Knowing When to Let Go: 7 Reasons to Remove an Item From Your Wardrobe!

Right now you're probably saying to yourself, "What's wrong with this woman?  In one post she says we throw out too much, and in the next she wants me to get rid of things!  I wish she'd make up her mind!"  OK, I may seem to be a little inconsistent here, but I promise you that there's a theme here, and I'm still not advocating throwing things away.  A future post will cover the actual mechanics of getting rid of unwanted textiles, but for now, let's concentrate on WHEN to let go.

If you're like me, even though you have not booked your appearance on "Hoarders", you probably save clothes far too long.  Perhaps your reasons are environmental, or sentimental or maybe it's just plain inertia. Whatever is making you hold on, here are 7 compelling reasons to part company with those fabric albatrosses.

The first, and most obvious reason is that the item is seriously worn out.  We all have some of these - pilled beyond recognition, frayed cuffs, threadbare or faded body.  When you love a piece, or when it is oh so comfortable, sometimes its hard to see that the end is nigh.  I find that the best time to check is when you trade out your seasonal clothing for the next upcoming season.  As you put clothes away, inspect each piece for glaring wear...

...and tear.  The second reason to divest yourself of an item of clothing is irreparable damage.  Many things can be fixed - a damaged zipper or a fallen hem - but some cannot: a gaping hole in a hard to patch area, a stain that won't budge, or the odor you just can't eradicate.

Third are those wardrobe components that are just hopelessly out of date - their time is gone and not coming back - we're talking leisure suits! Now we all know that today's off trend items MAY turn into tomorrow's heirlooms or kitschy vintage wonder.  If your dress or blouse in is pristine condition with classic lines I'll give you a bye here - you may carefully store it away.  However, if we are talking about the average passe piece with lots of wear, don't save it for the day the trend comes back.

Number 4 haunts almost all women at some time or another - clothes that just don't fit!  If it fit ten years ago, please see number 3.  Even if it fit last year, and you plan to lose or gain weight, remember - it might not happen the way you plan.  And, don't forget that as we age, our bodies just change.  What fit like a glove before may never fit like that again - either alter it or let it go!

Fifth on the list are clothes that may fit (technically) but are just not comfortable.  Here consider the overly itchy sweater, the blouse that gapes and reveals too much or the pants you constantly pull and readjust. Your clothes should be effortless to wear.  Only the compliments you receive should remind you of their presence!

The sixth stop on our list may have some members in common with some of the other lists - these are the clothes that you just don't wear.  Some of these may even still have tags on them from the day you purchased them.  The old rule of thumb still holds true - if you have not worn it in a year (all four seasons have come and gone) you probably won't and you can safely let it go.

Last but not least, it's time to get rid of clothes that don't portray the image you want to be sending out into the world.  If an item is just not you - the REAL you - it probably does not belong in your wardrobe.  I hear so many women say, "I don't really have a 'style'."  I hear you, but if this is you, start working on that!  Build from those pieces you have that make you feel fabulous!

I hope this inspires you to take a critical look at your closet. Let me know what you are letting go of, and why!  Next in this series: 5 Ways to Divest Yourself of Unwanted Clothing Without Using a Landfill.

also shared at My Repurposed Life!

Lessons From the Past:2 - Shirt Shuffle

The Make and Mend for Victory book has been so much fun to read, and such an inspiration.  I have always been interested in reuse of discarded or unwanted fabrics, but this book has helped me to see things through my grandmother's eyes even a little bit more than before.  Having been a young woman during the Great Depression and WW2, she knew how to pinch a penny until there were tears in Abe's eyes!

I stopped into our local Salvation Army store the other day and picked up two old men's shirts.  Both are large sized.  One was $2.99 and the other $4.99.  And, of course, you may have a stock of worn out men's shirts at your disposal for free!

I have plans to modify these into women's blouses, but another chapter of Make and Mend for Victory had me looking at the many other potential garments hiding within these shirts.  Many of you have young children.  These shirts are ideal for making all kinds of garments for the little ones! Again, patterns of the day are used in these layouts, but modern patterns would work as well if you haven't a source (or the budget) for vintage patterns.

I hope this gives you some great ideas, as it did me!  Happy sewing!

Shared on Frugally Sustainable.

Lessons From the Past - Suit Salvage!

So, one of my birthday presents to myself was Make and Mend for Victory which was published in 1942 by the Spool Cotton Company.  Chapter 5a deals with converting a men's suit to a woman's suit!  If you've ever been confusied about turning one garment into another, this chapter is for you.

