Frugal Sewer

It's starting to get chilly. I've started scrouging the thrift stores in an effort to appease my shopaholic tendency and to find some warmer clothes.

I would like to report that I have not gone into Walmart since I can't remember when, and also have not bought any clothes from the mall. That doesn't mean I don't miss it. Believe me, small town thrift stores leave much to be desired in the way of selection.

I think I've identified my favorite piece of winter wear this season. I found a nice rib-knit turtle kneck sweater that's a slightly worn black. I like how it fits, and surprisingly, I enjoy the extra fabric around my kneck to keep drafts at bay. Normally I'm a "nothing around my neck" kinda gal.

I'm wondering what will happen when my jeans wear out. (I have NO luck finding pants at the thrift store.) Right now I have one pair that fits, one pair that kinda fits, and another twill pair. Unless I lose some weight to fit back in my Lucky's, I'm out of luck!

And what about unnies? Little Brown Dress talked about making her own from teeshirts, but I wasn't inspired or impressed. I love my Gap body too much. (But now I can't shop at Gap anymore either for unstated reasons...heh.) So I recently came across this link that explains things a little better, should I become that desperate. (Lord, can you make panties last forever?)

These are actually cute, and look like they could fit. Guess I'll keep my eye out for cute tees when I find a grab bag day.

Another cool something on this site mentions felting old sweaters. You can shrink one too large down to size (very carefully). Use felted material for potholders and such, cut it out and the edges won't fray...sounds pretty cool! I found 2 sweaters that were already shrunken and partially felted, so I just have to decide what to do with them. I'll keep you posted. (Makes me sad that I parted with a nice wool/angora sweater before I knew how useful it could be!)

I did pick out a cute green cable sweater to make a warm something for the pooches. Our new dog, Mango, is a tiny chihuahua/terrier mix or something, and she sits there and shivers. So I cut the sleeve off and zig-zagged the edges, and it works pretty well. Fortunately I have another sleeve to experiment on, because the leg holes are a little weird and she walks out of them. I'll try to take pics today and post them soon.

I also couldn't resist stuffing a few vintage pices of children's clothes in my bag. There were 3 pairs of cute worn cordoroy pants I thought I could make a cute hippie skirt or something out of. And there were 2 little "coverall" outfits I had to get, mostly for the pocket details. One is yellow with a turtle patch. So I need to brainstorm or find a skirt to embellish.

Tell me about your frugal sewing! Anybody out there make cloth napkins? That's my next project...I'm thinking cut 'em out, overcast the edges and go. (Just for everyday use.)