Sewing on a Shoestring: Beautiful Clothing on a Budget 💰$20 Thrift Store Challenge💰 

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I really appreciate how thrifty you went with this video. Most RU-vid videos on budget sewing only factor in the cost of fabric and maybe buttons, whereas you went cheap with all materials, the pattern, and even cutting table. Very cool.

I get why you might think this is not inspiring for others, but it definitely inspired me! The combination of the fabrics, thinking like a beginner and showing it that way. I really love this combo of fabrics and would have never thought of this by myself!

I love how 'real' you are. You show your mistakes, loose threads and all and you model such great problem solving skills. Perhaps someday I too will be able to alter a pattern without fear! You're so creative!!

This is so cute! Nice job. Back in the day, I could easily leave the house on $20. Skirt made from Walmart $1 a yard fabric, $2 thrifted silk blouse (I don't know who kept sending them, but they kept me in silk for a couple of decades,) and a beautiful pair of shoes bought on discount for $5 or $10. Those were the days.

Honestly, I understand your worries about the project being inspiring to new sewists, but I think lots of new people don't know that you can get fabric at the thrift store, that you can get patterns for free, or that you can take an existing pattern and make it into what you want. The blouse turned out heckin' cute, and I am inspired by all your thrifty practices...the other day, I went to the thrift store to find a bunch of used containers for my painting supplies, which I normally would have done by going to a craft store and spending way more money! Also, great use of the Wilhelm Scream when you shoved your patterns aside!!

My best thrift find to date was a $50 rice cooker for $5 :) It had the steamer basket, measuring cup , and rice paddle still with it.

Best thrift find to date.... probably the sage green leaf-brocade oval tablecloth for $4.95 and was also half-price. It's big enough for a gorgeous garden-y pinafore dress with a full circle skirt. (Making use of an old king-size pillowcase gets me enough fabric for lining the bodice and adding pockets. 😂)

I once skimmed thru a Victorian sewing manual, their advice for velvet was basically, baste the ever loving heck out of it! lol

This is actually very accessible and relatable. Most new sewists wouldn’t be trying to make anything hugely complicated (at least, not me) so rest easy. It’s still inspiring. I’m using your energy in this video as motivation. I’ve done yard work (to help my step-dad), done housework (to help my mom), but I still had a few things I wanted to do for me that I was beginning to loose energy for (move my ironing board to the other door, and cut out the tissue paper pattern). I’m sufficiently enthused to get back up and do a little bit more work today 🎉. Thank you for sharing!

Something "bigger and grander" could have been a bit more intimidating to new sewers (Like myself) - I love the idea of something more simple and straightforward like this - this feels like something I could definitely accomplish. If you'd done a whole outfit I dont know if I'd feel that way!

All of your choices reflect the challenge so well, I think. So many of us dont have the budget for top line fabrics or personalisedl print options. What youve done is shown us how to imaginatively approach limitations as a postive thing, rather than negative. And the fact that its an 'ordinary' garment makes the principles so applicable to any project we might consider. Thanks Shannon. Live your work so much.😊

I’ve never seen fabric in a thrift store. I got a really nice Raleigh bike, the correct size frame for me, for twenty bucks. The new version would be $650, I was pretty happy!

My husband found a brand new, never used bread machine for $10. We've used it every week or so for the past 12ish years. We make all sorts of bread, plus pizza dough and cinnamon bun dough. I feel like Calgary doesn't seem to get much good stuff at our thrift stores, but we definitely scored with this find!

I thrifted sewing patterns when I started to learn how to sew. Those cool and sometimes cheesy illustrations were probably my gateway into this haha. I also cut fabric on the floor to the detriment of my back 😅

I would love to see the historical vest as your second project and my best thrift find were two loden coats for 3 euros each, which I am reworking as historybounding ones.

My best thrift find to date, at least crafting-related, was a recently serviced and fully functional 1951 century edition electric Singer Featherweight with the box and accessories for half off $30. It has been my main workhorse since I got it four years ago.

All hail whomever brought the nectar of the gods!

The "velvet" is actually stretch velour--a very different fabric!