In the chapter, old men's suits were converted to women's suits using three contemporary patterns of the day, Hollywood 949, Advance 2997, and Vogue 9137.  Prior to thinking about the pattern or the layout, one needs to acquire an old men's suit, too worn for daily wear, as is, but in goo enough condition to warrent a restyle.  For instance, severely worn cuffs on sleeves and pants might make the suit look too tacky for your man to wear, but if the main of the suit is in good condition, you're in business!  What?  Your man doesn't wear suits?  No problem!  Head on down to your thrift store and look for a larger sized men's suit.  These can often be had for a few dollars, when the wool suiting would cost scads if new!

Next, clean the suit in whatever manner you plan to use for your finished garment.  This will assure pre-shrinking, as well as give you nice clean fabric to work with.

Next, become best friends with your seam ripper and take the entire garment apart.  Save those buttons, and any detailing you think you can use.  Press all of the pieces flat for a proper layout.  Your pattern is laid out on the pieces as in this example (using Hollywood 949):

As you can see, the women's pattern fits into the pieces salvaged from the man's suit!  The sew your pattern as you normally would, you Goddess of Ecological Reuse!

Linked to:  Frugally Sustainable, The Thrifty Home

Sewing a Basic Sustainability Skill?

I've been sewing since I was in junior high school.  At that time, one could pretty consistently sew a garment for less than the cost of ready made.  My first creation was a peasant styled purple maxi dress (that fairly accurately places the time period as the very late sixties/early seventies).  I remember feeling so stylish in it.

With that first garment, I was hooked.  I made skirts and blouses for school, and lovely dresses for parties and proms.  As a young wife I made curtains and small appliance covers for my first home.  And, as my daughter grew and became a dance soloist, I made her many costumes.

Since the time of that first maxi dress, sewing has become more of a boutique hobby.  As I've already posted on this blog, sewing can be quite expensive if one uses all new materials and  full-price patterns.  So why do I call sewing a sustainability skill?

We can pretty much agree that, unless you live in a nudist colony, clothing is an everyday essential.  I'm not talking about high fashion, or the latest fad clothing, but instead about the clothes we need to go about our everyday activities.  The clothing that protects us from the elements.  And that clothing

need not be unattractive.  Adornment is as old as humanity.

Here are just a few of the ways I feel sewing qualifies as an essential sustainability skill:

• Making garments out of other garments, fabric remnants and discarded softgoods.
• Altering existing garments to fit a wearer.
• Repairing garments that are torn, worn, or otherwise compromised.
• Making totes and sacs for carrying things.

The "Make Do and Mend" mentality is essential to a sustainable way of life.  Sewing is one means of keeping your garments functional for many years, and for extending their life into something new when their usefulness has seemingly come to an end.

Linked to Frugally Sustainable and The Thrifty Home.

Would You Consider Making Your Own Wedding Dress?

I'm sincerely interested in your answers to that question.  You see I'm getting married in August and I assumed I'd be making my own gown.  I've made them for others, so why not for myself?

I want to do it for economic reasons, for environmental reasons, for romantic reasons, and for sentimental reasons. DIY certainly seems to be the choice of most brides today when it comes to the favors, decor, flowers, etc.  At least it seems that way when you look at Pinterest pinboards, or the myriad of wedding sites in the blogosphere.

Then I started reading some other sewing blogs on the subject.  In her recent post, What I Learned While Sewing My Wedding Dress, Kim from Cotton Creek Sewing has some really great advice, including buying extra fabric and being willing to start over.  I plan on using satin from my mother's wedding gown, so extra fabric may not be an option, though I am looking for some look-alike satin just in case. 

I already incorporated my Mother's wedding gown in my daughter's Odette tutu.  To  make the basque, I separated the bodice from the skirts, removed the sleeves, and replaced the zipper with a grommeted lace-up closure.  The tutu was made from scratch, but the top layers were netting and re-embroidered lace from the skirt of my Mother's gown.

I saved all the other bits and pieces, but not with the idea of ever using them for a dress for myself. I never thought I'd get married the first time, let alone remarry!  I like the idea of wearing at least parts of my mother's gown, I like the ecology of refashioning, I like that most of the fabric will be free, and I like that the result will be uniquely me.  I have some vague visions of what the completed dress will look like.

