![very old jean jacket from old jeans](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-4wjfxvN/0/8ebb6ae5/M/IMG_2850_heic-M.jpg)
Turning a $7 thrift shop dress into a "looks like $700 dress" was an interesting read in my news subscription email in 2015. The author used one thrift-shop find to convert another thrift-shop find that didn't fit into the right size by dismantling the first piece and inserting lace panels and hem into the second piece, creating a beautiful wearable piece of art for pennies on the dollar.
I absolutely love the concept, but I rarely shop for clothes anymore, with the exception of T-shirts and turtlenecks to wear beneath jumpers I make myself (although I did frequent thrift shops for clothing bargains back when my kids still lived at home).
![lizard blouse from before I met Lizard](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-DSTFXK7/1/f228a5d4/M/DLA97325-M.jpg)
![Artisan Shimmer meets Snowcatcher Snowflakes](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-6NFVHm9/0/09387434/M/DSCN4917-M.jpg)
![another once favorite dress](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-8xpztMz/0/5b9fe91c/M/DLA109516-M.jpg)
My fashion addiction is one-of-a-kind clothing I make and often design myself. For the last decade or more, I've used remnants from my stash to piece my clothing.
![one of my first favorite pieced dresses](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-7CH2pr3/2/127bcc87/M/DSCF9018a-M.jpg)
![still a favorite dress](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-PmwSSzv/0/50fce63a/M/IMG_6837-M.jpg)
![pieced and crocheted](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-Q7BVDSz/2/d2f45403/M/DLA65197-M.jpg)
This fun time bandit began back in high school the first time I was able to afford a piece of each fabric in a coordinated collection, way back before precuts. If I recall correctly, I think it took six babysitting jobs to pay for six yards of fabric! This was long before the current going rate for babysitting and the current cost of nice fabric. I think I made $2.50 a night for babysitting way back then, and I probably never spent more than 99 cents a yard for fabric then. I had other expenses that came before play (monthly PE towel and locker fee, notebooks, paper, pens, tissue, astringent for my oily face, etc.), so buying a vinyl record album ($4.99 back then) or a good pair of jeans ($8.99) would take about twice as much money raised before I could actually fun-spend.
The white cotton I bought featured pastel pin stripes, each yard in a different color. I cut the fabric into two-inch squares, some horizontal, some vertical and some diagonal, which I then restitched together into a huge piece of fabric I then cut into a collared button-up dress shirt I wore for many years, until the sleeves became so thin, my elbows poked through. I wish I had a picture of that blouse. It was my favorite for so long!
![the last of the purple lizards](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-dQkgCsQ/0/8768a5d1/M/IMG_7952-M.jpg)
![a favorite blouse from decades ago](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-bFn7F6M/0/63014166/M/IMG_3204-M.jpg)
![batik leftovers](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-Qgdf5Gs/0/261db7cd/M/IMG_7956-M.jpg)
Now all my favorite pieced clothing is becoming too thin to wear any longer again, and I'm spending too much time patching. Even traditionally-sewn dresses are wearing thin because I wear them too long. And that's not a complaint at all, except I wish the fabric would last longer.
![the well-worn dress and the completed quilt, which outlasted the dress](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-cKNQCK8/0/8333b609/M/IMG_1720-M.jpg)
![too many underarm patches](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-m7P5bGf/0/28c7de28/M/IMG_1722-M.jpg)
![constructed from rescued fabric from old, once beloved dresses](https://photos.smugmug.com/Fun-Stuff/Challenges/Starfleet-Fiber-Arts-Corps/i-2WNPFtN/0/b4138da8/M/iPhone123-M.jpg)
![blue floral oops](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-42MkFJh/0/1ce740cc/M/DSCN8401-M.jpg)
![I may turn this dress into a skirt...](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-skPcHGM/0/9d4f53ac/M/IMG_2853_heic-M.jpg)
![once a favorite](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-wPXNbn2/0/ca671e56/M/IMG_2852_heic-M.jpg)
I think it's time for a new wardrobe. But you won't find me shopping in any mall. I'll be making my new dresses from what I have in my stash. I'll even be using patterns I've kept using over and over and over until they, too are becoming nearly too thin to use anymore!
![green batiks and solids leftovers](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-QhK68xn/0/97c45eca/M/IMG_2854-M.jpg)
![This is going to be my new favorite dress!](https://photos.smugmug.com/Quilts-Plus/In-stitches-sewing/i-rJpQn3Q/0/5d26ad5d/M/IMG_2864-M.jpg)
Happy sewing!
ReplyDeleteI'm giving serious thought to sewing a lining to my getting-too-thin garments and try to get some more wear out of them :)
ReplyDelete