Shannon, we already know you can do bigger and more elaborate things - we've seen you do so in other videos! The whole point of this is to encourage people who are just starting or who need a little inspiration, and something too big can be daunting. And damn, was this inspiring! The blouse looks great, color piecing is not something I'd ever considered and it's given me ideas for upcycling a few things I already have. It's easy to second guess yourself, but there's nothing wrong with doing something simple.

My best thrift find is probably a pair of black heeled oxford shoes for like 20 sek (around 2€ iirc), not only are they suitable for a wide range of historical time periods/kind of timeless; they also combine a more "masculine" style of shoe (oxfords) with a more "feminine" style (heels) which makes my nonbinary heart happy.

I love both the frugality and fashions of the 1940s.

Loved this! Please do more of these! ❤❤❤ Best second hand shop purchase: a real fur coat, cropped length, black, glove sleeve length. $10!

Take a deep breath! You’re amazing. Exhale. Relax. I’m just enjoying watching you. You’re incredible

I scored tiny velvet pants and torn black jeans and funky weird size tshirts at the bins. I stayed under $20. Patchwork pants are new to me

My best find so far has been 6 hand-made oak chairs with leather seats and carved decorations for ca €160 at an auction. Today I went to a fabric store looking for a colour matching red cotton thread to sew a dress I'm making out of thrifted red cotton satin duvet and black cotton sheet as lining. Found 3m of Italian designer lace in the bargain bin for €20. Will make awesome overlay for swooshy maxi skirt or cocktail dress.

A giant sewing room isn't necessary, but daum it sure would be nice!

My best thrift purchase was a coffee maker for $5. It lasted 8 years when the heating element went. Cost $57 to replace with the same model...and I had an extra carafe and basket from the old one.

You are keeping me company while I make patchwork pants for my bff.

Your blouse turned out beautifully! I love thrift store shopping to make clothes for my young kids. But one time I found the most beautiful blue suaded rayon that had almost 5 yards in it! I LOVE the dress I was able to make with it, all for about $10 I think.

OMG you didn't tell me you got a sponsorship!!! That's awesome :D and that reminds me I need to put in my seedling order this week to our local greenhouse if I want to be planting our balcony garden by May Long Weekend! And I'm very excited to be part of this collab challenge with you, and hope to have my video up soon!

What a fun project!! I love how the spirit of this challenge really plays into the realities of making do in the 1940s, and that shirt is so cute!! The velvet yoke looks amazing with that print.

This is super adorable! You definitely should not second-guess yourself. There isn't anything you have put out that I haven't found value in. Can't wait to see how the vest turns out!

I find your videos very inspiring. The finicky bits and the 2nd guessing. I appreciate your honesty of intentions.

NO, THIS IS GREAT! Don't let the doubt in yourself win!

I love your thrift finds - but no matter how I look in the local thrift shops, I have never found more than a few notions. Other than bedding, I have never found any fabric. I would love to have access to fabric sources other than the big fabric store

A couple of years ago I found 3,4m of lovely wool fabric for like $4. I made a folk costume bodice out of it and still have at least 3m for when I work up the courage to make a suit jacket or something

This is SO creative! Working with a limited yardage and making a blouse with velvet details, how inspiring!! Thank you!

I think this shirt is plenty ambitious and inspiring to people for whom a nice shirt is a big project!

My favorite part of sewing while first learning in Jr. High School at the tender age of 13 was cutting out the pattern pieces. I think it was a carryover from my childhood love of paper dolls. 😁

🤣 "Aggressive on the eyes" is my new favorite phrase! 😂

When I hold it up like “this”🤣🤣🤣🤣 soooo relatable 😂. I love that you showed the hiccups … so important for a video aimed at newbies. Even those of us who have been sewing for 40 years still get those! My favorite moment though was when the coffee magically appeared. I love it when that happens ❤

This top turned out so beautiful! ❤️ I love the premise behind this project. Keeping it simple instead of something elaborate was a good call as far as accessibility for sewists of varying skill levels. Keep up the great work!

