Sewing for Less - Repurposing

Sewing for your family can be expensive. Purchasing fabric, patterns, notions, and thread at full price can easily cost you more than buying ready-made clothing on sale, and much more than gently used yard sale clothing.

But, it doesn't have to be. There are a lot of strategies I use to sew things for less. One way I save money on supplies is to look for materials to repurpose. Adult-sized clothing (especially women's skirts and dresses) usually contains enough material to create a child-sized garment. I can always find high-quality clothing at our local Goodwill store for pocket change. The key is training your eye to see past what the garment is...to what it could be.


One of the internet fads right now is repurposing men's shirts into little girls' dresses. I found this shirt at our local Goodwill store for...$0.29. It is a high-quality, 100% cotton shirt. I chose it because this color is flattering to my daughter, the material was sturdy and stain-free, and, of course, it was cheap.


I decided to use New Look 6844 as my pattern. The first thing I did was position the pattern pieces to take advantage of the existing buttons and buttonholes, eliminating the need for a back zipper. I also had to re-draw the collar front to allow for the width of the shirt's front band. I see now that I could've extended it a bit so that the collar fronts would almost touch, but it's cute the way it is. I added some decorative stitching down the front, but I don't think it adds much.


This adorable eyelet trim I picked up at another local thrift store...a friend of mine tipped me off to a huge load of sewing supplies they received, and I came home with hundreds of yards of lace and eyelet trim for $17. Some was discolored from storage, but hot water and Biz brightened it up nicely. The collar, back tie, and sleeve band I made from a tone-on-tone cotton fabric in my stash, so it was essentially free. I removed the breast pocket, carefully, added a strip of eyelet, and repositioned it on the skirt.


The sleeves turned out Snow-White-ish, but Girlie loves the dress so I'd call the whole project a success.

So, here's the breakdown:
Men's shirt used for fabric...$0.29
Eyelet trim for pocket and sleeves...$0.10 (it's probably less)
Collar, belt, sleeve band fabric...FREE from my stash
Pattern...$3.50...but I will use it several times...maybe 4...$0.63
Thread...$0.50
And, Voila!...a toddler's dress for about $1.50!*

*Note: One thing I never do is factor in my time as a cost liability. Opinions vary on this aspect of frugality. Some people believe that large amounts of time should only be spent on the activities that are going to provide the greatest cost savings...things like home repairs, oil changes, haircuts, etc. The truth is that I can purchase toddler dresses at yard sales or thrift stores for a few dollars. So, why spend a few hours to create something that is only "saving" a dollar or two?

Mainly...enjoyment. I enjoy the creative process and bringing an idea to life.

Modesty is also an issue..I like my daughter in LONG dresses...they're hard to find!

I think it sets a good example for our children, to look for creative solutions instead of running out to buy what we want or need.

And, I also believe creativity is a gift from God, and that He is pleased when we use our gifts to serve and bless others.

I hope to explore some other areas of frugal sewing. I have several projects in the works and I'll try to post them as I get them finished. Please stop back!

More Label Ideas...

I made some fancy labels for my jelly jars last week...like the labels I made for my spice jars a few weeks ago. I had to enlarge them slightly to fit snugly inside the canning rims. Now that I have them perfectly sized and formatted for the jars, it'll be a snap to label all my preserves this way. I created the image with a circle surrounding the olive branches as a cutting line. I had my younger sons cut them out...accuracy is not critical because the rim hides the cut edge. (Some people take the rims off after sealing, but I don't.) Besides looking pretty, the labels make a nice presentation, and I can place a few jars in a basket with a pretty card when I need a quick hostess gift.

It's "Mint" to Be

My mother loves recipes. No magazine or newspaper boasting culinary instructions is safe from her recipe-clipping passion. My grandmother and I kid her about her binders and card boxes jam-packed with decades of delicious offerings...but WHO does everyone go to when they need a recipe? Exactly.

