recycling clothes

[chandasue]

I think sewing is a dying art, at least around here. People are amazed when I say "I made it" or "I just put a few appliques here and there and made a cuff for the legs."

Isn't it sad? I taught myself how to knit and spin. Mom taught me how to sew and crochet when I was a kid. Everything I make people oogle over. It's not like I'm even doing anything that complicated!

You all have such great ideas! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Icu4dzs]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I think that the home ec teacher in our local high school is going to be the best option since I bought the machine in Fargo which is 120 miles away. The closest "anything" to me is about 65 miles away so I am going to have to figure out something in order to learn some of this. I did buy the machine in a fabric store (?JoAnn?) and the sales folks in there were in their early 20's and had very little time to discuss anything other than the expiration date on my credit card because it was a busy night there and the line to check out was quite long.

Our little town has a good school and I do know the Industrial Arts teacher but am not sure who is the home ec teacher...assuming that we have one that is.

Anyway, your advice is well received and appreciated thus far.
Best
Trim sends

 

[ORChick]

That reminds me of my best birthday present ever (I think I was about 8 years old)... I don't know how long my mother worked on this project, but I got a shoe box full of Barbie clothes that she had sewed - really cool stuff like bell bottom jeans, etc. - very well made, not like the crappy store bought Barbie clothes. Years later, when I finally parted with my Barbie collection (given to a neighbors young girls) all the clothes were still like brand new. My mother did say she would never take on a project like that again - I think she almost went blind sewing stuff that small!

My mother sewed a complete wardrobe for a Madame Alexandra doll - undies, dresses, coats, hats - everything the little lady might have wanted or needed - for a fundraiser for a local school. In fact, she did the same thing two or three years running. I was so jealous! The clothes were so lovely, and she was doing it all for someone else! The kicker here? I was a tomboy, and hated dolls, and never played with them! (She did sew for me, as well as teach me to sew - but I still have a hankering for those doll clothes - which I would have hated had I had them.
Some friends told me, when my mother died, that they still remembered with fondness the clothes she had made for their Barbie dolls. My poor mother - she so wanted to have a daughter. and she got 3 sons and a tomboy!

 

[FarmerDenise]

My mother also sewed our clothes, clothes for herself and for our dolls. I remember a coat that I absolutely loved, that my mother made out of an old worn coat of hers. She made the pattern herself too.
My brother learned to sew, by watching us.

I made a lot of my DD's clothes from old clothes. I just took the large clothing apart and placed the pattern pieces on the usable parts. I still make lots of stuff from from old clothes. T-shirts are great. FIL always brings us extra large t's from the casinos. They have been turned into diapers, chicken jackets (for Susie who looses her feathers 3 or 4 times a year), summer tops for me, personal cloths, towels and of course rags. I used to use t's alot for DD's little clothes, I made them into sleepers, and shirts for her.

One time DD was going to a formal dance and need a dress. We had no money, so we took one of my old dresses and I reworked it to fit her larger body. I'm a skinny minny . I removed the zipper from the back, took a portion from the hem, inserted a bit of the hem fabric under each armpit and laced up the back with ribbon I made from part of the hem. DD was a little shorter than I but much larger in the bust. The dress looked lovely on her.

 

[moolie]

Was just thinking about this thread as my girls and I were looking at some old photos last night (they love to look at our photo albums and hear stories about when they were younger).

My MIL made a bunch of maternity blouses for me when I was pregnant that were on the girly side for me (I used to be a bit of a rocker) so when I was done with them, and they had been shoved into the back of the closet for a couple of years (and didn't know anyone else who was expecting) I decided to make them down into dresses for my girls.

I did use a pattern, and simply cut the pieces out from wherever on the blouses that it made the most sense (after having cut the sleeves off and cut along the side seams in the sleeves and bodice). They turned out pretty cute, and the scraps went into the quilt bin. Here's a quick cell phone picture of the one that I have a clear photo of:

My older daughter absolutely loved that straw hat, and wouldn't leave the house without it. When she outgrew it we bought a pretty hat box for it and she still has it in her closet.

 

[Denim Deb]

That's a cute pic, and how a little girl should be dressed for when she wants to look nice.

 

[RudeKittyLuvsTesla]

Oh, how I wish I had paid attention when my mom tried to get me interested in sewing when I was a kid!

I was thinking this exact thing. My mother sewed most of our clothes. My first hubs even sewed. I have no skill and now am determined to learn now. I got canning down last year.. this is the year to learn sewing. I buy everything but undergarments at the second hand store.... AND by good luck and hard work, have lost over a hundred pounds. Let the refurbishing begin! Thank you all. On a note of how terrible a seamstress I am- because I do dig a good laugh on a Saturday- I took home ec in high school. God Bless her!! Our project was a wrap around skirt. Two equal rectangles of differing material sewn together with a button and hole. Mine was lopsided.... and I got a D.

 

[big brown horse]

Oh, how I wish I had paid attention when my mom tried to get me interested in sewing when I was a kid!

I was thinking this exact thing. My mother sewed most of our clothes. My first hubs even sewed. I have no skill and now am determined to learn now. I got canning down last year.. this is the year to learn sewing. I buy everything but undergarments at the second hand store.... AND by good luck and hard work, have lost over a hundred pounds. Let the refurbishing begin! Thank you all.

Congrats!!! And welcome to the forum!

 

[gettinaclue]

I forgot to mention....

Years ago we moved into a house that had a couple of pillow cases and a bed skirt left in the closet.

I gathered all the odd and quitter socks I had over a period of time and stuffed a pillow case with them. I then sewed one straight seam to close the opening.....instant dog bed.

Very easy to wash. Just rip the seam you sewed, empty the socks into the laundry, throw the pillow case in and restuff and sew the seam when everything is dry.

They didn't last terribly long. They were a bit thread bare when I got them, and I held onto them for years before I read this idea somewhere...but they really worked out great. It was a really good idea for using those socks I'm always collecting but never know what to do with.

Right now, both of the dogs are sleeping on a couple of old pillows that went shamefully flat.

 

[gattani]

Thats right my wife sews all the time for my kids. I have a pile of white organic fabric that is very cheap and also it is nature friendly. And homemade clothes have great fitting also.