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I’ve always been a thrift store shopper.  I think I mentioned before (although I can’t find the post right now) that my mother used to take me and my sister to the local Thrift World and give a cash prize to whichever of us found the “best” deal of the day.  I distinctly remember winning a dollar in high school for scoring an English wool kilt complete with kilt pin for 68 cents.  Best dollar I ever got (and I got to keep the skirt, too).

Part of my mom’s philosophy was always that shopping second-hand was part and parcel with sewing our own clothing.  I think to some folks that sounds odd: there is a contingent who feel that if one sews, one must ALWAYS sew, and that somehow buying used clothing is a betrayal of one’s sewing prowess or creativity or resourcefulness.

I’m with the other contingent, the group who believe that by shopping second-hand, we find great deals, great ideas, and great fodder for our craft projects.  My list of reasons:

1. Fabric can be expensive, especially the good stuff.  I have couture tastes, so I almost always save money by sewing my own clothing.  I also have simpler needs–not every outfit needs to be vintage couture, after all.  Many garments can be purchased at the thrift shop for far less than it would cost me to make them–and I get the benefit of the “hourly wage” that goes along with having purchased it ready-made.
2. Quality in new clothing has fallen rapidly in recent years. Brands I used to be able to depend on aren’t what they used to be–but I often find past seasons, when quality was higher, on sale at the thrift shop.  If I can get top-quality goods for pennies, I’d prefer to do that than fight to make something of similar quality in my limited time.
3. Children need multiple changes of clothing a day, and as much as I love making clothing for my children, I’m simply not enough woman to make ALL their clothing.  If I can get an outfit, head to toe, for $3 and then make the balance of their wardrobes, I have the time and freedom to really add the details and embellishments to their garments that set them apart (and they can wear the second-hand stuff to roll around in the mud).
4. I love getting inspired by what’s out there–by the fashions on the runway, and by the stuff that didn’t make the cut.  A lot of thrift stores these days are pretty picked-over; what’s left is, in some locations, the stuff that didn’t make ANYBODY’S cut.  So, what was wrong with it?  And how could it have been fixed?  What detail/fabric choice/simple design fix could have saved it?  My mom and sister and close girl friends and I often have these conversations: “I’d love it if only…”  Those “if only”s help me direct my own ideas and designs.
5. I’m a recovering pack-ratter, and picking through the thrift store and occasionally seeing my own things that I’ve donated keeps me honest.  You know what I’ve never seen there?  Something I made.  I often find fabric to harvest and make into something new; that infrequent, just-right garment that goes home and remains as-is; ideas and inspiration; and garments to restructure.  Knowing there is so much out there and so many ideas helps me limit what I purchase–which in turn reminds me that shopping second-hand, like sewing at home, is one of many ways to reduce our consumption and recycle what’s still useful rather than throwing it away.

Looking for tips on shopping the thrift store?  Whipstitch has a Harvesting Vintage Fabric workshop that I’m quite proud of that goes over these ideas for Atlanta locals.  I’m also super impressed by these lists compiled by SimpleMom and This Mama Makes Stuff.

What about you?  Where do you see the relationship between your sewing and shopping second-hand?  Is it in recycling and greening your life?  In getting inspired and fueling your original designs?  In spending money wisely as you clothe yourself and your family?  In looking for the best quality and workmanship at the best price? Or something else altogether?

I’m reading a seriously geeky-cool book right now:

It’s written by an archaeologist from BU and focuses on the archaeological remains of sewing found in historical sites around the world. I’m fascinated by all of it, in the most nerdy way–right now, I’m on the chapter about pins: how they’re made, when and how they were created and how they changed over time, and what they look like when found in an archaeological site. I had no idea there were so many varieties of pin heads throughout history, or that until the 1800s, pinning for sewing was the least of their uses! Apparently, clothing was all but pinned in place for most of human history, and pinning for sewing was somewhat second place.

So this morning, while eating breakfast (I only ever get to read recreationally before bed and over cereal–and yes, I am such a dweeb that learning about archaeological pin facts counts as “recreation” for me), I was learning about pin cushions and their amazing variety.

Like this puppy:

This is commonly referred to as a “needle case” by archaeologists, but the author of this book points out that since the case would likely have been stuffed with a sawdust-filled cushion and used to store pins, as well, that the carved bone tube attached to a long cord would have been carried on an individual–usually a woman–for emergency pinning during the day. Say, if her veil slipped or her corset busted a string. I love that idea: that something so small is a reflection of real life, and that when we consider the Middle Ages (from which this needle case dates), I think of them as being sort of staid and dry and uninteresting, but they were filled with people who had concerns both large and small, ranging from “Will Father return from the Crusades?” all the way down to “I sure hope the wind doesn’t knock my veil down!”

Considering that every pin until 1834 was MADE BY HAND, they were quite expensive, and represent a primary investment in a household, making their storage and even display a big part of daily life.

So imagine my delight this morning when I browse my reader and find this gem, from Gertie’s New Blog for Better Sewing:

She’s taken the time to write a post about the tomato pin cushion–my all-time recommendation for pin cushions, and a classic–with some lovely factoids and great comments from readers. Thought you’d all like to check it out! (Her blog, by the way, is smart and witty and a joy to read, every day–you really might want to consider adding her to your feeder.)

Happy stitching, everyone!

Dear Dana,

I absolutely ADORE the suit you finished for Goose! Super cute, and so motivating for me–I can’t slack off now, since you’ve already got results! I did have a realization, though, that once I’d stitched my suit, I’ll have to *gulp* try it on, and I’m thinking today’s not the day. So I did a little side-trip to the least threatening (meaning: most forgiving) of the three suits I have planned: Miss M’s, our three-year-old.