Meg, from A Practical Wedding, started out with a family  (group effort) sewn wedding gown, only to find that the dress, despite a muslin and multiple mailed back and forth fittings,  did not fit properly.  The hand sewn gown was jettisoned in favor of a vintage find.  Though I plan to do all the sewing myself, could I end up needing a "Plan B gown"?

Many sewists do their own gowns.  Examples includes Melissa of FehrTrade, The Curious Kiwi,  and the totally impressive Iowahoodlum of FeatherPetalSilk, who learned to sew by doing her wedding gown! 

Well, would you do it?  Let me know!

Economics of Sewing - Part 2

Last time we talked about free and low cost options for acquiring sewing patterns.  Today, let's look at interesting sources for low cost sewing fabrics, trims and notions.
   
I don't need to tell you that full priced fabrics are very expensive.  My first suggestion here is something that many of us shy away from:  harvesting fabric from items that no longer fit, or that were never garments in the first place.  Did any of you see Blast from the Past, starring Alicia Silverstone and Brendan Fraser?  One of my favorite scenes takes place on Brendan Fraser's character's birthday.  Having lived in a fallout shelter for the past thirty years, his family is running out of nearly everything.  As a present, his mom, played by the awesome Sissy Spacek, makes him a new sports jacket from old curtains.  Now, it looks quite unconventional, but it was made with love (see below) - and who wants to look strictly conventional anyway!  Dated drapes become a new dress, and old round table cloth is a new circle skirt, and an oversized dress can provide the fabric for a new blouse.  In this instance I'm not talking about item restyling, but actually using item number one's fabric to make item number two. Of course, thrift and consignment shops are a bountiful source of these "harvested" fabrics, as are yard and estate sales.  Basically, anyplace where you can see the condition of the fabric you plan to harvest, can be a great source, if the price is right!

While we're on the subject of harvesting, don't forget that this can also be a great source for notions and trims.  My grandmother, raising her family during the depression, saved everything!  Even the buttonhole twist from one coat's buttons to use on another.  Having learned from the master, when I take apart an article of clothing that I intend to either refashion or simply harvest fabric from, I always take off any reusable trims, buttons, and even zippers.  While you may not want to reuse a zipper for a high wear garment, you might want to use one in a fitting muslin rather than using a brand new one!

 
If you want more traditional yard goods, but want to pay a lower price, you have many options, including some of the ones we've already mentioned, those thrift stores, consignment shops, yard sales and estate sales also sometimes have uncut yardage which can be purchased at a fraction of what would be asked in a traditional fabric store.  Just this past weekend, Sue from Sewin' Steady scored a huge box of fabrics and notions for just $11! Of course, those traditional stores do have sales and extensive couponing programs which can help considerably at the register.  Online shopping is another great option here.  Many traditional fabric stores have an online presence, and coupons will usually apply to online purchases as well.  Also, many of these stores will have swatching services so that you can see what you're getting before making a commitment.  Additionally, one can obtain fabrics on Craig's List, eBay, Etsy, Freecycle.  By definition, what is offered on Freecycle is free, but when using the other sites, it helps to have a sense of what the same fabric would go for in a variety of different settings.  In other words, comparison shopping is required if you are going to come up with a bargain.

Thanks for reading this little series.  Please comment and let me know if you have other favorite sources for low cost fabrics.

Linked to The Thrift Home.

Economics of Sewing - Part 1

Making your own clothing is a money saving activity, right? Well, it certainly can be, but it can also be relatively pricey - fabric from big box fabric stores, notions, trimmings, etc. It can all get pretty expensive. So, how does the home sewist keep costs in line?

Let's start with patterns. Full price patterns are prohibitively expensive if you're on a tight budget. With prices ranging from $5 to $25 (or so), for brand new patterns, and vintage patterns sometimes going for over $100 ($100 for crumpled tissue paper, you say!), patterns can be a very big investment. Check this article on New VintageLady if you doubt me! Now I absolutely love patterns, and I admit to having quite a stash, but I am very choosy about patterns for which I am willing to pay full price. For a full price pattern to be worth it, it must be a wardrobe staple which can be made many times in many different ways, or it must be for a very special occasion. Otherwise, I seek patterns from the following sources:

1) Pattern Sales. Big box fabric stores and pattern websites alike run periodic pattern sales which drastically lower the cost of the pattern from full price to a deeply discounted price. Even specialty shops which concentrate on certain types of patterns, such as vintage patterns, have occasional sales, so keep your eyes peeled.

