4 Tips to Year-Round Sewing Savings

 

A big thanks to Kate Sorenson and her Coupon Cravings team for sharing this piece. Kate is a busy mother of two who understands the value of finding a great deal, and the importance of saving time. She’ll help you do both at her blog, Coupon Cravings, where you’ll find lots of great deals that are all easy to use.

With the high cost of a lot of fabric and sewing supplies, it can seem like a better deal to just buy pre-made clothes and quilts and skip sewing altogether. For the sewing enthusiast, it may not be about the price, but the passion for sewing itself. However, many would still like to find ways to make clothing for less money than buying it in the store. Here are four tips to help you save on sewing supplies.

Be Thrifty

According to MoneySavingMom.com, there is great fabric to be found at garage sales and thrift stores if you take the time to look for it. Also, you can often find other items that will work well for sewing projects, too. Vintage table cloths and sheets can be transformed into clothing and blankets with the help of a trusty sewing machine. The fabric of these items is usually very soft and preshrunk from many washes, which makes these unforeseen items good candidates for your next sewing project.

Reuse Old Clothes

Before you toss or donate old clothing you no longer have a use for, consider its potential for quality quilt fabric. Most clothing can be cut into appropriate sized fabric pieces. If you have blouses or pants that are too stained or torn to find enough usable fabric, you can still salvage the buttons for use on something else.

Go to Overstock

Usually, you can get a decent savings on many different sewing items when you buy from Overstock.com. You’ll find sewing kits and sewing machines that are regularly priced between 10% and 20% off. You should be careful to watch the deals closely -- they may change over time, based on how often the product you are looking at gets purchased.

Try out Etsy

Etsy.com is another great resource for the sewing enthusiast. If you want to buy sewing supplies in bulk, this site is one of your best options. You can also place your own supplies up to sell or trade, so you can sell what you don’t need and use the money to buy what you do.

Sewing can become an expensive hobby if you aren’t careful about where and how you purchase your fabric and sewing supplies. But if you take the time to check out alternatives to your local fabric store, chances are you will come away with ample supplies for your next sewing project.