Sewing still can be cheap!!

I am so tired of hearing "It's too bad sewing isn't cheaper than buying clothes anymore". It actually makes me frustrated because it is simply not true. People have this idea in their heads that it is a fact that sewing things is more expensive than buying.

The truth is that if you buy things on clearance from a store they can get fairly cheap, but the things you would make anyway aren't the five dollar shirts and ten dollar jeans that go on clearance in stores. Dresses are the number one easy thing to make if you are into sewing. Dresses, when and if they go on clearance don't ever go below twenty dollars. I am talking for sizes like 3t-5t. For infants you may be able to find dresses for less than that but a well made pretty dress no matter the size is hardly ever below twenty.

So if you figure that you buy a yard and a half of fabric to make a dress and a pattern can be as cheap as $1.99 you can actually make a dress fairly cheap. If you buy full price patterns and full price fabrics I can see how people may have the misconception that making is more expensive. The facts are though that fabric stores always have incredible sales. There is always a 40%-50% off coupon for full priced fabrics and often the fabrics go on a sale that surpass even those percentages off. Then if you take into account clearance fashion fabrics you will find that sewing a skirt or dress for an adult can be dirt cheap.

It is just annoying to hear people write off sewing like it is a lost art or something nobody would want to do because it is an expensive hobby. For example there is a wedding coming up on my husbands side and they have asked if we would like to get dresses for our girls. The dresses are very cute and well made with nice fabric and run around $60 a dress. I can make the same or a similar dress for well under $20 a piece, and that's even with springing for the really nice fabric.

Sewing is not a lost art. People who bargain and buy clothes on clearance and thrift shop can get clothing very cheap, but when you think of the things that you would make instead of buy they are still cheaper. Doll clothes are also quite pricey. I buy remnants and make little clothes for my daughters dolls. Blankets and burp cloths can be more expensive than those in the stores, but if you compare quality the homemade ones will last twice as long and look twice as good as the bargains you'll find in the stores.

To sum up I love sewing and I think that you can save money by sewing some of your children's clothing and blankets. The pictures are of some aprons I made for my girls. They wear them when I am worried about getting their clothing dirty during projects or while eating. I even made a matching apron for my daughter's cabbage patch doll.

Don't give up on sewing just because some people are discouraging. Sewing is relevant today and always will be as long as there are expensive clothes out there. Just remember that quality counts.