Sewing Green or ..When your broke and trying to sew

Green and Thrifty Resources:


Getting all you need to get started can be a bit pricey so here are some ideas for getting some thrifty start up supplies

Let me say again Yahoo Freecycle Groups!  http://groups.yahoo.com/ Sewing groups and Freecycle groups!

Yard Sales, Thrift stores, Dollar Stores and Shop the sales.  Craigslist, also folks

Look for old patterns in yard sales and thrift shops. Must thrift stores just throw them out and will give them to you for free.  Look online for free patterns and join sewing groups!!!!

I scored a $25 ruler at Hancock's 80% off in the sales rack! You name it and it was in there.

Recycle old clothes.. old t shirts, jeans, dresses, can be made into bags, quilts, pot holders, patches, new shirts, dresses and the list goes on. I have patterns and ideas for all this!

Sundays Best a fabric store locally, SCORE!! they had a sale on fabric and it was just 2 DOLLARS a yard BINGO!

Coupons you can join Hancock's, Joann's, and Sunday best, Sew much Fun and they all send out coupons, or Email you newsletters with sales and coupons so you can shop till you drop.

Save buttons, zippers, off stuff too damaged to use, belts can make straps for bags, Be creative and Inventive.

Sheets can be used for dresses and test fabric.......your muslin on the cheap.

Finger press use an old wooden

Stileto wooden BBQ skewer... big package 50 for 1.00 at the dollar store.

Cording for piping old phone wire, dollar store cording look in the tool section,  twine ...its almost like a scavenger hunt.

Thread clips, finger nail clippers, tweezers in kits, computer tools, computer vaccuums, lets not forget tooth brushes and old paint brushes to wipe and clean. Q-tips, fishing tweezers they are long and thin. Use only sewing machine oil to oil your machine.

Big huge heavy washers can be wrapped and used as pattern weights.

Medical paper is cheaper than pattern paper, butcher paper, wax paper,  tissue for presents , all this can be used to trace patterns.   News paper can stain fabric but a friend of mine use to use it.

Old blankets can be used for quilt stuffing.

Scraps from sewing can be used for stuffing, reuse pillow stuffing.

Reuse gift boxes for storage, pill bottles to hold old needles, Old tins to hold sewing supplies, old plastic coffee cans for storage and not to mention tackle boxes and tool boxes. Yeah you have to clean them first but how nice remake them into yours

A dresser can serve as a place to store patterns and fabric. Suit cases  can be used to store fabric neatly and dust free.

Need a stiff bottom for a bag? or board for your home made folios? Use old political signs, ad signs on the road that often get left behind they are plastic and stiff.. please dont go taking the good ones you can and will get in trouble for that. Dollar store foam board huge poster size is good and you can make alot from them, cereal boxes, cardboard boxes.

Old mike crates and be lined or used as they are for storage. An old file holder can be used to store rulers.  old file cabinets can be used for notions and patterns. Store patterns in old notebooks look for them in thriftshops or use your kids old ones. I love PDF files for patterns!!!!! easy to store and very small.

No matter how big or small your sewing space is we can help you find the room to sew!

i added this as a page to keep adding to it