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High Fashion, Low Cost

Saving Money by Sewing

By Tenna Perry

"My 13-year-old daughter wanted pants and shorts for camp, and not finding any she liked at the discount stores, we bought about $30 of fabric and made two pair of shorts and a pair of long pants," says RolletMcWilliams. "My 10-year-old, thrilled at the results with Kira's shorts, wanted some for himself. He found some scrap flannel in the material boxes, cut out the shorts pattern but added 4 inches in length to make himself some Bermuda length PJ bottoms. My 7-year-old was upset with his siblings having new clothes, so he took some remnants from his sister's tan cotton pants and scrap camouflage material to make Bermuda shorts with camo pockets. The long pants alone would have been $30."

Nancy Cavanaugh is the crafts editor at Busy Parents Online, mother of a 7-year-old daughter and aunt to an 11-year-old niece, both of whom she plans on teaching to sew. "This summer I was able to make my daughter four pairs of shorts for about $12, including the cost of the pattern, which is a lot less than what I would have paid for just one pair at the store, even on clearance," says Cavanaugh. "I was also able to make a matching pair of shorts for her 18-inch dolls from one of the fabrics, which she thought was the coolest thing."

Rosemary Lasseigne of Crosby, Texas, a grandmother of 12 who also taught her daughters to sew at an early age, says her children have learned to make a variety of items.

"My youngest daughter now sews better than I could have ver dreamed of doing myself," says Lasseigne. "A few weeks ago I watched while she and my daughter-in-law sewed formal style dresses for two bridesmaids and two flower girls in a day and a half for my oldest granddaughter's wedding. During that time, my daughter-in-law also made a prom dress for another one of my granddaughters. The prom dress alone would have been $300 or more, but the total cost was less than $100. There is no telling how much they saved on the bridal dresses."

Want to see more?

• Dressed up Frugally: 10 Ways To Reduce Your Spending on Children's Clothing
• Clothing Exchange: Clothes to Fit Your Budget When Nothing Fits Your Kids
• Baby's First Halloween: 11 Inexpensive Costumes for Frugal Moms
• Talk about it!