I am sitting here, drooling over these adorable clothes you all are making!!

Back when I was on tour, I did a lot of sewing, mainly patchwork and strip stuff... My mom had a nice machine and all of the supplies I ever needed.

I am such a cheapskate, partially by necessity, partially by nature. I'd love to find a used sewing machine and start making clothes for the girls. Our clothing budget is *so* small, almost everything that I've bought for the girls has been second hand. And the few splurges for special outfits have been for homesewn goods. I actually prefer homesewn clothes to manufactued ones anyway.

So, the point of this thread is to ask, can you get into sewing and do it *cheaply*? Can you find nice, cute fabrics and on a budget to boot?

If I found a used machine for, say $30-$40 (which is what they alsoways seem to go for in the swap sheets), how much more would I have to put into it? Fabric, needles, bobbins, patterns, thread and so on...

On somethings it does and somethings not. KWIM? I can buy a 2 yard of knit fabric for $8 and make 2 pairs of shorts and 2 shirts for my boys. Sometimes, I see a fabric I really like for the same price, but it's a twill and can only make 1 outfit. I will go to Joann's on sale days and get the 99 cent patterns. I also look thru the clearance racks. I use my 50% off coupon on stuff that isn't on sale. Walmart has some good fabric sometimes for $2 a yard and even $1 a yard. You could really make some nice little outfits for a real bargain, sometimes you have to hunt. HTH.

Well as far as the kids' clothes go, it really kinda evens out. I usually buy inexpensive clothing for the kids anyway as they grow out of them so darn quickly. I find that it's less painful to sell/give away those clothes when I didn't pay that much for them to begin with.
For my clothing, it really is cheaper. I can get fabric for myself because a lot of stores have more "adult" type fabric on discount that they do childrens' fabric. I have hit a lot of good bargains in the dollar bin at wal mart and have made myself a number of shirts for about 2$ (includes notions, such as elastic, thread, bias tape, etc)
I started out sewing because I wanted to save money. Now? Nope, I spend more on fabric and notions than I EVER would have on clothing. Not to mention the 4 sewing machines and the serger, countless yards of fabric in storage, special elastic, snap setter, etc.
So you CAN do it, you can make your clothing and the cost CAN be considerably less than store bought items but it usually ends up becoming an addiction and you'll probably end up spending more money on fabric than you can possibly imagine. Now, I'm not saying that to dissuade you at all. I'm just giving you a little forewarning:) First a sewing machine, then a serger, then a better sewing machine, etc...If you can control yourself, great! But me? Nerp, I love fabric and notions!

I agree that it depends on the fabric you buy. I am a total cheapskate too, and I generally won't buy fabric for more than $5 a yard.

When the kids are little, you can often make them a couple of things from one yard. I got some corduroy on clearance at Joann's for less than $3 yd, and made him a pair of pants and shorts, not bad! I have big enough scraps to use for patchwork too.

Often I find things in the remnant bin, which is the best bargain of all! If there's a fabric I love that's more than $5, I use a 50% off coupon.

Stuff goes on sale all the time at the chain fabric stores, so there's almost no need to pay full price. There's a great sale this weekend in fact!

Another tip is to buy an extra yard, and make something to sell. That often recovers the cost of the fabric for you. Trading is another frugal way to get fabric.

You can do it mama, we're here for you! :)

I agree. It depends. With discipline, shopping sales, and recycling items, it sure can...maybe not over garage sale t-shirts for a quarter, but definitely over consignment store or Goodwill prices.

I also allow us some more expensive fabrics that I wouldn't be able to afford a ready-made item in...um that was worded badly...I mean, I get some hemp knit and make us some clothing and feel really styly for $6 for a t-shirt for me, I could never pay $40 for a shirt for me. So in that sense I allow us certain indulgences that are definitely more expensive than secondhand but are items you just can't get secondhand.

Definitely shop the sales at Jo-Ann's and the bargain bins. Also I've found that thrift stores often have fabrics for cheap.

Originally posted by )O(Meeshi)O(
So, the point of this thread is to ask, can you get into sewing and do it *cheaply*? Can you find nice, cute fabrics and on a budget to boot?