"Vintage"...ah yes, what I used to wear when I was much younger 🤣. Great shirt, by the way.

One of my best thrift store finds was someone's entire fabric stash just put out on the floor, and I had my run of the lot. I got 4yds of both a red brocade and a red velvet!

When my children were small I worked at a thrift store and since then I tend to look there first for either clothing or supplies to make. The 'finds' have been endless but a couple great ones are a vintage Vogue sewing book and another book on all fabrics and how they behave when sewing (can't remember the title) bought at a fraction of the retail price even in the year they were published! I love the finds you end up with and watching you do your hauls and seeing the outcome of both!

A discarded card table works for a temporary nice large cutting table when you don't have a lot of space. Ask your neighbors, as they may have one in storage they would be willing to let you borrow. They might even give it to you! I have a couple of them, and they are great because they fold up relatively flat.

My best thrift find? A 1953 (two years after my birth) 301 A Singer, in cabinet with copious attachments, for $20.00 !!! I must confess that I volunteer in the store, but the machine was on the floor for three weeks before I bought it. The price was dropped from $40.00 to $20.00 while I was gone on vacation. After watching a dozen youtube videos on how to clean and refurbish this machine, I did just that and it now runs like a dream, will sew just about anything, and is the crown Jewel of my collection!

My father in law picked up what he thought was an end table for $10 at the thrift store. Upon further inspection, the end table was in fact a 1940s Singer sewing machine! Since my father in law had no use for a sewing machine, I got it for free. Thankfully his mom had a machine the same age and helped me learn to use it. I love it!!

That blouse is totally your style. And beautifully made too. Well done.

Best op shop find: an AUS $10 child's woollen kilt with adjustable waist. I took up the hem to begin with, and have been gradually letting it down as needed. My son has been wearing it for Sundays and special occasions for six winters now.

I bet it’s the super fancy walking foot (and pins) that made the velvet easy. I think someone with limited resources would have to hand sew the velvet, with lots of pins, to get a nice result like you did. A walking foot doesn’t fall under “cheap, basic” sewing machine. Hand sewing does though.

My two most favorite dresses that I've made came from thrifted bed sheets pulled from pay by the pound bins (and washed and dried twice!), thrifted zippers, and patterns traced from a library book. I used my mom's old 1980's sewing machine and I get compliments every single time I wear them. And, yes, they have pictures and are looking enough! (Almost) All of my sewing fabric is second hand or thrifted for budget, Earth and bravery reasons. I'll learn on old sheets, cutting into $25 a yard fabric paralyzes me.

Very cute! Great idea. I've never seen fabric in thrift stores.

your turning a one-piece sleeve into a two-piece sleeve is fascinating to me! that's pretty cool that you were able to make that modification!

Yesterday I got a pair of suede Rockport sandals, NWT for $10. Originally $119!

I never found fabric in second hand stores, but I love the scraps basket of a fabric store. Just yesterday I was looking for fabric for a summer project and found 2 scraps of cotton measuring 150 cm x 120 cm each, for 1,95€ each scrap. Now I have some decisions yo make: A dress? A skirt and a blouse? A long edwardian inspired skirt and another skirt? A long skirt, a short skirt and a vest? Choices, choices.... Whatever I need to buy to finish the project will fit this challenge and leave eneugh budget for another scrap or two.

Like so many other comments seem to say, this was the opposite of uninspiring. Because the state of the world, the disillusionment and the scarcity we experience, especially in working and impoverished peoples, being shown that shoe string budgets don't mean you go without nice things. That maybe you have to work a bit harder, but even taking old clothing you thrift, and being able to fix them and alter them to give you a little bit of joy in this bleak hellscape. And, personally, thats why I like your channel so much. Because you seem to go above and beyond with each successive project, showing that nice things don't have to cost you a fortune, that you can enjoy life when reality is bleak and often downright hostile. A blouse isn't inspiring. What you do with it, what you use it to show and teach, that's what's inspiring.

