Stretch Your Dollar By Sewing (with video)

ABC local ^ | 6-9-09 | Patricia Lopez

[STARWISE]

Sewing is making a huge comeback lately. The reason? What else? The economy! It's cheaper to make your own repairs and alterations than paying someone else to do it.

Women of all backgrounds and ages are learning how to sew in order to help stretch their dollar.

In a full class of eager women, each is learning the long lost art of sewing.

"I am a workaholic," first time sewer Tina Noel said. "I don't cook. I don't clean. I just work."

*snip*

Noel says altering every season gets expensive. Pant hems cost on average $12, a skirt hem about $15, and fixing sleeves on a suit jacket is $25. Linda Hayes with the House of Sewing in Pearland has seen a boom in her business from women who want to save money.

[STARWISE]

As a devout, incorrigible and confirmed fabriholic, previously in the craft/hobby biz for years, and a sewing/crafts enthusiast, this is so smart, especially today. I'm happy to see a resurgence in sewing and even basic hemming and seam repair. Why pay someone for something so simple? I couldn't live without my machines, which are always set up and ready to go. Creativity and frugality ...it's a blast, and more and more young adults are entering the fray .. making skirts out of pillowcases, old ties and t-shirts. There's a whole new world of outside-the-box sewing and wardrobe remaking going on out there, and the youngsters are really something. I give Project Runway, etc. a lot of credit for inspiring the new interest in this fun activity.

Take a look of what the 21st century "hippies" are doing. A list of their episodes.

Craftster.org,a great gathering spot for crafty DIYers.

While top of the line absolutely amazing machines that embroider, digitize, upload designs from the internet, etc. can go for up to $10K, you can certainly get a decent starter machine for under $200, or less if you luck into one at a thrift store. There are HUGE amounts of sewing tutorials, videos, craft/sewing/quilting and supply sites, helpful tips and blog sites online, sewing/quilting/needlearts shows, crafty street fairs, to encourage and educate.

Invalid credit card bracelet

Sew fun.

[STARWISE]

~~PING!

[Publius6961]

BUMP!

[twigs]

I sewed my own clothes for many years and today, find it more expensive than buying them ready made. I shop at factory outlet type of stores and couldn’t come near buying the cloth to make them for the money I spend. There are reasons for sewing, but finding inexpensive clothing today is not one of them. If you can do fancy needlework and need it, then yes, it would be cheaper.

[GraceG]

Just this weekend i sewed up the side of a pair of jeans I own, saving me around 50 dollars.

[ottbmare]

I hate articles like this that tell people how to save money by taking up old-fashioned skills. Long before the recession I was already doing all this stuff, so the articles offer me no ideas for savings!

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

I completely agree. One can buy clothing now for less than it would cost to make it. Altering may be another story.

I shop the best stores twice a year. For winter clothing, go in March and for summer clothing, go in Aug.

There are incredible deals. My target is $15.00 and it's doable. My pastor's wife dresses her children beautifully from yard sales, etc.

[STARWISE]

That wasn’t the point of the article .. it
was to open up the hobby to those who don’t
sew or weren’t exposed to it growing up.

eBay’s also pretty good for sewing/quilting
fabric and supplies. You have to know your
stuff, just like anything else, but I’ve
found quite a few bargains there.

[americanophile]

Clothes are cheap nowdays.

[shooter223]

“Women of all backgrounds and ages” ......... not just women ....... Dad taught me upholstery starting when I was about 10 ..... started working with leather later ....... comes in handy ....... currently own 3 machines,including Dad’s old heavy duty Singer(at least 65-70 yrs old)

[STARWISE]

Those Wal-Marts that haven’t eliminated
the fabric dept have bargains. I got
great fabric for $1/yd. There again,
you have to know your stuff. That’s
the place I miss more than any other,
having none near me now.

[Political Junkie Too]

These Texas women's "prairie look" was made fun of when their children were seized. I know they were in a polygamy cult, but they made their own clothes.

