IS THE ECONOMY GETTING YOU DOWN?

Here’s an easy, quick way to save money, time and gas!
Everything costs more — food, school supplies, gas, clothes…Need some relief? It’s easier than you think, at least with clothes.
Do you have clothes in the back of your closet or piled in the laundry room that need a little repair. There might be a loose or missing button, snap or hook, or a hem that has come unstitched, or a small ripped seam. Before heading to the tailor or cleaners to pay them to do the repairs, or going to a store to buy new clothes, rescue some of those forgotten garments yourself. All it takes is a few basic mending skills.
Think you can’t do it because you never learned how to sew? Think again. In my book, I show non-sewers how to mend your own clothes in a cost-and time-effective manner. From threading a needle to sewing buttons to hemming to pressing tips, the book helps anyone (from young children on up) become a do-it-yourself tailor almost instantly.
Buttons

• Loose or missing button? Parents, kids – learn to sew buttons on in a just a few minutes. Presto! One or more garments back in circulation.
• Love a blouse or sweater, but you never wear it because the buttons look awful? There are so many interesting buttons to choose from in any fabric or superstore. Change the buttons in about 5 minutes and voila, it’s ready to wear again.
• Make a new coordinated outfit by just changing the buttons on a shirt or sweater to coordinate with a favorite pair of pants or skirt.

Hems and Seams

• Pants will last much longer if hemmed and not dragged on the ground (ruining not only the hem, but the whole bottom of the pants). Don’t roll them up, they’ll just flop down. Hem them in just a few minutes
• Love a particular skirt, but think it doesn’t look right? If it’s just a bit too long for the current styles, hem it and wear it! (Extra tip: make a deep hem and wait to see what the styles are for next year. Who knows, maybe they will be a bit longer and by letting the hem back out you’ll still have a great skirt to wear.)
• If your favorite sweat pants have a hole in an inappropriate place, patch or mend that little rip in the seam so it doesn’t get any bigger. Now they are ready to wear again.
• Kids growing like weeds? When hemming their clothes, don’t cut off the extra fabric; just make deeper hems by folding up. In this way, as the kids grow taller, you can take down the hem at any time and there is no need to buy a replacement garment for clothes that still fit, except for the length.

Another savings tip

• Shop at consignment/ thrift stores or at garage sales. Often the garments there are great, except they are missing a few buttons or a seam is ripped. Buy them and fix them yourself. You just got a real bargain!

Using any or all of these tips can definitely help anyone stretch their clothes budget!