Yes you can, but not as inexpensivly as second hand clothing imo. It is more difficult to find things I like second hand as the kids get larger. 65cents, 95 cents a garmet can't be beat imo. I'll even splurge and get something and spend $1.95. BUT I'm not geting things I love I'm getting basics that work. Now on the other hand I splurged and spent almost $3 a yd on fabric the other day and I have got fabric I love in the perfect dresses for dd for $3 ($35 in the botiques downtown) and my time. Yes, I could count all the notions but I was collecting those long before I started to make clothing. I also sew asembly style so I have 7 dresses instead of 1 and 3 of them are gifts.

Hints: WalMart Fabric $1, $2, even the $3 and change stuff can make inexpensive items the really light up kids eyes. JoAnn's get on the mailing list and only buy when things are 40%-50% off or use a coupon.


If I found a used machine for, say $30-$40 (which is what they alsoways seem to go for in the swap sheets), how much more would I have to put into it? Fabric, needles, bobbins, patterns, thread and so on...

IMO make sure you get the machine serviced prior to really using it or the headache may very well turn you off. Here servicing machines runs from $60-$100+ depending on the machine and the service location.

Notions: Run to JoAnns all notions are 50% off until today. Get some needles. Wait on the bobbins until you have a machine since not all machines take the same bobbins.
Patterns: start a list and only buy when they are 99 cents.
Thread: wait until it goes on sale or only buy some white and black to tied you over until it goes 40-50% off.
Fabric: I'd hold off 'cause stashes get out of hand fast. But things you love at a bargin I'd get anyway (((((

ITA on how the other posters save money!

Sewing doesn't always save me a lot of cash but it does keep me from buying those pretty dresses that are way expensive and made with slave labor. In the humanitarian respect, it's MUCH cheaper kwim?

Say I don't get any sales but find some nice cotton fabric, I can make the girls 3 or 4 dresses for under $40 (zippers etc included) whereas I would have to pay as much as $25-$50 for the same dress in a dept store (even $20 at walmart).

For casual clothes, if you're anti walmart then YES it's way cheaper! Plus you can get zippers, patterns and thread for pretty cheap on ebay also.

I think the best part of it all is seeing something YOU made on your little one yk? It makes the money well worth it!

I agree, it totally depends...

diapers and covers... absolutely. No question.

clothes for me... usually (for one, I don't tend to buy used for me, for two, I've never seen a used nursing that would fit me just the way I wanted and was the style and print I liked for $7 for instance, but that's what it cost me)

clothes for the kids ... sometimes, fact is, for me, while I buy some thrift store stuff for them, I also splurge on cute sometimes. Also, like someone said, I'm finding it harder and harder to find clothes for my almost-7-yo that aren't worn out.

Also nothing beats the excitement that lights up your kids eyes when they have picked out some fabric and you have made a pair of shorts for them with (whatever) on them especially for them. A pair of shorts takes less than a yard so even if they choose $6/yd fabric it isn't such a big deal.

Don't forget though that thrift stores aren't just for buying used clothes to wear. No reason why you can't cut stuff down. I went to an outlet mall a week or two ago with a friend. We found a $3 rack in Carters and some cute stripey leggings in boy colours. I wanted some for my two year old and they didn't have his size so I bought a 6X pair and remade them. Top quality fabric (good and heavy knit with some lycra) and they fit exactly how I wanted them to.

Marion... my oldest LOVES your new sig picture... he wouldn't let me scroll down to read the rest of the responses! He just wanted to look at Scoop! And he wanted to know who was on his Scoop! I've never seen a big BTB toy like that one before.

And now back to the topic... ;)

Sewing no longer saves me money for the most part... I buy fabric, notions and patterns and never get the time to sew. But there are some things I've sewn (recently too!) that cost me next to nothing but I've seen sold in catalogs for $30 each. I made mini chef pants for my guys and "saved" $60 because I didn't buy them (not that I would have bought them). And next on my list of stuff to sew is little chef jackets for the boys. I've seen them go for about $45 each and they only start sizes at 3-4 years. :eek: So I'll be saving about $150 on just those two outfits if I ever get them completed! All the fabric I have used and will use is already in my stash.

