddles.