Self Made Clothing

I have always enjoyed making my own clothes.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do it much in recent years due to appointments, teaching classes and just generally being busy.

What I loved most was finding my patterns as cheaply as possible, then finding the fabric I need and buying it in bulk, making whatever garment as inexpensively as possible.

However, that is not possible in every case.  I have purchased a pattern at full price, paid full price for fabric and made a prom dress for my daughter and it turned out beautifully.  Fabric is not cheap, neither are patterns.  So finding what will work or look nice is a challenge sometimes.  I like buying "lots" of patterns in my size or my daughter's size on ebay. It is usually very cheap to buy 10 patterns for $4.95 to get that "one" pattern that would normally cost $15.  Yes, I've done that before!  😄

I've made my daughter a robe from polar fleece that I found at a yard sale one year.  She was very warm and cozy and loved the robe.

As for everything else, fabric is becoming very scant at yard sales and thrift stores.  You have to look at sales, coupons, and work hard at getting it inexpensively.

Another method of making one's own clothing is by either crocheting or knitting.  Currently, I am getting some shirt patterns together to knit in the next couple of months.  I want to have a more modest cut of clothing, but comfortable and "flowy" if that is a word.  I've found some free patterns on Ravelry that I'm going to try and I just need to get my yarn together and get started.  I have some summer shirts to both sew as well as knit and/or crochet, then I'll review and decide where to go from there.  In the mean time while I wait to get my yarn gathered, I'm starting another shawl started as a gift.

Hand crafting items has become a thing of the past.  I am trying to keep the craft alive by teaching the next generation these basic skills at one of our homeschool groups.  I would love to continue long past the time when my children graduate, but we'll see.  I'm getting ahead of myself.  Needless to say, I have quite a few skirts, shirts and shawls to make this year.  We'll see how many I can accomplish by Christmas 2017.  I know what you're thinking...and of course I'll post pictures!  😊

And with that I will bid all of you adieu for 2016.  My next post will be in 2017, so I'll "see" all of you next year!  LOL

Have a Blessed Day!

In Christ,

Frugality with Clothing

Clothing needs for a family of various sizes can be one of the most frustrating chores to tend to for a variety of reasons.  We have had bins and bins full of clothes we've found at yard sales for children to grow in to, or ones that children have grown out of and saving them for the next child.

The challenge is very real to try to stretch every penny to cloth a growing family.  I love the challenge though.

I began every March in Pennsylvania, taking stock of every piece of clothing the children had.  With this inventory, I documented every pair of blue, black, tan jeans or pants, every detail that I could think of to ensure I knew everything my kids had in their dressers and closets.  I took that information and built a list of things to begin looking at yard sales, thrift stores, facebook flea markets, ebay, and every clearance rack I could find.  

I had to streamline their wardrobes when they were little, so I tried being very basic with one pair of tan, black, and blue dress pants, a couple long sleeved and a couple short sleeved dress shirts for church and special occasions.  I tried keeping an eye out for things I knew they would like, but being realistic.  

I worked very hard to find everything I could for them at yard sales first.  Yard sales were the best source for things I could find for $.50 or barter for a large purchase, grouping things together.  I loved being able to find things for my family very inexpensively.  

Once yard sale season was over, I took stock in how much I was able to fill with yard sales.  Once I saw how much, or how little, I was able to visit a variety of thrift stores getting things on their sale days.  I made sure to look for good quality clothing, always, and it always helped to look for name brands like Liz Claiborne, Old Navy, Lee, and etc.  I loved going to huge thrift stores and finding deals.

Next I'd always keep an eye out for my kids' sizes on the facebook fleamarket sites.  Sometimes I could get some good items, other times I just kept scrolling due to the unrealistic cost.  

Ebay was among the last points only because of the cost of shipping.  I've liked ebay because you can look for specific measurements for clothes to ensure a better fit.  Many times I've found jeans, shirts, things like that for less than half of what they originally cost brand new.