Now I really need to get working on making diapers and covers now that I have lots of PUL in my stash to choose from. But my excuse now is I don't have suitable inner material for the diapers. :rolleyes:

Paul would say it was probably cheaper when I was addicted to Gymboree, LOL. (When Annaliese was a baby/toddler, we belonged to a snooty playgroup. She never wore the same outfit to playgroup twice. :rolleyes: )

Yes, I was thrilled to find I could get 3 t-shirts to just a smidge more than a yard of fabric. Even at the $4/yd PRR fabric, that's less than $1.50 a shirt. But when I celebrate my joy by buying 20 yards of the stuff, well, then it's not a bargain any more, you know?

If your kids can wear Off The Rack clothes, meaning there are no shape issues and you don't find them totally revolting, and you don't love to sew, don't bother. If you have a chubby or skinny or whatever child, or you think current styles are disgusting, then it makes more sense. I can find RTW clothes I like for my girls, sure. But only in $$$ pricey catalogs. Makes more sense for me to make their dresses than wade thru the brittney wanna be crap in stores looking for something wearable. And in that case, I can make them cheaper than ordering from say Hanna or Land's End.

Lately I've been on a STRICT budget... when I've bought fabric I've pretty much stuck to the dollar table at Walmart when I find 100% cottons, or the clearance racks at Joanns... last month I got a TON of 100% cotton wovens for $.88 a yard. Cute ones too! Ones with watermelons on it, a plain teal cotton, a really pretty print with gorgeous pink roses, a soft pastel bunny print..

Of course then I buy my $4/yd PRR.. but still I think thats a good price for knits.. I haven't been able to find knits really really cheap.
All my flannels I have that have prints I got from Joanns on black Friday when it was $.99/yd

I did buy some organics last month from a co-op.. but most of them were only $5-$6 a yard.. so I think thats a really good price for organics...

Hey Meeshi.. stick with me girl, I can help ya find great deals. ;) I'm queen of bargain hunting! *lol*

The fabric in my sig pic that Faith is wearing was only $1.88 a yard at Joanns and I only used a yard for this dress!!!

Miss you girlie!!
~C

Mainly because I am picky about what she wears and the stores that carry stuff acceptable to me are Gymbo, Lord & Taylor, Jacadi, etc... I can't afford to get her clothes there and now that we have left the toddler section, the main options seem to be shorts cut way up to her butt, shirts that say "nasty" with rhinestones, stuff with feathers on it, etc... I guess I still like her to look like a little girl...she is only 5 after all!

I usually frequent the clearance rack at Jo-Ann's or use my 50% coupons. If it is for something special that my mind has conjured up...like the outfits in my siggy, than I don't mind spending more for the fabric.

What is almost always cheaper to make? Pajamas. I usually get t-shirts and basics off the clearance rack a year ahead. The rest, I end up making. Oh, since you would be sewing for 2 girls, it would be less costly as you would save fabric if you made them stuff with the same fabrics...

If you adhere to a strict discipline of buying only cheap fabrics on sale, yes it does save money, especially when sewing for me like others said. But even for Eve, if I wait for good sales, it's worth it. I just bought a nice knit at 1$ (CDN, so about .60 US), and I'm going to get 1 sleeper and 2 shirts for about 1.30 US + the price of the zipper for the sleeper. Hard to beat !

I find that the cheapest way to go is to decide on what to sew based on what you find - kind of "going with the flow", or "going with the finds". If I have an idea in mind and start looking for the right fabric, it almost always ends up costing as much as RTW, if not more. But then I have the satisfaction of having sewn a garment just like I wanted.

Well, I don't think it saves money. If you shop garage sales for clothing you can definitely do cheaper than sewing, even sewing cheaply BUT you aren't going to get super cute high end boutique looking clothing at garage sales. Plus, I never find organic and hemp at garage sales.

I would say, sewing is cheaper than mall clothing, walmart/target clothing, and boutique clothing, costs about the same as goodwill and thrift stores and more than garage sales.

I agree that it depends on how you want the clothes to look and what your tastes are in terms of fiber content and style. Sam has a mix of RTW and home-sewn clothing. I haven't yet conquered my fear of sewing shirts, so I caved and bought a handful of cotton t-shirts when I saw them for $2 each. I bought solids so they will go with all the print shorts and pants I make for him. I definitely come out ahead compared to buying his clothes at Lands End, department stores, or places like Gap/Children's Place, etc. I'm not into character clothing or logos, so that limits what I'd buy in RTW anyway.

