Sewing Tip of the Week #1: Thrift Store Patterns


Sewing Tip of the Week #1

I have been in love with clothing since I was a little girl. How colors looked on a model, how the fabric draped, and most especially, how their full ensemble looked once all the pieces were in place all appealed to my visual and creative senses. I would spend hours a day designing new looks and rumminging through JC Penny, Sears and Speigal catalogs imagining the day I would make manifest the ideas on the sketch pad in front of me

When I was in highschool I took my hobby to the next level by designing prom dresses for my friends and classmates. Too impatient with all the seemingly unnecessary applications to utilize the McCall, Butterick and Vogue patterns available to me, I relied on a family friend to actually sew the designs into the beautiful eye catchers they were intended to be.

As I entered college and adult hood, the money I could stand to make by creating garments on campus became a way of paying my bills and putting food in my dorm fridge. But I still struggled with patterns and soon found myself feeling like a little girl in shoes to big, trying to make sense of it all.

Eventually, I did away with patterns alltogether and found salvation at off campus thrift stores and yard sales. If I saw a design in a fashion magazine or created on in my head, I would rummage through the racks until I found similar styles that I could DE-construct and then RE-construct into the desired garment. Problem solved! A cap sleeved top here, combined with a the hoodie of another jersey there, these pieces became my new patterns with a little creativity and determination. Once I found the look and proper size for myself or my excited clients, all I had to do was purchase the fabric and voila! Not only did construction now make sense, but it saved me money too. Sure, it took more time to find what I needed, but what artsy woman with an obsession for fashion doesn’t enjoy a good treasure hunt now and then?

Today I have developed enough skill to make my own patterns or even go free style with none at all; just my good eye and steady hand. I can still be found between the isles of a Goodwill or Salvation Army, but now it is for a cause. Recycling clothing is a cool way to cut back on the overconsumption of natural resources and help save Mother Earth.

My sewing tip of the week? If conventional store bought patterns do not quite work for you, find what does. But whatever you do, never give up on yourself. A little ingenuity goes a long way and natural gifts are shameful to waste. Find your unique flo and fly!

Oh yeah, if you are looking for some cool fabrics, look no further…..J&O Fabrics has it all.

For fun novelty cotton fabric, click here!

For all your collegic cotton fabric, click here!

For hot designer dress fabric, click here!

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