Skills That Save - Part 2 (Merrick)

When I was eleven or twelve, my mom signed me up for sewing lessons. My mom is a good seamstress but didn’t feel like she had the ability to teach all of us on her own. Although I wouldn’t say sewing was a great passion of mine, I enjoyed taking lessons for a few years, made many fun things for myself, liked bragging that I had made a clothing item when someone commented on it, and most of all developed a great skill that has saved me money throughout my life.

So today I want to tell you, and show you, how you can save money by learning to sew.

I think clothing is the biggest area wherein I’ve saved. Whether it’s being able to patch my husband’s dress pants when he puts a hole in them, making a few fabric flowers to spruce up a boring t-shirt, or buying a $3 extra large skirt and being able to make it my size, these are all areas I’ve been able to use my sewing skills to save money. Similarly, my mom has mentioned many times over the years that when they were on a tight budget, she was still able to update the house with new curtains or pillows, or make herself a new dress or her children new swimsuits, all because she could buy cheap fabric and knew how to sew.

Although the idea of sewing may be daunting, it’s really not as hard as you may think. Knowing how to operate your sewing machine, being able to read a pattern, and then practicing your sewing skills is really all you need to be on your way to saving money.

Here are a few good sources of inspiration to show you that it’s possible to save by sewing, and it’s not that hard:

Marisa of “New Dress A Day” buys $1 items at flea markets and garage sales, and then with a few cuts and a few seams, she turns them into adorable clothing items. Really, the level of sewing required for most of items she transforms is pretty simple – again, it’s just knowing how to use your machine and then practicing so you get better.

My Aunt Miriam recently blogged about making a dress for her daughter from an old skirt of hers. If you look at the photo in this post, it’s a simple dress that probably required very little sewing, but turned out very cute and was completely free.

Make It and Love It is another blog I look at frequently. She is all about repurposing clothing – anything from shoes, to mens shirts, to her children's clothing, and usually spends little to no money on these updates. And the best part is, she has tutorials for many of the items she makes.

Even with a basic knowledge of sewing, which is fairly easy to acquire, this skill will help you save money. By updating old clothing with cute embellishments, sewing a simple seam to make a shirt fit better, putting a patch in worn out pants, or making $10 curtains, you can and will save a ton of money in the long run.