Sewing Savings

I am a sew-er and have sewn since I was in 8th grade. Being the oldest of eight kids if I did not sew I had nothing new to wear. My older cousin passed down to me and from there it went down the family. Back then you could buy fabric for .25 a yard at the Grants store. (Yikes, I am aging myself). Patterns were .10 to .25 a piece. So clothes were fairly cheap to make. ( No!! I am not THAT old!!)

Today patterns are expensive and so is fabric, so it pays to hunt in different places and do some adjusting to the way we use patterns and fabric.

For patterns I hunt out the cheapest sales. Joann fabrics often has sales on certain days. You will need to fight the crowd, but it is worth it if you need a new pattern. I also have bought patterns on eBay or Sewingpatterns.com

Two other places I find patterns are yard sales and thrift shops. Look them over, but for a dime or quarter you can usually figure out a facing if it is missing. Over the years I have also traded patterns with someone else that sews, borrowed patterns or used a ready made outfit that I liked, but was not in good shape, and made my own pattern. (Remember to add the seam allowance!)

You can also save money by cutting out the fabric without cutting into the pattern. Patterns today are made with many sizes on one pattern. If you cut the pattern you ruin it for using other sizes. I fold the pattern and cut under it. I use the lines in the pattern but my scissors are under the pattern instead of on top of it. I then always have use of all sizes of the pattern. This came in handy last Easter when I was making 11 granddaughter dresses of varying sizes!

Now for fabric. I buy on eBay, yard sales and from discount shelves. I also have friends that sew and they know when they want to part with some fabric they can call. EBay may not seem like a good place to us who sew, we like to feel the fabric and decide. However, I have purchased some great fabric for great prices for dresses, a nursery, blankets and other things. If you need something odd it is a good place to look to get it cheap. We had a "Spring Chicken" birthday party for my mom and I was able to find two different chicken patterned fabric that was "quilt type" for a quillow and did not pay that much for either piece.

This week I went to a yard sale at a friends and she was selling tons of fabric for .25 to1.00 a yard. I bought 3 yard of a VIP fabric for .75! I went to a thrift shop and bought a nice heavy homespun type fabric, excellent quality, $1.50 for 5.5 yards. I will be using it for my tablecloth.

Another way I have saved money for fabric is rather odd to some. There are plenty of huge size dresses in yard sales and thrift shops. Do you know how much fabric is in one of those dresses? Some of them are really nice fabric that would make a cute little child's outfit. I have used those, as well as "scraps" of fabric. Pieces people think are too small, but for a child a skirt with different color pockets and a shirt from another small piece works great!

Hunt around! The savings are there, just have a good place to store them till you need them! For more money saving ideas check out Biblical Womanhood!