I would budget in $$ for servicing any machine you buy second hand. Money well spent. Jenn had some good advice re: planning for purchases of thread and other notions.

Good luck! If this is something you want, you can do it!

Tara

Well, I guess it depends how you do it. If you do like Heather suggests and buy an extra yard to make a second item to sell, you'll make your money back. That said, I *might* save a little money, if I don't count the fabric I buy for my business. However, I find it hard to separate these two things (besides patchwork).

That said, for ME, saving money isn't why I sew. I do it because I love it. It's one of the few areas in my life where I truly get to be creative and shine. So few people sew these days, especially people our age. I feel so proud when I complete something and then get to show it off on Sophie. I just love it when people ask where I got the dress/shirt/pants and I say that I made it!

Diapers definbitely save money. I haven't bought a diaper in months and I'm slowly thinning to my stash to have diapers I really like. And the fact is, I *really* prefer my diapers!

Just gotta chime in here :D ...

Sewing clothes can be expensive, or it can be super cheap...just depends on the materials you're using, or the type of clothes you're buying.
It seems to me like once I really started sewing, everyone I met felt the need to give me the fabric they'd been hoarding...so I just can't beat "free"! :) Also, lots of thrift stores just throw away clothing that's ripped, hasn't sold for a long time, etc...so I've picked up a lot of free fabric (especially corduroy) that way, too (think patchwork!).
However, I do have a fabric addiction. lol! So I've bought lots of fabric I just had to have that was expensive--and thus some of my sewing does cost me more than rtw clothing. I try to make myself feel better about it by rationalizing--at least the clothes I make don't contribute so much to sweatshop labor, etc.

Another person saying "it depends" here too. . .

I just made 2 things for my 9 month old, a terry romper and a tank style dress with a gathered skirt. The terry was I think $3 per yard from a co-op (so figure shipping too) and I used 3/4 yard of that. Since I had ordered 3 yards of it planning on using about 1 yard per girl, (the older ones are getting tees) I'll get an extra tee out of it, as well as scraps for washies. so, that looks pretty good, right? Well - I don't really like the way the romper went together, I think I am still too new at sewing to try snap fronts and snap legs. She'll wear it, but I'm frustrated, yk? The tees will come out fine, though, I'm getting pretty good at those.

Moral of this story? If you are really interested in being frugal, it may pay to stick with stuff you are pretty sure of, until your skills progress. . .

Now, I tried something new on the dress, too, and LOVED it. In fact, this new trick is going to save me time and fuss (I gathered the skirt using lastin instead of pulling bobin thread) as well as give me an easy way to use wovens, which I find to be less expenzive than knits, and really light for our hot humid summer. The dress I made, btw, cost $4. I could have gotten one for less at a garage sale, but this has that nice, new crisp look, and it is exactly the style I like on the baby.

Moral of this story (contradictory to the one above) sometimes it pays to take risks. Of course, it's pretty easy to rip off a skirt and re-do, so that wasn't a big risk. . .

I also factor in time. . . as my girls get bigger, it's taking a lot more time to find bargain clothes. I sew when they are asleep, or when the baby is asleep and the big girls are playing nicely. Taking them all to the thrift store or garage sales is just too hard anymore.

You also have to know yourself. . . you seem like you have a pretty thrifty personality to begin with. wish I did. . . You can go to Joann's and go straight to the sale section and pick up a few yards to make a few dresses. I tend to pile my cart high with the rationalization that it's on sale. . . but I still have more than one season's worth of clothes in there, yk?

One disclaimer. . . I really had no idea how much thread I'd wind up buying. . . my machine seems to suck that stuff up! That is making sewing seem a little more expensive than I thought it would be.

I definitely think that sewing can be cheaper than buying! Also, you get to pick the styles you want, which, with little girls I am sure you know that what is in stores is not always what you want your children to wear.

