3 Easy Sewing Tricks for Saving Money on Clothes

We are all trying to make our money go farther these days. One area of the budget that can be tightened without much pain is your wardrobe. By learning just a few simple sewing techniques, you can pull out those never-worn garments and feel good about saving money and putting something previously used back into circulation.

Replace buttons.

Sometimes all an old shirt needs is a new set of buttons. Fabric and craft strores have entire walls full of fun, colorful buttons in all sizes and shapes. Online sites are also good sources for embellishments: try Ebay.com or Etsy.com. You can sew on buttons to match a certain color pants or skirt, or even mix and match the buttons for an eclectic look that can be worn with several items. If you are sewing-impaired, there are actually tutorials out there to teach you how to sew on a button. For just a few of your dollars and a few minutes of your time, you can save $15-$50 and feel like you have a new top!

Apply an applique.

If a shirt has a worn spot that can not be mended inconspicuously, sew on an applique. This is a design that is sewn on top of the fabric. You can purchase appliques at fabric stores or craft stores. They can be found in hundreds of designs: flowers, animals, geometric figures, letters.

If you are willing to spend a little more time, you can create your own.

(1) Find an image you want to use. It can come from many sources. I have used computer images, simple coloring book pages, cartoons and line drawings sketched out by my more-artistic-than-me husband.

(2) Use a fusing product such as Wonder Under (found at the fabric store), and trace the drawing onto the fusible paper.

(3) Cut the drawing out and iron it onto the wrong side of the fabric you are making the applique from. Now you have an applique that can be fused to your garment. Follow the instructions that come with the fusible paper to iron your applique.

(4) You can then use a zig-zag or satin stitch to sew around the edges to avoid fraying. If the garment is in the casual category, you can sew a quarter inch inside the edge, and let the edges fray. This gives a "fluffy" look to the applique after it is washed a couple of times.

Lop off some fabric.

Many times a skirt of pair of pants wears out on the hem area first. Make the item like new again by ripping out the old hem, pressing, and cutting an inch or two off the bottom. Re-hem, and you now have a new stylish skirt or cropped pants. It is also fun to add trim to the bottom of your skirt or pants. The trim can be sewn on after re-hemming, or if cutting scares you, let the old hem out and cover the once-folded edge (this often leaves a line on the garment) with trim of your choice. Then make a narrow hem using hem tape, or a rolled stitch.

There is a plethora of resources out there giving instructions for simple sewing techniques. It is well worth your time and hard-earned dollars to invest in learning these tricks for making your clothes last longer and saving you money. Not only can you be proud of tightening up your clothes budget, you can also enjoy the good feeling of creating something unique and useful!