Happy Thrift-y Thursday!!!!
Do you ever want to start a project but cannot afford to run
out and buy fabric off the bolt? (Don’t know what that means? Stick around!
Next week there will be a post containing everything you ever wanted to know
about sewing terms!) Don’t despair if you cannot afford brand new $5.99 -
$20.99/yd fabric! My Thrift-y Thursday posts will be dedicated to helping you
sew, at a fraction of the cost.
When many people think of fabric, they think of the big box
grocery stores that have a fabric section, craft stores that sell fabric and
even quilting shops that sell only sewing items. Have you ever considered
looking in your local thrift store? Consignment shop? Independently owned second
hand store? Garage sale? Your own closets at home? There is no need to spend a
ton of money on fabric, when there are oodles of yards of fabric just waiting
to be used and re-used and turned into something beautiful.
Let's put this into real life perspective. You want to make a little girl’s dress
and you have the pattern, the sewing machine and the thread. What comes next?
Run to the local craft store and pick out some darling fabric in coordinating
colors, right? Maybe spend an extra $20 bucks on other stuff they have in the
store that you cannot live without? Why not save yourself a whole bunch of
money and hit up the thrift store first! Most thrift stores have a whole
section dedicated to household items, including sheets and blankets. Often
times, there is a plethora of vintage sheets. Guess what? If you use a vintage sheet
as the fabric for a clothing item, not only do you get a beautiful, soft dress that
flows beautifully, but you won’t have to hem the bottom! (That is another post
altogether) That’s a winner in my book! Sometimes you will see bundles of
fabrics that people donate, but they won’t last long! If you are looking to
make mittens or gloves for a loved one, check out the wool sweaters!
I have found that by visiting the thrift stores, and other
types of stores mentioned above, on a regular rotation, I can snag the
fabrics/sheets/clothes/sweaters that I like and stash them away for future
projects. That way, when the sewing bug bites me, or I see something I need to
make immediately (read: children’s clothes for my daughter) then I just have to
do a little digging through my stash and I am good to go! I am also always
ready for last minute gifts that I need. Have I mentioned I work full time,
have three dogs, two cats, am married and have a house to keep clean? Aint
nobody got time to go shopping for no gifts!
The point is, there is so much waste going on in today’s
world, why not save money, re-use and recycle wherever you can? Not to mention,
when you get compliments on your items, you can say “Thank you, it is made from
vintage sheets!” Or “Thank you, I rescued a sweater from the thrift store to
make this!”.
More thriftiness coming atcha next week!
Keep sewing sewistas!
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