As far as start up costs go, it can be really cheap- especially if you get a machine for $30-40. The bare minimums would be a couple of packs of needles ($3-4 ofr a five pack), a few colors of thread ($2-3 spool), some fabrics, and a few patterns. If you have a Joanns around you, they do half off notions, and all every few weeks, also, there patterns go on sale for $1 every few weeks too, that is a great time to stock up!

You can definitely get carried away with buying fabrics & such, but you can also save a ton of money too! For example, for $5, I just made 3 Gymboree-style cotton knit 2-sided blankets, which would have been $75 at Gymboree.

Everything said--well I've had the same thoughts!! LOL!!

But here is my experience:

1. I love to sew, it's like therapy for me. I also knit and love it too, but hand knit items take muuuuuuuuch longer and I'm not always patient. :o I have to sew to maintain sanity I guess. It's my creative outlet.

2. There is a fabulous store here in Sacramento called Sak's. I have found Hanna opp. stripes for 1.15, Gymboree for around a dollar as well as Laura Ashley, American Girls etc. They also have adult clothes which I love--retro and regular. I got a leather coat there for 5.00. BUT they are second hand, and that bothers some people (not me LOL!!) So if I can get prices like that, I'm all for it. This is cheaper than sewing them myself, and I have extra time to hang with the family.

3. My daughter has such pride in me when I make her something. Nice ego boost. It would be fun to make something special for your step daughter! I made my dd (who is 11) a patchy pesant blouse (now all her friends want them LOL!! But the fabric was 10.00 a yard so that's not happening) and a scarf which she calls her 'hug' from me. Also, it might be a fun project to do With your step daugher, there are some great books for kids.

4. I have a random sewing machine that I'm not too happy with. However, it would cost at least 150.00 to bring up to speed, and so I'm stuck trying to figure out if I want a new one or fix that one. If you do get a second hand machine, factor in 100. for parts and labor to make sure it's working. A new one might be a better option for you (or maybe your mom's old one?? Maybe she needs a new one LOL!!)

5. Join my fabric trade group! Maybe you can get a super deal!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FabricTrade/

So that's my few cents!

Meg

If I count just the cost of fabric/notions and compare the cost of each item to comparable new items, then, yes, I do save lots of money on things I sew. It's just all the extras that seem to add up for me. But not counting those, since they are already bought LOL, if I had say $200 to spend all year on clothes for the kids, I could make it go farther buying fabric than buying even used stuff...and the stuff would be new and handmade. :)

Meeshi,

Sewing saves our budget! I mostly sew just for the girls because boys clothes are easy to find in good condition at tag sales.

Just for my current example. Here is what I've made or have cut out and ready to sew for the girls (they wear the same size) for this spring/summer:

*9 peasant tops

*1 pair of capri pants (to mix and match with two of the peasant tops)

* 2 pair of shorts to mix and match with the peasant tops.

The clothes look like boutique stuff. They really do. I spent a total (I'm going to estimate since I don't have my receipts here in front of me) of about $20 and this includes pattern, notions, fabrics etc.....

I really saved a lot.

One good place to check out is rummage sales. I found the coolest fabric that was in a skirt for a woman and I bought it for pennies and turned it into a peasant top. It is the neatest fabric that the girls call the "gypsy top".

My biggest expense if having my maching checked up each year. (It is about $60) but my husband and I are going to try to do it ourselves next year.

My machine is a inexpensive no-frills one. I really really really long for a serger but that is a ways down the road.

I think the best thing is seeing how much $$ you save and knowing that the clothes you make truly are one-of-a-kind.

Asia went off to school today in the cutest outfit I finished yesterday. The fabric looks like a red/white checkered picnic table and it has black ants walking all over it. Asia said "Mom, I really do have ants in my pants!!!" *lol*

I made a pair of capri pants for her out of this with contrasting black patch pockets and a matching capri top. I am also going to make some coordinating clothes to go w/this theme.

Hugs and Bright Blessings,

Michelle

definitely saves money for us. i buy $1/yd fabric 99% of the time, though. i also have a couple of bigger kids so it's difficult to find decent clothes for them (that aren't badly worn). i do shop the clearance sales, though, and snatch up RTW clothing i find for a buck or two. whatever gets us by cheaply. :)

Hmmm, is it cheaper? Well, overall I think it is.