-PJ

[rbbeachkid]

Some of the video showed they were sewing purses. There is savings there but more importantly there is a lot of satifaction in making things that are nicer than you can buy.

Clothing does often cost more to make than buy but you are making what you want, with the materials you want and it will fit correctly.

Lastly, sewing in a group enviroment gives women (like the work-a-holic) opportunities to spend time talking with other women in a non-competitive venue. Something we have lost and has hurt us.

I hope sewing does have a resurgence.

[mom4melody]

They need to whip up some homemade makeup....

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

I LOVE SEWING!! It’s easy, fun, creative, fulfilling, economical too. You don’t have to take classes or find a teacher (although that’s best). You can find all the lessons on youtube and a few good sites on the web.
Start on an older machine. IMO they’re more reliable and you get a better feel for what you’re doing and how the machine operates.

[Neoliberalnot]

I had a buddy forward this to my wife.

[armymarinemom]

A spot to watch like a hawk for good deals on used machines. Sew Used.

[latina4dubya]

Clothes are cheap nowdays.

they are... went to JC Penney last weekend and bought summer clothes for my boys... shorts were $4.99 and shirts were $4-6 bucks... i bought two $65 dresses for $14.99 each... that's less than what i would pay at Wal-Mart for a cheaply-made dress... plus i got $15 off the total with my coupon...

i also like to hit the clearance racks at Kohls... a lot of times i see something i like at regular price, usually $20-$40 range, but i'll wait a couple of weeks when it goes on clearance... i often buy the items for $4-7 bucks...

[chris_bdba]

Not a lot art here. I”m glad to see new sewers though!

[ottbmare]

I’m a fabraholic too. The best fun is finding something gorgeous that got passed over by women who didn’t see its wonderful possibilities and is now dirt cheap. She who dies with the most fabric wins! And by the looks of the sewing closet, I’m a contender to win, LOL.

[Excellence]

I used to make daughter/doll dresses. I took the pattern to a blueprint shop where they shrunk any size 2 pattern by 1/2, fitting a doll perfectly. Stuff like that is fun.

[NEMDF]

I got a great dress on clearance at Kohl’s in January - kind of a sun dress for $5.90. I will wear it next month to my son’s wedding rehearsal dinner. But I also love to sew and currently have 7 pair of slacks/jeans to shorten for my kids, and shorten hem/shorten the halter strap of a bridesmaid dress.... Guess I better get busy. I made several sets of scrub outfits for my daughter, 2 nice robes (one “winter”, one lighter weight)for my husband. When my daughter was on the upper bunk in dorm room, she needed someplace to put her glasses and cell phone, so I made up a little pocket flap thing that tucked under her mattress and hung down, also made pockets for the TV remote, a few kleenex in it. I used to sew all the time, some years ago. Soon I will have a place where I can leave the machine set up all of the time, which might inspire me more.

[tillacum]

EEEgads..necktie skirts? They are back? I still have mine..may have to add more neckties to make it fit. lol

[STARWISE]

Good for you !

~~~

How I Built My Own Wingsuit
Posted Fri Jun 05 2009

By Chris Warnock

Excerpt:

There I was, in the middle of a Utah winter, dreaming about jumping again. I’d recently finished editing a couple of instructional DVDs regarding wingsuiting, and those videos had sparked a new interest for me: I wanted to learn wingsuit flying in the upcoming jump season.

My budget was tight, and the cost of a new wingsuit seemed high. “Why not build my own suit?”

I wondered. My sewing skills were adequate for patching canopies, but that was the extent of my expertise. I’d been planning to work on sewing projects this winter… projects that would expand my knowledge of sewing. This was a logical step, I ventured. Surely building a wingsuit would help me in the seamster department, provide a suit for me to use in springtime, and keep my budget intact… it all appeared to be a fantastic idea.

I went through a list of resources I had available:

1) A great DZO (Jack Guthrie) who would allow me use his sewing machines

2) A good friend (Douglas Spotted Eagle) who would let me borrow a wingsuit for a while. Note: Neither Douglas nor I expected that “while” to be 4.5 months.

3) My girlfriend’s mother (Jane) works at a fabric store, and has extensive knowledge of available fabrics and parts such as zippers, snaps, etc.

4) A Wingsuit manufacturer (Tony Uragallo, of Tonysuits) who was willing to answer some questions I had about wingsuit design and assembly. Tony’s input was key during a few points in this project.

The first thing I did was take the borrowed wingsuit to Jane at Hi-Fashion Fabrics, in Grand Junction, CO. She inspected this Tonysuits Mach1 and helped me create a list of fabrics and parts necessary to build a replica.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/safety/detail_page.cgi?ID=719