Thanks so much. Bright moment in my day

What a fun and INTERESTING challenge! I love the idea of the self-imposed constraints which means your Creativity really shines. Looking forward to the vest - that fabric looks FUN. :)

I think the blouse is really cute! Love the color blocking. Loved the more simple choice for this challenge! Not having access to good thrift stores is a real problem for many. Especially finding fabric! I so appreciate you including the seam ripper bits! Ive been sewing for over 50 years and need mine every project! I’m not sure why all you young sewers ( I say that because I’m old!) try to use so few pins. When I was learning my teachers pounded it in our heads that pinning everything very carefully will get you better results and you’ll make fewer mistakes with the machine stitching. When learning we would have to show the pinned seam before stitching. If it wasn’t pinned properly, you had to go back and re do it!! Once I was sewing on my own I didn’t use as many pins…. And found out she was right! I made so many more mistakes !! Yup, I went back to lots of pins!!

On the topic of being inspiring, one of the things I hear most from non-crafters (the point of all future beginners) is "How did you know that would go together?" I do a lot of double knitting and piecing projects. The best way to train a brain to make those connections, is to see it done successfully. Especially the stretch velvet on a weave. So you are inspiring new crafters not to be afraid of the scrap bin.

I love thrift shops and for years I bought clothes only in them. One of the best purchases was fur coat for my husband, got as a joke for 8 dollars. Also, my family always swapped clothes. We know what size everybody's wearing, so if someone is cleaning their wardrobe then they bring clothes to my mum's house and we all have a browse. Great way to have new stuff for free.

My next project is in fact one of my Mum's old UFOs. Back in the 80s she had cut out a pair of 3/4 length culottes from vintage wool. The fabric is super expensive, but the design of the pants is a complete eyesore. So Mum and I are going to turn them into a midi skirt for me. Its a win win. Mum is clearing out her sewing cupboard and I get a warm winter skirt for zero cost (this century at least).

You're thrifting skills are amazing. I imagine you would be the absolute most fun to go adventuring with. My favorite thrift to this day is the entire vintage Stanley Ole bedroom set for my girls at goodwill for $100

I love thrifting for costumes/cosplay, so it’s hard to pick just one thing… also I’ve gotten furniture, jewelry, and accessories (once an amazingly soft leather belt (that my dog subsequently ate… sigh.) I will say finding some long length pants that fit me was the biggest surprise, since even regular stores don’t carry 34+ inch inseam women’s pants. Bought all 6 pairs I’d found!

Ifound a wool blazer at a consignment store for $10! Its dark grey so it will go with everything.

Do the stretch velvet historically inspired cirque costume. Let all the pole girlies live vicariously through you 🎉🎉🎉

That pin to ironing board trick....omg! Thank you, loved all of this.

Shannon, thank you for telling us about Ko-fi. I dumped patreon and my stand alone website and moved over to Ko-fi! I am loving it and Discord is helping me grow the community I want without all the facebook drama. 🌹🌹🌼🌼🥰🥰

I have been buying cotton sheet sets from a semi local thrift store for the last few months and took two sets (each about $7 a set)with me on my last visit to my 92 year old mom’s. While there I took a favorite denim jumper that has a hole in it and used it as my pattern. I cut out one dress from each of the two fitted sheets and stitched them together, now I have a comfortable reversible dress for summer that is heavy enough to not need a slip yet light enough to be worn on hot days. Mom was so inspired by what I made that she asked if I could leave one of the leftover sheets for her to make something for herself. She gave up sewing at least 15 years ago. Now to make a top and skirt from the king size top sheet that I brought back home with me.

Im inspired. I have to mention, i have never been to a thrift store that had any fabric of any kind, and i go to every thrift store i see. The exception to this is turning things like sheets into fabric, and one store in that was just a crafting thrift store. So i liked this.

That was brilliant. Sewing on a budget with basic tools shows just what2 can be done 👍👍👍

Fun video and project but I am completely devastated that the 90s are now considered 'vintage'. Oh man I'm old! 😭😅

With velvet, I have found the more pins the better!!!

