Frugal Fridays - Sewing

Since my friend over at Just a Little Something Betsy wanted to know what fun projects we've been up to, I figured it was a good time to do a Frugal Friday on sewing.  Sewing is a wonderful skill to learn to save you money!  I sew gifts, clothing, and decorations for the home.  If you are new to sewing or would like to learn I highly recommend Homestead Blessings: the Art of Sewing

A lot of the material that I have has been given to me for free :o)  Very thankful for that blessing!  I am also constantly checking thrift stores and garage sales for good deals on material.  Sometimes you need to be creative about how you acquire material (like cutting up a stained shirt or tablecloth and using the good portion). 

Blogs are an excellent source for ideas and patterns.  You can also often find patterns at thrift stores, and the Walmart by us has some very inexpensive patterns.  To get the most out of the patterns, I usually trace them first onto a scrap piece of material (this is where you can use the stained portions of the tablecloth, shirt, etc.).  These hold up longer than the thin, flimsy paper patterns often come on.

Here are some things I have been working on the past two weeks:

PILLOW AND 2 PILLOWCASES

Super fast and easy to make!  Made this as a gift for a 3 year old boy who was getting a big boy bed.

EASY SUMMER DRESSES

I love the New Look pattern #6576.  It is very easy and quick to make and perfect for summer!  Add a turtleneck and stockings and you can make it work in the winter too.  See the post on "Boo's" first birthday for another one of these dresses that I made.

FABRIC BOOKS

These are also very quick to sew and make nice baby shower or 1st birthday gifts.  You buy the fabric with the pages already printed on them and you follow the easy instructions.  Our children seem to be obsessed with putting books into their mouths, so these are great started books that are hard to destroy.

QUILTED ALPHABET

I hate to waste fabric so I am always looking for things to make with scraps.  A while ago I made the numbers 0-9, so now I am working on the alphabet.  There is a pattern and tutorial available on Oh So Happy Together.  As I have scraps left over from other projects I cut out a letter.  I am using matching material for each upper and lowercase letter.

Have any patterns/projects you'd like to share?  Leave a comment below.  I'm always looking for ideas!  And check back on Mondays for my Make-It-Monday posts for more projects.