Super Bargain Huntress... ( 1

OK...I had to take off on this one Kelly...I feel like I'm becoming the bargain queen (excuse my bragging!!)



I've been haunting our local second hand shops and even Good Will (yes, I admit it). Last week, I found a Mikasa stoneware dish set....with dinner plates, cups and saucers and salad plates (no bowls)..which I got for under $5...They are really similar to some stoneware that Thomas' mom has and we just feel so...AWESOME about it!



Then there is the table mentioned in the interior decorating section..and...I found this great, old armoire with a record player in it for 9$ that would be perfect as a sofa table to go behind our sofa and put plants on...I didn't buy it yesterday and I'm going NUTS today...I'm SURE it will be gone..and now I just HAVE to have it Do they have a support group for this?



I've been finding lots of really unique cup/saucer sets and I'm considering starting a collection...they are so inexpensive and yet so unique...



Any other bargain hunters/huntresses out there?



Kris
Time is a Dressmaker, Specializing in Alterations!

Welllll... my thing is fabric because I sew almost all of my kids' clothes (except the youngest who is now going to be the Princess of hand-me-downs). I snatch up yards of fabric if it goes on sale or clearance - like I found cordoruoy (sp?) for $1.50/yard and bought about ten yards of it (one pair of little girl's pants is 3/4 of a yard, a skirt is about the same - you do the math and you come up with a wardrobe that is WAY cheap). I actually went through my hoard of fabric the other day to sort it and I've got four huge plastic storage boxes (about five feet tall when I stack them all up) full of the stuff tightly packed in. I spent about $200 in all for my daughters' summer stuff (24 casual outfits and six church dresses - a lot but there are two of them!!!) which is still a chunk of money for us, but better than what it would cost anywhere else! I am SOOOO glad I taught myself to sew! Anyway, I drive Jon crazy because when I go to the fabric store I always come home with something that was too good and too cheaply priced to pass up.... I'm getting better at bargain hunting for other items, but I'm still not too terribly good at it. I really need to work on that skill a bit more.



Jennifer

Way to go, Kris!!! I want to see these lovely treasures!! I haven't hit the flea markets or antique stores here yet. I can't wait to, though. I'm waiting until I start working soon so that I can have real money to spend instead of that fake money from the credit card!

TJ Maxx is my place. I found this gorgeous ceramic vase that was handpainted in France for 14.99 - in bright green and yellow with red poppies. I also found this old looking brass watering can. They have great, great bed quilts, too. Again, waiting until the job kicks in to really shop there! But it's such a great place to say OK, I am going to spend 10.00 max - because you can really find a great treasure for like 5.00.

[houseelf]

YES! I'm kind of proud of my inner bargain huntress! You know how some people like to brag, "Oh, this purse, it's Gucci". I'm like, "See this sweater, I got it at Goodwill with the new tags still on it!" My favorite store is Once-Upon-A- Child. I LOVE to garage sale. In fact most of Cade's Christmas presents were garage sale finds or hand-me-down Playmobil stuff from his Daddy's boyhood.



Jennifer, I'm VERY impressed that you taught yourself to sew. Did you take a class, get a book, watch others???? I've been interested in learning for awhile. However, as you've probably gathered this from other posts, manual dexterity, motor skill, and coordination don't come easy to me. Any help for those of us who are all thumbs?



Kelly

Jennifer,



You SEW all of your children's clothes? You are my new hero...seriously, more and more I'm thinking "mighty mouse mom" for you. I tried sewing clothes for awhile for babies in the NICU and they came out not even fitting my daughter's dolls!



Did you take a class or read a book....how, how, how! I'd love to make matching mom and daughter outfits!



Kris
Time is a Dressmaker, Specializing in Alterations!