Mom also loves to garden. This week her mint was ready to be harvested...and after my boys helped cut it, we had filled a bushel basket! Now, what to do with it? We quickly decided to concoct a summertime family favorite drink...one of her fabulous recipe finds...Mint Orangeade.

Mint Orangeade
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C fresh mint leaves, lightly crushed
1 tsp shredded orange peel
2 C orange juice
1 1/4 C lemon juice
Ginger ale or Club soda, chilled

MAKE AHEAD PREP: In saucepan, combine 2 1/2 C water and sugar; bring to boiling. Pour over crushed mint leaves. Add orange peel, orange juice, and lemon juice. Cover. Let stand at least 1 hr. Strain, cover, and chill.

FOR EACH DRINK: Pour 1/3 C fruit mixture into tall glass, over ice, if desired. Fill with chilled ginger ale or club soda. Garnish with mint sprig.

Makes 6 C drink base.

Better Homes and Gardens, July 1981

But, wait...the recipe only requires 1 cup fresh mint leaves, and we had much, much more than that. Our solution? Make mint syrup. Here's how (using the preceding recipe):

Mint Syrup
In a saucepan, combine 2 1/2 C water and 1 1/2 C sugar; bring to boiling.
Pour over 1 C crushed fresh mint leaves. Cover, let stand at least 1 hour. Strain.

While mixture is standing, prepare quart canning jars, lids and rims. Then pour hot syrup (reheating if necessary) into hot jars, add lids, tighten rims until secure; invert jars. Jars are sealed when you hear lids "pop." Leave inverted until cool, then store until needed.

10 batches yielded 6 quarts of syrup.

Use Mint Syrup to make Mint Orangeade, or as a flavoring for hot or iced tea.

Enjoy!...It's delicious!

Mommy's Little Helper

Girlie loves to help out in the kitchen...and, for that, I am thankful. Today, she insisted on filling the ice cube trays, a seemingly constant job this time of year. (We like A LOT of ice in this family). She let the water fill each little cube space before moving on to the next one...I think her expression here demonstrates her level of concentration. (Of course, as soon as she filled it, she dumped it into the sink, she was wet and cold in a matter of minutes, and still, I had to do the job, anyway...but she had fun "helping.")

The dress she's wearing came from Goodwill earlier this week. It's about 3 sizes too big, but she loves it. I've been letting her wear it as a nightgown.

The June Couple

This is a bridal shower gift I recently finished. In my post here I mentioned looking for a poem for a young friend of mine who will be getting married on my anniversary in June. While looking through an old copy of the works of Edgar Guest, I came upon the poem, "The June Couple." Thankfully, the poem was fitting for the young couple, and conveyed the proper sentiments, so I set out to find a way to present it to the bride as a gift.

I was able to find this lovely frame at a thrift shop...it had a Nolan Miller dress design print in the center which I discarded. The frame was originally a tacky, silvery/goldish color, so I used one of my favorite trash-to-treasure tricks and painted it with black acrylic paint, making sure to get it into all the crevices, then wiped some off with a cloth, just leaving highlights of the original color showing through. It set off the intricacy of the frame's carved design, and toned down the harsh metallic finish. Black paint is a bargain-hunter's best friend!

Next, I formatted the poem on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cream paper, which I trimmed down slightly. This was mounted onto a sheet of pumpkin-colored mulberry paper which was then trimmed to fit and glued into the inner frame. I added a strip of taupe velvet ribbon and a paper flower I purchased from Michael's scrapbooking section.

I washed the glass and reassembled the elements and used a reproduction victorian floral wrapping paper (a previous find from the thrift store) for the backing.

This was one of those projects that I didn't feel particularly inspired about, but I am pleased with the finished product. I hope the bride and groom display it in their new home and that the message of the poem will speak to and encourage them often.

(You can click on the photo to enlarge it and read the poem.)

Variety Is The Spice of Life

Here's an idea that's been rolling around my head now for months. I've been wanting to move all my spices out of plastic containers into glass canning jars. I dislike the variety of sizes of containers that spices come in...it's visually disturbing to me. Looking at the ingredients themselves is so much more pleasing to the eye than brightly colored commercial labels. I like the way these jars look lined up on the counter...reminds me of an old-fashioned general store.

