8 Tips For Sewing On A Budget | Thrifty Fabric, Free Patterns & Sewing A Wardrobe For Free 

I love these tips. I am relatively new to garment making but i am determined not to waste money or fabric on it. I have developed a few tricks to avoid waste. I sew my daily basics rather than occasion outfits, i reuse and perfect the same patterns in different fabrics and with small adjustments of neckline, sleeve and fabric etc. I am comfortable in these styles and each one does look amazingly different. I keep my own sheets etc for mock ups, i even cut up old tshirts for mock ups of stretch fabrics. These arent ideal but they give me practice of construction and cutting so that i don't make any basic mistakes with my precious fabrics. Having a limited collection of patterns means that i can grab the right bargain when i see it. I know if the fabric is suitable for the pattern i have in mind and i know exactly how much i need before i purchase. Because i am able to alter clothing now, i am able to take advantage of bargains when i see them. I recently bought an special occasions dress that i had to purchase and will rarely wear. I found a bargain 2 sizes too big but because i understood the construction, i was able to resize it quickly and easily, saving me money. I have become more critical of the clothes i wear and i did a declutter recently where i evaluated everything i rarely wear and why i dont wear them. Most of them only required a hem or sleeve adjustment and now i am more comfortable in them. These skills are invaluable in making me feel better about my clothing and helping me to get more value out of what i wear.

you can often find fabric yardage at yard sales. I have bought about 100 yards of yardage at the goodwill. Here in the US they hang them with the linens. I have very little fabric bought from the craft store. I am starting to build an entire NEW wardrobe.

Good advice!!! I'd also recommend buying a vintage, all metal sewing machine from the 1950's, 1960's and early 1970's, before they started using nylon gears and then plastic parts. They sew like beasts through anything you throw at them and can be serviced and repaired at home, which saves a LOT of money. Here in the States I always recommend vintage, all-metal Kenmore machines (originally sold at Sears Department stores) but you can find lots of all-metal Japanese clones of Kenmores and Singers under various names. New Home machines were made by the company known as Janome today, so they are also good, vintage machines. Facebook Marketplace always has vintage machines listed, they can usually be found in thrift/charity stores, and those sewing machine repair shops you mentioned probably have some, too.

Great video. During the 1980s I made quite a few garments having made patterns from clothing that I already owned, such an easy and cheap way of having new clothes. Just measure and draw around each section of your clothing to make up the pattern, use tracing paper or even used newspapers. I bought a Tilly and the buttons pattern last year to make a dress for myself, now I feel brave enough to make do you think I can find it! So frustrating 😳

Vintage linen tablecloths are gorgeous and cheap. You can do “visual mending” or embroidery over any stains. Also, duvet fabric is sturdier than sheets, and a king-sized duvet is nearly 8 yards of fabric. Curtains in natural fabrics are harder to find, but also huge. BTW a quick way to find natural fabrics is to crumple it up in your fist and squeeze. Most natural fabrics will hold a wrinkle, while polyester will not.

This was such great advice. So practical. 😊

Thanks so much, Rachel! I’m happy to have found you, a British sewist like me 😊. That does help with sourcing stuff, like this! One thing about the sewing magazines. I’ve had subscriptions in the past to Love Sewing and Simply Sewing, and I’ve had real problems with the included patterns that were printed incorrectly and they were patterns I really was looking forward to making, too. One I can think of straight away is the Patsy Overalls by Ready to Sew, this was from Simply Sewing. One or two of the main pattern pieces had got stretched out and were over a foot too long and too narrow compared to the other pieces. I only discovered this after cutting out my fabric. After I complained, the magazine directed me to their Errata page. There is a long list of errata there on various patterns from the magazine. So beware of mag patterns and check for errata, is what I would say. I have since thrown all my mag patterns away in frustration!!!!!

Love this video - great advice! Mood also offer free patterns. Thoughtful Creativity is also a great page for self drafting.

I bought my younger brother a basic Brothwr machine for less than £100 and I have one myself for when my main machine goes in for a service. It's actually become my work horse when bag making. I am also very fortunate to have a fabric shop nearby where I live that gets end of rolls, etc. Seen equivalent to some of the fabrics I've bought there on sale online for double or treble the price.

Great tips. Thank you😊

Really helpful vlog, thank you Rachel! Happy sewing 😊

Thank you. Just found you😊👏

What a great video! So much useful information for new and old sewists!

For thread: you can also buy a good brand mutch larger spool suitable for overlocker 3000 / 5000 meters. At first I did put it in a large mug and fed the thread through the eye where you wind the bobbin, and then continued the normal route. Nowadays I just have a sturdy special holder for it. But the mug method works well. I have standard black, gray, ivory, white and sand color in my house. They match almost any color. In fact, white is a color that I rarely use because I have noticed that ivory color goes much better with many fabrics and colors. Sand color and ivory color work very well with many shades of blue, jeans, brown, red and earth tones. Black and gray with all gray and dark blue tones as well as black. White only for really white fabrics or for contrasting colors with embroidery stitches on a garment. Good quality thread and needles also ensure that you rarely have skipped stitches, and machine embroidery stitches in particular become much more beautiful. And your garment will last much longer when worn and in the washing machine.

Really great ideas Rachel - thanks very much . Please can I ask where you got the lovely red and white check material for your lovely dress please ? X

Hello Rachel thank you for an excellent video. I have decided to start making my own clothes now as I can never find exactly what I want in the stores so this has been very helpful. Unfortunately I cannot see the links you mentioned. There is only the one for John Lewis. Also could you please tell me what issue of Simply Sewing it is which you show on your video as I would like to order a back issue. Many thanks.