20:06 we all need to cut ourselves a break sometimes because reality is not perfect and we have to save money wherever we can. 😊

_Best thrift store find_ - Back in the 90's I got a metal machinist cabinet (the kind you'd see in car repair shops in the 1950's), red, printed with "Atlas Oil Seals - for Safety". I use it in my kitchen as a spice rack. Which is also probably why I have a masala collection... My second best is finding a massive amount of wool fabric for a song. On behalf of someone who is still figuring out pattern manipulation and fit - what you're doing and how you're doing it is a godsend. I'm working with found material from the thrift store. Having a project that's an easy win is amazing. Especially when someone is starting out. Mixing in the 40's 'make, sew & mend' is the right approach. Honestly, I learn something every time I watch. You're good at what you do. Besides. Part of the fun is seeing your artistic practice. You should start thinking about a Q&A upload for your frequently asked questions for when you cross the next official YT milestone (congratulations on the sponsorship). Starting with, how did you learn to sew? When and how did you transition from gymnastics to performance? - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown/Pimisi

My best thrift find... I've had some good ones but I think my 1919 Singer red eye treadle machine that I got for only $40 is the winner.

I bought a small amount of that exact black & white print (at least I think it's exact) to make a book cover, and always wished I'd bought more. Now I have hope that I'll find it again 😊. Love the idea of the $20 challenge as well!

I think keeping the project small was a good idea. A larger project or whole outfit might be intimidating to a beginner sewing. And I absolutely love finding good fabric at the thrift store! My best find so far was natural colored linen. Yes, REAL, good quality linen!

I loved this. I found it a very realistic example of a sewing project on a budget.

Thank you for making this video. Most of my supplies are thrifted and sometimes when looking at sewing videos it feels like I'm the only one who can't afford new fabrics. I can only dream of one day using linen fabric that isn't salvaged from old tablecloths. My best thrift find is probably a beautiful red wool coat, floor length and with black closures. It gives off major vampire vibes, wearing it makes me feel powerful, and it only cost me like 25$. My sewing machine was also thrifted FOR ONLY FIVE DOLLARS but it was my mother who found and bought it for me. It's from the late 50's and it still had the (mildewed) instruction manual, carrying case and all the bobbins and sewing feet. 🤩

I used to prowl the Remnants Bin at Bou-Clair back when they still sold fabric, I don't find Fabricland remant bins to be nearly so exciting. But back in the mid 90s I did make a dress I still have from about $6 of remnants, black and red satin and some black crinkly cotton, I've worn it to a couple of formal events. It's a simple tie-back dress with the skirt and sleeves of the crinkly cotton and the front of the red satin, the back of the black satin and I put it together in an evening. I still have it, though I honestly don't even remember if the seams are finished. I MIGHT have zizzagged them, maybe. But it was pretty good for the first dress I ever made. Most of my sewing isn't "how much dabric do I need to buy to make X" but "okay how can I make something close to X given how much fabric I have?" Stretch velvet was a favourite, a bit annoying to work with but very forgiving when I had no concept of tailoring. I have made a few things from Mood, free stuff is good stuff. Even if I still have to modify it cause I'm a brick-with-boobs body shape rather than the assumption that I have a hip-waist ratio. And I recently drafted a pattern for a Victorian Walking Skirt using a glass tabletop on the rabbit cage plus the cardboard sewing mat I've had for decades to extend the space to the kitchen table! (needed a 6' radius circle!!) Love these shoestring videos, can't wait to see the vest! I was gifted three metres (less a corner) of purple linen and I wanted to make two things out of it... so what I wound up with was one long long-sleeved medieval gores and panels shift that can be worn as a dress (the in seam pocketses ended up being pieced together from something like seven or eight different pieces), and I wanted to make a medieval kirtle but didn't have enough fabric to do it the way it was suggested so I made a knee-length sleeveless version! I consider it a win if I either have enough fabric left to make something else or if I only have a handful of scraps left that are too small to be of use.

So I keep my projects on the cheap side by trolling Joann's remnant section. If you are patient, you can get a couple yards of the same fabric or you can do like you did and make contrasting pieces. Love this idea!!