Could I clothe my children cheaper? Probably. But DH grew up living in hand me downs and he hated it. The Walmart around here is quite a drive, plus its dirty and sloppy, so I RARELY go there. In fact, I heard of these great little cases to store embroidery thread and DH almost committed me when we were in the neighborhood and I asked to stop by. K-Mart around here is about the same story. Target clothes are okay, but sometimes they are not. I used to buy quite a few things from Target when my oldest was a baby. One time I bought 2 pairs of shorts and 2 tshirts. Total bill was about $20. Well, one of the pairs of shorts, the hem started unraveling within a month and one of the shirts, when I washed it, the neck became so small that I could not fit it over my baby's head. Seriously, it would not go. Of course I did not have my receipt anymore (I had purchased these in the spring) and Target would not take them back. So I would consider that money wasted. So we switched to higher quality clothing.

And I really agree with Shecki. There are so many horrible fashion trends out there for little kids. My girls LOVE dresses. In the summer, they live in dresses, in the winter, they like to have a few in their wardrobe. When my oldest was 4 we went looking. She was not out of that "toddler" size. We spent days looking for something that I liked. Something that was no too short, so pleatherly, too belly baring, too tight, etc. I like loose, longer skirts since she sits cross legged at school and those will not ride up. And then try and find little girl's jeans that fit well and don't have rhinestones, feathers, fu-fu stuff on them. I ended up buying jeans in the boy's section. And who's brilliant idea was it to make baby pants hip huggers??? I bought some cute fleece pants for my little one at the Gap outlet. I just picked up her size. I got them home and OMG, they were hip huggers with flared legs. She was learning how to walk and was tripping over the flares and her diaper showed above the waistline. So I started making a lot of my own stuff. It may not be cheaper than yard sales, but I get boutique look clothes for a lot less. And since I love to sew, this satisfies this. My latest kick, summer dresses for the girls out of Hanna Anderssen fabric. I love the Hanna look, but the prices are steep. The fabric is so nice and I have made several dresses for the girls already. Now my capitol expenses are expensive. I have very nice machines and lots of accessories. But I also work a few hours a week at a sewing dealer, so I need to keep sewing to be better at my job.

Heather

my advice--- keep your ear to the ground-- you can def find a machine cheap! I picked up a 20 year old Singer Stylist at a yard sale for 9.00 that has absolutely nothing wrong with it! I may get it serviced down the line, just because, but it runs fine now, and sews well. It has all the basics, including a zig-zag stitch. Now it isnt as easy to thread as a new machine, and it doesnt really have the fancy decorative stitching, or 10 different stitches, but it does what it has to! And I also have a friend's serger on "extended loan". It had lived in her attic for about 10 years, and I mentioned I was looking for one, and she told me she'd loan me hers. Now if I could just get her to part with her Elna machine :D

As far as fabric goes, I usually pick up a yard or two off of the dollar table whenever I see something I like. Two is all you will ever need to make kids clothes. And heck, most dresses don't even need fastners! Wait for a co-op and get some thread-- everything else besides patters are super cheap, and those can be, if you either buy when they are 99 cents, buy off ebay, or make your own :D

Good luck-- I am just getting into sewing alittle myself-- maybe we can be support buddies --lol
heather

I don't have time to read through all of the replies right now, but I'd like to add that the money you'll save on DIAPERS alone will more than make up for the rest. LOL. I've got an inexpensive source for MM fleece, so all of Lydia's dipes are made from it.


Once you get a stash going, you can trade fabric that you get at thrift stores / yard sales for stuff you like/want/need.

Good luck, mama!

I'm new at this but I definately think it saves $ if what you would be buying is decent quality clothing. I am thrilled that I can make a boutique quality outfit for under $10.

I wouldn't do it simply to save $ though. It's a lot of work too. One thing no-one mentioned yet is what it costs you in time. It's not for everyone and it does take a fair amount of your spare time. If you enjoy it and feel it's time well spent then I say go for it. It's a creative outlet that I needed and a hobby I can do it from home and don't need childcare for (important to me) so it works great for me.

When you start sewing you realize just how much goes into making a garment. I never *understood* before how little sweatshop wages really are and how rtw and wahm clothing really should cost a lot more because you aren't just paying for fabrics, you are paying for time.