~~~~~~~~

Men in Quilting - Does Grandfather Make Quilts?

*snip*

Aimee said:

My grandfather has made a quilt for each of us 10 grandchildren. He does the embroidery for blocks and then has someone else help quilt and piece. I will always treasure my quilt and have a wonderful story about the man who made it.

(Do write your down memories about Grandfather making quilts. Perhaps pictures of each, if you can get them, and something about each. That also could make a lovely memory book to give to each of the grandchildren.)

http://www.blisstree.com/articles/men-in-quilting-does-grandfather-make-quilts-79/

[tillacum]

I sew for the satisfaction of doing it.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

You won't believe this. I just came upstairs having sewn 8 slip covers for our patio chairs from $1.00 fabric I've had in my cupboard for a few years. The colors are great and I love them.

I was going to order new cushions to the tune of over $300.00 but decided to use this fabric on hand. They couldn't be more perfect.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

We bought my Singer 201 or 501 (or something like that) in 1958. I’m still using it. It is all metal. It’s not going anywhere.

[STARWISE]

Pattern Review is also a fantastic resource, rating
patterns, machines and notions

http://sewing.patternreview.com/cgi-bin/sewingclasses/board.pl?t=15681

~~~

Etsy .. buying and selling all things handmade

http://www.etsy.com/

~~~

The About sewing site is loaded with helpful info

http://sewing.about.com/

[STARWISE]

I’m right up there with ya! Stacks,
bins, and hampers full ....... ;)

[STARWISE]

BTW, at our annual monthly bldg. flea market,
fabric from a former tenant was being sold
for $1 .... a piece! Some pieces were 5-6
yards. Needless to say, I’m bulging, stacks
are nearing 5 ft. high .. but how could I resist?

I have enough for the next 5 yrs ... easy .. ;)

Talk about blessings. Then at the end, she
told me to just take the 7-8 yds that were left.

Nirvana!

[Tax-chick]

I make one A-line skirt and one Fundamentalist Frump jumper, and an occasional craft or costume for my kids. The Salvation Army supplies most of my clothing needs! If I improved my sewing skills, I’d probably end up with a better wardrobe, but nobody sees me, anyway!

[STARWISE]

Suh .. weet!

[armymarinemom]

We need to have more forums and yahoo groups for conservative crafters. I stopped looking at Janomes due to the rabid support for the left and bought a Singer.

[STARWISE]

Maybe start one ?

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Sewing is a skill everyone should learn at an early age. By 12 I was repairing my own clothes and keeping mom off my back for tearing up “school clothes”.

[Island Girl]

Just last week, I went through all my back issues of Threads magazine. Yes, I can sew couture-quality if need be. But, yikes, the cost of fabric nowadays! Even Vogue patterns are in the $20 dollar range! I used to sew their designer patterns all the time. I just don’t want to spend the money and countless hours creating my own wardrobe anymore. So, I am on hiatus, at least until that first granddaughter appears. (Visions of frilly, lacey dresses in my head.....)

[reed13]

I was just going to say that my wife has stated several times that it doesn’t pay to do it anymore due to the fabric costs.

She still does some of the kids clothes once in a while when she finds a suitable fabric on sale.

In some cases she has bought clothes off the rack on sale for less than what the fabric would cost and then converted to her needs.