2) BurdaStyle. This website is a treasure trove of patterns, many of which have been featured in the German periodical, Burda Style Magazine. The typical price point for these patterns is $5.50 USD. Readers of the site can also upload patterns to the site, and many of these are offered to fellow readers for free.

3) Online Searches of Independent Pattern Companies. Recently, I posted a series as I sewed the Colette Sorbetto, one of two free sewing patterns offered on the Colette Patterns blog. Other small pattern companies also give away free patterns as a demonstration of the quality of their wares in hopes that if you like their work, you will return and make a purchase. In my experience, if I like the fit and and I find the instructions easy to follow, I do become a loyal customer when my finances allow, because I know a bit about what I am getting.

4) Magazine and Books Inserts. Okay, the patterns are not free, because you are paying for the book or the magazine, but the value added content of the book or magazine often make the pattern(s) worth it. I already mentioned Burda Style Magazine, but other sewing magazines often have free patterns included. Two I can think of off the top of my head are Threads and Sew News. Also, two recent sewing best sellers (reviewed in earlier posts on this site) each included five patterns. These were the Burda-Style Handbook and the Colette Sewing Handbook. Again, these are merely examples of the many fine sewing books which include patterns.

5) eBay and Etsy. eBay, Etsy, and many other online marketplaces are full of sewing patterns at varying prices. When I shop these sites, it is usually when looking for something specific. I search for what I am looking for, and I set a very firm limit with myself on what I am willing to pay.

6) Estate Sales, Yard Sales and Thrift Shops. Spring is coming, and with it comes the yard sale season! Whenever I am out and about at yard and estate sales, or even at the thrift shop, I stay alert for sewing patterns. Often these can be purchased at one low price for a whole box full of patterns.  Be warned, however, that sometimes these patterns are not in mint condition.  The pattern may not have been placed neatly back in the envelope, or it may be missing a piece or two.  Also, if you do not like sewing vintage, the styles may seem a little dated.

I hope these tips have been helpful. If you know of other places to get free or low cost sewing patterns, please comment and let me know. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article, In which I will focus on fabrics and notions.

The Art of Scavenging (Lessons From Randy)!

Some people make things look so easy. I have a friend, Randy, who is the world's best scrounge. His home should be featured in a magazine. The decor is impeccable - tasteful and expensive looking. The interesting thing about it though, is that there is hardly an item in the house that was obtained at full retail price. We aren't merely talking about good sales either. We're talking deep discount on down to (possibly my favorite word in the English language after "love") FREE. How does he do it?

1. He is opportunistic. When presented with opportunity, he strikes, often not really knowing what he's going to do with an item once obtained, or how he is going to transport it. Our former place of employment was undergoing some renovations, which included the demolition of some Victorian era buildings. One day Randy noticed that workers were dismantling a marble staircase. He stopped one and asked what was being done with the marble. When he discovered that they planned to scrap it, he picked out a large slab from a landing and put it aside. Through one connection, he got ahold of a truck to move the marble, and via another he had the slab cut and polished into a top for a four seat table!

2. He is not afraid to take a chance on a sow's ear. Randy sees the potential in every cast-off pile of household detritus sitting by the side of the road with a sign that says (here's my favorite word again) "free". One day while I was visiting, Randy was focused on some activity going on outside. Some neighbors were moving a chaise down to the curb for trash day. Before they had made it all the way back inside, Randy was downstairs figuring out how to move it up to his place. On close inspection, it was not in showroom condition, but no matter, in it came, a once and future chaise. One man's trash is truly another man's treasure.

3. He invests time and elbow grease in his finds. The aforementioned chaise was treated to a full reupholstery job - but not in some fancy and expensive shop. No, Randy did the reupholstery himself with fabric also obtained at a deep discount.

4. A corollary to #3, he is not afraid to learn a new skill. When Randy "inherited" a cast-off dining room set from friends, he learned to strip the finish and lovingly applied layer after layer of tung oil. When the original owners saw the refurbished set, they were amazed at the result! As the result of this willingness to learn, Randy can do electric work, basic plumbing, furniture reupholstery and wood refinishing, stained glass, painting, wallpapering and much more.

Randy is one of my favorite inspirations as I look to reuse and upcycle. I think of him fondly whenever I see that pile by the side of the road, a scratch and dent item in a store, or an item in a thrift store. Thanks, Randy, I've learned a lot from you.