Kelly, my grandmother was a seemstress (made wedding dresses, evening gowns, EVERYTHING), my mom sewed much of our clothing out of necessity (POOR), and I didn't have a bit of interest in it growing up. In fact, I didn't become interested in it until I was pregnant with my first child six years ago! My mother gave me her decades-old sewing machine and I decided to tackle pillows first. Pillows are EASY. All they require is a few straight stitches and the world doesn't end if you mess up. I suggest if you want to start sewing that you make a few decorative pillows for your living room, bedroom, etc. The next thing I did were baby blankets - another easy thing. Then, I worked myself up to maternity clothes - all of the clothes I made in the beginning were absolute disasters! I just made so many mistakes and on top of that, I chose really frumpy, non-attractive patterns. It took me a few years (and several ruined projects) to get the hang of it. But, three years after I started I had reached wedding dress level (made my sister's wedding dress - now if that doesn't show she trusts me then I don't know what would! ). I still mess up, but I've learned that you can fix just about every screw-up in sewing. My advice if you are just starting out is: use CHEAP fabrics for your first few projects in case you mess up (they needn't be cheap looking, just try to buy fabric that is on sale), start sewing with 100% cotton fabrics with little to no stretch and a little bit of weight to them (easiest stuff to work with), and go slowly (give yourself a while - remember Mr. Rogers' song - "I like to take my time, I mean I really like to do it right. I like to take my time and do it right."). The type of machine you have doesn't matter - although as you get more advanced it helps to buy a Serger, too (which I don't have and really, really need). Anyway, if you have any more questions I will happily do my best to help you!!!



Jennifer

I posted my response to Kelly at the same time you posted your response, Kristen! So, just insert your name next to Kelly's because what I said totally applies to your q's as well! And, if you have any questions, I will happily unload all of this information bottled up in my head (which I always think of as useless) for your enjoyment!



Jennifer

Quote: But, three years after I started I had reached wedding dress level (made my sister's wedding dress -





NOOOO WAAAAY!!!!



You have a lot more patience than I do...I can't believe that you make your own maternity clothes, etc...but it WOULD be so great to be able to make my own clothes. I've often looked at expensive styles in the stores and wondered if it would be less expensive to make at home, or wanted a similar style but in a diff. pattern.



How long does it take to make an outfit for an adult?



Kris
Time is a Dressmaker, Specializing in Alterations!

I started making my own clothes because I wear a special religious garment that requires me to be more modest than most fashionable clothing allows - plus I DO like to be reasonably fashionable. Add to that my penchant for being a clothes horse without the income to support my habit and you have a recipe for a chick who'd better learn to make her own clothes!!! I do not make all of my clothes - mostly dresses (formal and casual) and skirts (another easy project).



To answer your question about how long an outfit for an adult takes to make: it depends on a number of things such as fabric, style, number of pieces in the outfit, and extras (such as buttons, zippers, special hems, etc). A simple jersey dress with raglan sleeves takes me about 45 minutes to make, but I've made a lot of those. So, I'd say that in the beginning it took me about two hours - those are so easy! An unlined adult skirt without darts takes a couple of hours for a beginner. Darts and a zipper take a bit longer if you've never tackled those projects before. But, I've found that doing new things in sewing is like riding a bike - once you do it you've done it, you won't forget how to do it, and it just gets easier the more you do it. So, if you are looking for something easy to start with clothing-wise, look for patterns that have very few components first of all. Also, patterns that don't require buttons and zippers are obviously easier. The more fitted a design is meant to be, usually the more difficult it is because you have to get the fit just right. IN GENERAL Simplicity patterns are the easiest patterns to work with for beginners. Stay away from Vogue patterns until you have made a few things (I've found they make excellent clothes, but even they're easy stuff can be moderately difficult). So, I guess if you want to tackle a project that is not going to take so long it frustrates you I suggest you look for a pattern that LOOKS simple to sew (keeping in mind the above). If you have specific patterns in mind I could probably tell you how long it might take you to sew them (cutting it out is another thing entirely - some people do that much faster than others and I never really take that into account with timing a project - it's just unpredictable). Or, if you have a specific style in mind I could probably suggest a few patterns (if you don't have time to go to the fabric store to peruse catalogs, Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity, and Vogue all have on-line catalogs of their patterns).



