Today’s guest post comes from Denise, one of the moms I virtually met through Frugal Moms.
So – you have growing children, and not a lot of $$$ to clothe them. I remember it all too well! Here are some of the things I did to keep my kids well clothed, yet not break the bank. If you have the basic sewing skills, you can save money and have unique clothes for your little ones.
– Think of old, adult clothes as fabric, not actual clothing items. Those 4X pants, old bridesmaid dresses, etc. will yield a LOT of fabric. I hit up yard sales, thrift stores, etc. Many times I’ve gotten outdated styles of bridesmaid dresses for free – tons of velvet fabric. I remake into special occasion dresses, suits, throw pillows, trims on blouses, toys, etc. Harvest all the trim too – for future projects. . . lace, buttons, zippers, appliques, etc.
– Old men’s dress socks. . . full of holes? Think you need to toss them? Think again! Cut off the cuffs before you toss them, and save them. The cuffs can be used to extend the sleeves of children’s shirts, that fit other than the sleeves are getting too short. You can also make the cuffs into toddler sized mittens, add some embroidery or appliques to disguise the origins of the mittens. (and we all know how hard it is to keep track of kid’s mittens, so a few extra pairs would be nice to have around). Sew several cuffs together, into a long strip – add fringe to each end, and some embroidery on the end cuffs and you have a warm scarf. Open up the cuffs, and sew together to make hats, lap throws, etc.
– I had boys, then finally a daughter! I wanted my daughter to look like a girl, but I didn’t want to have to purchase an entirely new wardrobe. I took lace and added it as trim to the seams and pockets of jeans. I covered pictures of footballs on T-shirts with kitten, flower, and baby doll appliques. If clothing had white trim or large areas of light colors, I grabbed a bottle of Rit dye in pink or purple and dyed the clothes to look more girly.
– Old sweaters, make great mittens – I use the hem of the sweater for the cuff of the mittens. I prefer 100% wool sweaters, then felt them in the washer. This makes a dense, warm, nearly waterproof fabric for the mittens.
– I crochet and knit a lot as well. . . old T-shirts, cut into 1 inch strips, spiral-wise can make a soft “yarn” for bulky projects like rugs, tote bags and so forth.
If you think outside of the box, I’m sure you can come up with some terrific ideas for remaking or making over things for your children too.
Denise Green is a full time RN, wife, and mom of 3. She has certainly had her share of financial crises, but has persevered and survived. .. no thrived through it all.
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