[reformedliberal]

I started sewing in the 60s, because you couldn’t get the latest Carnaby Street designs in the USA. I went through sewing for others for barter and then for money, did craft fairs, learned to weave and made clothing out of my own fabric. First the fabric, then the yarn became prohibitive and then the imports from India put a lot of us out of business, especially the ikat and raw silk designs.

I still will do repairs and alterations, but I don’t enjoy it.

My husband is a sailor who is also building a second boat. He bought an industrial machine and has made his own sails, then he repaired someone’s catamaran trampolines and he is now making a storm sail for another sailor. He enjoys it and this is sewing overlapping triangles of slippery Dacron with super UV resistant thread on a huge long table. He is eyeing my old Bernina for various other projects and will probably get it back into top form this winter.

I loved the reference to pillowcase tops. My first creative garments were pillow case mini dresses that I dyed and embroidered. This economy may spark some creativity among the young. That is always a good thing.

[latina4dubya]

But I also love to sew

so does my mother-in-law... she sews pajamas for my boys... very customized shirts for them and my husband... my husband usually wears his shirts to bbqs and on holidays... my boys where these shirts that my mother-in-law made for her two boys (my husband and his brother)... we came across them when we were cleaning out my brother-in-law's room after he unexpectedly passed away... these shirts are very special...

she also has made me a very nice apron and throw pillows... someday i will make myself learn to sew...

[LibFreeOrDie]

I’m a lapsed seamstress and dormant doll crafter who’s planning to start sewing again as soon as I decide on a new machine. (That high-end Bernina is to die for!)

The problem here in New England is that the best fabric stores have gone out of business. Yes, there are a lot of craft/quilt fabric shops, but no high-end apparel fabric.

Shopping for fabric from an online store leaves a lot to be desired.

But I continue to buy patterns, just in case I find the perfect fabric!

[STARWISE]

The hunt is ever on! And don’t forget the
cheap goods at the thrift stores, flea
markets that can be washed and cut up for
tops, skirts, etc.

I’ve cut up a blouse or skirt, etc. from my
closet for a project several times because
it added just the right touch. After all ..
... it’s FABRIC ... LOL.

[Island Girl]

There aren’t many opportunies for Freeper women to get together and chat about the things that interest us. Glad to see this thread going! Back in the day, I found a Betsey Johnson silk dress at a thrift shop for $4.00. It was transformed into a beautiful doll dress!

[STARWISE]

This is a fantastic sewing resource site.

http://artisanssquare.com/sg/index.php

The independent designers and their patterns
are really well thought out and are extremely
popular, many times with great personal updates
from the designers themselves.

Louise Cutting of Cutting Line Designs is
especially popular and responsive on the board.
Her One Seam Pants have been a huge hit for years,
and she chimes in regularly to answer fitting,
technique questions, etc.

The first 10-page discussion (of three) on the
One Seams

http://artisanssquare.com/sg/index.php/topic,535.0.html

[STARWISE]

~~~~PINGAROONI!

[chris_bdba]

No thanks I know those people and have my own group who also came from where they started out at. :)

[chris_bdba]

http://www.fabric.com/ I’m mostly a quilter but do watch the sales here for apparel fabric and sometimes they have wonderful deals. Sign -up for their newsletters they offer coupons, etc and advance sale notices. :)

[chris_bdba]

Meaning that is the liberal group, us conservatives went somewhere else. :)

[STARWISE]

I don’t know what you mean by that ... what other group .. is there some conflict? I used to go to Sewing World, but them it was no more.

[STARWISE]

I have never seen ONE political comment .. and I’ve been going there for at least 2 yrs. What’s the other group ?

[chris_bdba]

I was from sewingworld joined there in 1998. They must’ve stopped it then because when it first started there were many anti conservative messages and some telling others, like me that they weren’t welcome there. I have maintained a yahoo group since 2000 that used to be where we all went when sewignworld went down but was told after they started their group that somehow I was trying to steal their members when I had already been around many years before they ever began. Needless to say I don’t go there because I know who started it and what they did.