Where does one go looking for free patterns? Best find was a bright red jacket, genuine leather, perfect size, tiny tiny bit of wear damage at one cuff - 33$. Also lightly insulated for cooler nights.

Thanks for another beautifully produced video and yes, inspiring also. Your "velvet" was relatively easy to work with, because it was stretch velveteen, (although tough to tell on a video) and not true velvet. (MUCH more cranky than velveteen!) As an old lady (whose mother, as a teenager, went through WW2 in Great Britain and learned how to "make do"), I appreciate your bravery in showing us the hiccups along your learning curve. Also, using such different thicknesses/drapes/stretchinesess of fabrics is a bear! It came out great, considering the challenges.

I can hit LIKE before even watching because I know in advance that I will totally enjoy the content of each and every video Shannon Makes!👍👍👍👍

That is such an amazing thrift store! I wish we had thrift shops here that had sewing notions and things 😍

Your technique and editing style is so great! I feel like there are so many little things I learn every time I watch a video of yours. So far: rubber band and measuring tape to measure sleeve length and pinning fabric to ironing board 🤯 love your videos!

My best thrift find was a Vintage Singer sewing machine, I don't know the age (I'm guessing between late 60s - early 80s) but what is quite interesting is that it happed to me 3 times! With my sister also being a sewist and my mother a connoisseur of cheap sewing machines that tend to break, I was able to cover my entire family's back with machines to borrow when someone's gave out. And all that for only €25 per machine! It is noteworthy that I did not buy the machines together, but over the span of 1.5 years. In a similar trend I have also scored not one, not two, but 3 dress forms, of which one is adjustable plus sized!

A stunning blouse absolutely stunning. I love that you went to the thrift store and got the fabric. What a challenge to work around that huge flaw.But you did a super job. I am also always on the hunt for reusable fabric in different objects. Recently I took Apart a partially knit baby sweater for the yarn and reused it, It was so cute. Keep up the good work.I love your channel.

I love this challenge! Nice adaptation of the cuffs, and I can’t believe you french-seamed the armholes… Well Done!!! My best thrift store find was a wallet containing what looked like someone’s entire rent payment in cash, which I immediately turned in to the store management. I once managed to squeeze a top out of a remnant by 1) Doing 3/4 length sleeves 2) making the sleeves from two pieces joined horizontally like a big cuff 3) cutting the back pattern into three pieces- two from shoulder to waist joined at center back, and one peplum style piece full width from waist to hem and 4) no hems or facings, only serged edges which worked because the fabric was a funky abstract-patterned double-layered bonded stretch mesh. That was a lot of work for a little top, but fabric was so unique it was totally worth it.

I too love French Seams. I usually do them on most items, to include bags. Your blouse is great looking. Good job.

Piecing is remnants for pockets is very make do and mend! This blouse is gorgeous 😍 can't wait to see the vest!

I want to thank you from the BOTTOM of my heart for featuring this thrift store in your video. I visited it while I was in CPH and came back from that basement (if you know you know 😅) with some beautiful lace, buttons, fabric and yarn. Also found a handmade yarn swift and a 1920s sewing magazine I ended up framing. Thank you thank you thank you! ❤

I love this shirt. Would look great with a denim skirt

Brilliant idea using the velvet. Your blouse is beautiful! Thank you for sharing. God bless ❤❤

My best thrift find today was 3 originally quite expensive belts fedoras that I got for a total of $8 because someone had put them in the Halloween stuff not knowing that they were quite nice. They were a little bad around the edges, but still would have been quite a bit more expensive if it'd been in a vintage resale place instead of just the regular thrift store

I live in Fort Myers, Florida and wish I could live in Canada after watching you get the best thrift and curbside finds. Well maybe for a few months of the year lol. Thank you for the inspiration! You are a gem.

My best thrift find was a genuine Brahmin alligator textured satchel bag for $10. It looked rough, cleaned it up and conditioned the leather. My daughter worked at Nordstrom's at the time in handbags. She scrutinized it and declared its the real thing. My favorite thrift find has been a Nordicware Belgium Waffler. Stove tip cooking and makes a fine waffle. This set me back $5.