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If you like to sew and also enjoy saving money, altering and remodeling thrift shop clothes can be very satisfying. Not only does it offer a way to build a beautiful wardrobe for far less than it would cost new, but it can be a challenge to your creativity.
Quality thrift shops, such as those run by women's organizations, stock a constantly changing selection of women's clothes. It's possible to find designer labels, and fine fabrics that you would ordinarily consider unaffordable if you went to a fabric store. Sometimes the clothes are brand new or just as good as new, with no signs of previous wear.
There are several things to consider when you are looking through the racks of clothes. The type of fabric is important if you prefer washables. Some fabrics must be dry cleaned, while others can be hand washed. Look for stains and signs of wear, particularly under the arms, at all stress points, such as side seams, and the back of skirts. Buttonholes sometimes enlarge, making it necessary to replace the original buttons with larger ones. Zippers should be in good condition unless you are willing to replace them.
How much time and effort is a garment worth? That depends on the overall quality of the item, the complexity of the style, and the potential value to you of the remodeled garment. A gored skirt which has to be taken in must have each of the gores taken in equally in order to look good. A six or eight gore skirt is obviously going to take much more time than a skirt with two or four panels. Skirt alterations can also involve moving or removing pockets. You must decide whether it is worth it to you to remove pockets intact so that they can be reset.
A dress or blouse with a collar or bound neckline may call for more work than is worthwhile if it's necessary to take the shoulder seams up. Similar considerations apply to sleeves. If taking in a sleeve along its length means taking off and altering a cuff, the time and work investment may be too great.
What kind of items should you actually look for? First, clothes that need only simple alterations, such as taking up a skirt hem, or taking a blouse or top in at the side seams. Second, clothes that will require major alterations. Last, clothes that offer enough yardage to make something entirely new.
A knit top that is several sizes too big, but is well designed, with just the right texture and color, is well worth altering. This involves removing the sleeves, taking in the side seams, then replacing the sleeves after making the alterations necessary for them to fit in the new, smaller arm holes. The same basic steps are used to alter garments with woven fabrics, remembering that the stretchiness of knits allows you to fit them more closely to the body, while woven fabrics demand a little more roominess.
The ultimate challenge to your sewing creativity is finding garments that allow you to make something entirely new, using a piece of clothing as if it were yard goods. Skirts have the most obvious potential, particularly long ones with few seams, and cut on the straight of the fabric. A skirt like this can simply be shortened, of course, but it can also become a blouse or, if the fabric is appropriate, a dress for a little girl. If you are looking at a dress which might not have quite enough yardage for another garment, check to see if its sleeves offer additional large pieces. Long sleeves with extra fullness can provide the material you need for facings or trim.
There are literally no limits on what you can accomplish using thrift store clothes. Out of style coats can completely remodeled or turned into jackets. Very often, the inside of a coat, particularly if it's lined, will be unfaded, unworn, and almost like new. Men's jackets are an excellent source of closely woven, tailored fabrics. Consider using the outer shell of one garment and the lining of another. Evening wear can yield exotic fabrics and trims.
Train your eyes to see hidden potential, and reap the full benefits of your sewing skills. Then, when someone asks you where you got that beautiful dress or coat, you can say "Oh, it's just a little something I threw together."
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