She is thrilled, beyond all measure. I like the overall shape, which I drafted as you did: Sharpie and guts. This might be as close as my pattern-loving heart ever gets to bungee jumping, but I felt so rebellious and unfettered!

I used my machine’s stretch zigzag stitch for the major seams

and then finished them off with the serger.

My copy of Fabric Savvy recommends using wooly nylon in the loopers with the serger, but I used our regular thread and it seems to have retained the necessary stretch. I’m not super certain what the wooly nylon is meant to achieve–do you have any idea? I’ve never used it before, but have a few spools I inherited from Sandra, so obviously it’s something used by Those In The Know.

Elastic: I went with standard elastic, right out of the stash. I love that you had no trouble finding the good stuff, but when faced with a whole other trip to the store with three kids in tow, I determined that our swimming in the lake and at the beach, with the occasional Slip-N-Slide (like today) was unlikely to dissolve the standard elastic before she outgrows this suit. Since it’s sort of a prototype anyway, I’m hoping my laziness works out for us!

The straps are constructed of two strips of the same fabric, folded in on the edges and folded again. They seem to have plenty of stretch and the fit was pretty simple to adjust.

Next time, I’m thinking an adorable ruffle or maybe some kind of pleating. I love what Su did on hers, and can totally see a girly detail like that for these dots.

Things that worked:

• Rather than making casings for the elastic, I stitched it on the inside and then folded it over, and stitched again. This is how I used to do my diaper covers, and it’s always worked great.
• I finished with a twin needle, which I hadn’t used before, and am really happy with how professional it makes everything look.
• Following the curve on the template swimsuit gave a nice shape to the back–her last suit fit like a sack, and I wanted this one to follow her body a little better, mostly so there would be fewer places for sand to hide. Seems to have worked well!

Things I’m planning to improve for the Beta version:

• The original suit has a little gathering at the neckline that I didn’t gauge accurately, so the new one gapes just the teensiest bit there, but overall I’m super pleased with the results. The gape at the neckline really bothers me, even if she doesn’t care at all. I think a ruffle there would help, but I’d also like to give the elastic a little more stretch.
• I took WAY too few step-by-step photos. Am already planning out the suit for our teen, so I’ll be better behaved on hers!

Looking forward to seeing what you’re cooking up for yourself! The weather here is scorching, so I’d best be getting busy on my own. The girls begged and begged me to join them under the hose as we were taking photos, and I was sorely tempted. Once I’ve got my sassy new suit, I won’t have a reason to say no!

Talk to you soon,
Deb

Dear Dana,

OK, I am so envious that you had the foresight to order solids from Spandex World. Might have to get myself back over there and consider some options to do some sort of colorblock action… So chic, right?

I saw you mentioned needles. I’ve been doing some reading (consummate researcher, that’s me!), and Sandra Betzina recommends the ball point needles for Nylon/Lycra blends–she says the stretch aren’t as good. (I have a copy of Fabric Savvy and it’s SO useful for this kind of thing.) I’m thinking I’ll have both on hand and see which I prefer, but hopefully the ball points will do the trick.

Since I was already in research mode, I went out today looking for patterns. I’d love to make my own, but I feel pretty sure the wise course of action might be to construct something from a pattern first before winging it. Harks back to my archaeologist/measure-twice-cut-once days, y’know? I envy you that you jump in and see what happens–I would love to do that more often.

A rabbit hole search led me to Kwik Sew patterns for active wear–not really what I had in mind, but a start. Another led me to their swimwear patterns, which were more along the lines I envisioned.

Someone else recommended Stretch and Sew, which were OK too, but by this point, I was feeling inspired and impatient, so I went ahead and just dove right in. I know! I was pretty surprised too, but this whole project just has me so darn motivated.

I used a suit whose dimensions fit me well–everything I’ve read has said that the body length is the most important dimension to get right, since the fabric will stretch side-to-side.

I laid it out on some art paper I snaked from the kids, made a sketch, added seam allowances, and felt totally ready.

Somewhere along the way I read a hint to tape down the fabric, and I gotta say, it was totally right on the money–HUGE help when I got the rotary cutter going and started cutting.

So here’s where I am now:

Just the one at the moment, since the girls both took theirs out of town with them. I’m planning to stitch this one up and check the fit to see if my methodology holds water (hey, look at that! an archaeology reference AND a swimming pun! in the same sentence!), and then tackle the other two.

Are you wondering about elastic like I am? I’ve seen plenty of folks mention using swimsuit elastic, and others who say it doesn’t make a difference and the regular stuff is just fine. Call me crazy, but I don’t really want to do casings–what if we use fold-over elastic, instead??

Oh, we’re so close. I can feel it. But you ever notice that most of the mistakes in sewing happen riiiiight when you start to think, “Hey, this is going really well! I’m making such great progress! I’ll be done so much sooner than I thought!”? Ever notice that? And then your bobbin runs out.

Can’t wait to see what you’re doing on your side of the Americas!
Deborah

During my interview with Fox-5′s Good Day Atlanta, I mentioned The Craft Gap. It’s my theory of why crafting–and sewing specifically–seems to suddenly be everywhere all the time: blogs, the news, street fairs, online shops, all over.

I’d love, love, love to hear your input as I go along, and answers to the inevitable questions that come about from asking these kinds of questions in the first place.

To start with, what made YOU want to learn to sew? Leave your answer in the comments, and a randomly selected comment will receive a coupon code for free shipping in the Whipstitch Etsy shop!