Which leads me to the last point--new.  Buying something new is so totally foreign to me.  We have always tried stretching so much for so long that it seems unnatural to buy something "new" off the rack.

Fortunately, when we followed this plan, we were able to drastically reduce our clothing budget.  

How do you make time for this type of work?  A little at a time!  One day for the inventory while you do that particular child's laundry, then move on to the next one.  It is more like a conveyor belt type of action once things get moving.  Once the inventory is done, you are done with it for a whole year.  Once you get your list done, you can simply just move on to your list.  I've tried pulling everything together in an Excel document spreadsheet so that I can see things much more clearly.  

I hope this helps someone!

Is there anything I've forgotten or not looked at?  Probably!  I hadn't even mentioned the bags and bags of clothes we were blessed with from friends. 😊

Have a blessed day!

God Bless,

Frugality in Caring for Ourselves and Our Family

Frugality is all encompassing in our lives.  Some people, for whatever reason, go to a variety of lengths for the sake of saving money.  I appreciate, even admire, those who live on such small amounts of money, stretching every last penny.

To begin, we need to address our medical needs.  I am one who believes very firmly that to take care of ourselves involves eating nutritiously, exercising within a reasonable amount (not becoming obsessive), getting enough sleep, and as the need arises, visiting the doctor, whichever one is necessary.

Eating nutritiously involves something different to each person.  Due to our uniqueness, each of our nutrition needs are different.  For example, a man who is 25 years old, 200 pounds, and works construction will have different nutrition needs than a 25 year old man, 200 pounds, and works behind a desk.  Our lifestyles need to take in to account how much exercise we get as well as our nutrition levels, how much we consume in carbohydrates vs not.

Eating nutritiously will also keep our bodies working at optimal levels, as does exercise.  I personally use hand weights, stretches, twists, leg lifts, walking, swimming and sometimes it feels like it isn't enough.  I'm considering adding in Christian Yoga as well as the T-tapp program.  These are programs for myself.  It wouldn't be "ok" for someone else, though.  I'm trying to look around to find these programs less expensively than "new."  I'm waiting patiently to find them.  That's a big part of this process of frugality--patience.

Getting enough rest is always a challenge, especially in today's busy society.  Everyone's body is unique and the needs of each person extremely vast, so to put everyone in to a cookie cutter of expectation is unrealistic.  As a parent it is our responsibility to make sure our children get the rest their little bodies need.  Also as a parent, it is important for us to care for our own needs for rest as well.  Sleep for moms of little ones who wake through the night is fleeting.  It is important for new moms to sleep when little ones sleep-round the clock to recover well from giving birth.  It is unrealistic, though, to expect toddlers and school age children to sleep as much as a newborn, so if mom has more children, it gets tricky juggling sleep.  I have put the older ones down for their naps, snuggled baby to nurse and fallen asleep with baby safely in my arms.  I've also put kid shows on, snuggled a little one, and fallen asleep for a 20  minute "catnap" without having an issue.  It is something to discover what would work well for your own family.  If a new mom doesn't get enough rest, she will develop Post Partum Depression.  I've been there before and it is a very scary place to be when the walls start closing in on you.  When that happens, it is important to tell someone to get some help.  In our society, it is a sign of weakness if we ask for help, but in my opinion, it is a sign of great strength to ask for help.

At the different stages of life there are greater needs for rest and less needs for rest.  We need to recognize those needs and adjust accordingly.  We need to communicate with our family of that need and ask for their help when we need to just go take an hour nap to feel re-energized to take on the rest of the evening fulfilling our responsibilities.

In order for our mind to work well, we need to eat, we need to sleep, and we need oxygen in the form of exercise.  In order to think about all that we need to accomplish, think clearly, and work on the variety of levels of frugality that our own personal family situation dictates, requires that we care for our bodies in an optimal manner at every stage of life.  Take care of yourself so you can take care of others!

Have a Blessed Day!