I used wide-mouth quart jars for ingredients that are spooned out, like most herbs and spices would be. Also for flaked coconut, which I keep in the fridge. For things that I will pour out of the jar, like dried beans, I used regular-mouth jars.

A quart jar sounds large to hold spices, but with a family of 6, I do a lot of cooking, and will have no trouble using them up before they lose potency. I always try to replenish my spices from the bulk food store, which is much, much cheaper than buying them in the supermarket. The few flavorings I use just a bit of I put into pint jars.

If you haven't tried the plastic lids available now for canning jars...they are great. I've seen the regular mouth lids in the grocery stores and stuff-marts, but I had a hard time locating the wide-mouth lids locally, so I purchased them here.

I designed the labels using Print Shop software, formatted an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet with 20 olive branch circles, then typed the names into a text box inside each circle. I cut them out, laminated them, and tied them to the jars with thin elastic. I used elastic because it will not come unintentially un-tied, but can be stretched and pulled off easily when I need to wash the jars.

This project took several hours over two days to complete. Because the labels are laminated, they will last a very long time, and I know I'll enjoy my kitchen so much more now that a lot of visual clutter has been eliminated.

How have you enhanced your home's beauty by reducing visual clutter?

Improvement...by Edgar A. Guest

The joy of life is living it, or so it seems to me;
In finding shackles on your wrists, then struggling till you're free;
In seeing wrongs and righting them, in dreaming splendid dreams,
Then toiling till the vision is as real as moving streams.
The happiest mortal on the earth is he who ends his day
By leaving better than he found to bloom along the way.

Were all things perfect here there would be naught for man to do;
If what is old were good enough we'd never need the new.
The only happy time of rest is that which follows strife,
And sees some contribution made unto the joy of life.
And he who has oppression felt and conquered it is he
Who really knows the happiness and peace of being free.

The miseries of earth are here and with them all must cope.
Who seeks for joy, through hedges thick of care and pain must grope.
Through disappointment man must go to value pleasure's thrill;
To really know the joy of health a man must first be ill.
The wrongs are here for man to right, and happiness is had
By striving to supplant with good the evil and the bad.

The joy of life is living it and doing things of worth,
In making bright and fruitful all the barren spots of earth.
In facing odds and mastering them and rising from defeat,
And making true what once was false, and what was bitter, sweet.
For only he knows perfect joy whose little bit of soil
Is richer ground than what it was when he began to toil.

My first acquaintance with Mr. Guest's work was a poem entitled, "Only a Dad." While searching for an idea for a Father's Day present from my children to their dad, I discovered this piece and was drawn to it immediately. Later, I found his work, "Imagination," and those of you who know me well, know just how well that poem describes me. It has become a theme for me throughout our home-building process. While some may find him a bit too sentimental for their tastes, I find that Mr. Guest excels at revealing the nobility of the commonplace. Of giving words to the silent struggles of the heart. Of championing the underdog. I can't help but think that he must have been a very good friend...a great encourager...a wonderful listener...because his capacity to understand the human condition is evident in the tenderness, bordering on reverence, he exhibits towards domestic life.

A few months ago, I purchased a beautiful, old book of his poetry from Ebay, and while searching it for a poem to share with a young lady about to get married, I found the poem above. Again, it seems that Mr. Guest has been privy to my thoughts, writing something that I could've written...had I his talent.

Poetry is part of our life, as I will frequently share passages with my children, and I will assign them poetry for copywork on a regular basis. Being boys, I must admit, they don't always jump for joy when I head towards the poetry shelf. Secretly, though, I think they enjoy our discussions...and I enjoy those "A-ha" moments...when something we've talked about in a poem comes up somewhere else in prose...and they remember and make the connection.

Poetry adds beauty to everyday life. Elevates our thoughts. Lightens our load.

I'm grateful to God for the gift of language, and for the gifting of wordsmiths like Mr. Guest.