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High Fashion, Low Cost
Saving Money by Sewing
By Tenna Perry
August 2001 found my family in dire financial straits as we were faced with providing school supplies and clothes for our two school-age daughters. As a one-income family, we simply didn't have the extra money to spend. All I could hope to do was put the school supplies on layaway and let my children make do with the clothes they already had.
Exiting the layaway department of my local Wal-mart, I became aware for the first time of their extensive crafts section. In it I saw tables piled high with material priced at $1 per yard. Two hours later I left the store with one multi-use pattern (pants, shirt, skirt, shorts) for each of my daughters as well as one (pants, shorts, shirt, vest) for my 2-year-old son. All three patterns had been half priced, and I'd purchased $30 (30 yards) of various types of material.
From that one trip, I made complete wardrobes for my girls that were so extensive they didn't wear the same outfit twice during the first month of school. While making the girls' clothes, I also managed to sew several shorts and shirt sets for our son. When the teachers and the parents of other students found out I made the outfits, they soon began asking me to make clothes for their children. Who would have believed lessons I had taken when I was 12 would pay off so handsomely 30 years later?
That was also the year I began teaching my eldest to sew, and today she has her own machine to make school and play clothes. She has discovered it to be a great skill, allowing her to make beautiful clothes on even the tightest budget (or allowance).
Just as I found, sewing your own clothes can be a great way to save money.
Theresa RolletMcWilliams of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, began teaching all of her children to sew at an early age and even works it into their home-schooling curriculum. Now, they too are making their own clothes, and she's found it to be a great money saver.
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