Jennifer

What kind of clothing restrictions do you have, Jennifer?



I'm amazed that you can make a dress in 45 minutes...what a great thing to be able to do....I have a feeling if I tried I'd be at it for weeks...and I'm just not terribly patient about craft projects! I started knitting Alex a sweater and I'm already nearing stage "give up" and I am just working on one of the front vest panels I'm such a wimp!



I'd love to try some simple dresses though....I'm going to look through the SIMPLICITY patterns at Wal-Mart and see what I can find that would be a good "mother-daughter" match..I want to make some things that Finny and I can wear together and match..



Kris
Time is a Dressmaker, Specializing in Alterations!

My clothing restrictions are that I cannot wear sleeveless shirts/dresses and I cannot wear anything cut above about two inches above the knee or past a certain point on my torso. My husband has the same restrictions, but obviously men's clothing hasn't been as bare historically and there just aren't a lot of immodest fashions for men anyway. I can wear swimsuits (as can men) but they need to be a bit on the modest side - ie no thong bikinis! (Although that might be a scary thing to see me in one of those - shudder!)



I can sew certain patterns very fast - but by far not all! I have been doing this intensley for years, so don't take what I can do at this stage as what to expect at a beginner level. You know, it's funny that this subject came up. I never really thought about sewing much - even now that I do it so often - until yesterday. My mother in law came over for Easter and asked to look at some of my work. I have a lot of it, so we spent a while doing this! She is quite a unique lady and among her professional expertise is coordinating runway shows (yup, modeling). She also teaches the ultimate vanity courses: modeling, etiquette, etc. Anyway, after seeing my stuff she tried to talk me into starting a web page selling my "creations" as she calls them ( I am starting to design my own patterns and stuff). I had never even contemplated making money off this hobby/necessity for survival thing that I have. But, she was looking at my stuff and pricing it and said that I could easily sell one of the Easter dresses I made for my daughters for around $100! (I made each of them for $30). She REALLY wanted me to do this and it was a thought-provoking thing (kind of a bizarre new idea to me though). She ended our conversation by looking me in the eye and in her heavy accent saying, "Jennifer, you ARE a designer." It was the single weirdest feeling I've ever had around my mil because I started to believe her (count charisma among her traits). I guess I have always wanted to be an architect and they are designers (just of buildings not clothing). Anyway, I told her that if she gives me about three years I might just do what she suggests - maybe, possibly. I don't think I want to have the feelingof rejection if I tried to do what she suggests, though. OK, that was just a long rambling piece, but it was a really weird, new idea to me....



Kristen, I'm going to look at patterns today and give you a sample of some that would be very easy to begin with. I'm sure you'll find something that you will feel comfortable sewing. I've bitten off more than I can chew before, so I really understand how important it is to find something perfect for your skill level. (BTW I can't knit and THAT would totally overwhelm me!!! So, I'm impressed with those who can do this! ).



Jennifer

[Meenah]

I'm impressed. I bought a sewing machine last year, it is still in the box. My friend is going to help me, we are starting with curtains. I keep putting it off out of fear!!!

Luanne

hahaha Luanne..I'm the same way...my sewing machine is still sitting in my closet...I started a quilt for Finny and all I have left to do is finish quilting on the last block and sew up the seams...and it's been waiting since August . Of course, this will all change when I get my simple patterns and begin whipping out new clothes for myself, right Jennifer?



BTW...I'm just a beginning knitter....I'm impressing myself only with being able to hold the needles and get the thread to go through the little loop



Kris




Time is a Dressmaker, Specializing in Alterations!

Well, you side-tracked me with the darned Middle Eastern discussion yesterday! I'll try to give you some suggestions on easy patterns today.



Jennifer

whoa...I sidetracked you (hehehe)...now, now...lets call a spade a spade...who sidetracked who???



I'll be looking forward to it!



Kris
Time is a Dressmaker, Specializing in Alterations!