Clothes Challenge

floss2

well, am about to Ebay a bag of stuff I sorted last night....didn't have the nerve to get everything out though!

Several things from Next, chunky cardis (why did I have 4 when I only wear 2?) sweaters, skirts & a Coast dress I never fitted (charity shop buy!)

Will be sorting again today, shoes are the next target!

Cazzdevil

This would be a good opportunity to try and make new clothes from your old ones. If something's getting a bit tired, try and make it into something else. I'm really interested in this idea but I'm struggling for inspiration, the only things I seem to find are ways to turn jeans into a skirt.

Any ideas would be appreciated and hopefully useful to the OP.

rosieben

Cazzdevil wrote: »

This would be a good opportunity to try and make new clothes from your old ones. If something's getting a bit tired, try and make it into something else. I'm really interested in this idea but I'm struggling for inspiration, the only things I seem to find are ways to turn jeans into a skirt.

Any ideas would be appreciated and hopefully useful to the OP.

I bought 'Yeah I Made it myself' which is definitely aimed at younger women than me, but I still found lots of good ideas in there. Maybe worth asking your library to get you a copy, or get a second hand copy via Amazon?

Sadly you pay almost as much for some second hand books as you do for new, but if you're not buying new for ethical reasons it still works!

Are you looking for free patterns for anything specific?

rosieben

Here's an interesting use for an old sweater -
http://frugalliving.about.com/b/a/000105.htm

You could make it whatever size you like, depending on the size of your sweater of course, and just use any bits of fabric for lining to keep shape, an old pillowcase or something?

I might try this, I have several sweaters that I havent worn for 2 winters so I definitely feel a knitted tote coming on.....

runs off to add it to the list of winter projects .......

should I get a life d'you think?

ps I've seen sweaters and tshirts turned into cushion covers too.

Austin_Allegro

One way of limiting charity shop purchasing could be to limit yourself to the smaller charities.

We sometimes hear complaints on here about how the 'big' charity shops tend to be a bit pricey and to sell a lot of new stuff (which is sort of fiddling their tax breaks - or so I understand it)

So people could stick to the smaller local charity shops. They're better anyway - more like jumble sales where you can still find a bargain, and the smaller charities struggle a lot more as they depend on volunteers, not paid workers.

rosieben

Cazzdevil wrote: »

This would be a good opportunity to try and make new clothes from your old ones. If something's getting a bit tired, try and make it into something else. I'm really interested in this idea but I'm struggling for inspiration, the only things I seem to find are ways to turn jeans into a skirt.

Any ideas would be appreciated and hopefully useful to the OP.

might be something here http://www.ohmystars.net/craft/index.htm

Edited to add - worth checking here for Reconstructed Clothing Projects http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=348.0

GreenNinja

I like the concept of trying not to buy anything new and just reworking the clothes you already have.

Gotta say though, does anybody else think the little brown dress was hideous, I wouldn't be seen dead in it.

Sorry :rolleyes:

Bogof_Babe

Lol GreenNinja, my thoughts exactly. I didn't like to be the first to say so . And why choose brown - about the least flattering colour in the spectrum?

Floss

But maybe that was the whole point - so everyone remembered it?!

Well I did it - sorted 3 bags of stuff for my local hospice shop (support them with donations as they looked after my mum when she was very ill) including duplicated vest tops, shoes that don't fit (& never did!), stuff my 19yr old DS left for them & last years work jumpers that I am sick of the sight of!

Still need to get everything out & make outfits....is it too anal of me to make a list of what goes with what, do you think?! I do tend to decide what I will wear but then wear something totally different to the original plan, so maybe that will help me get ready a bit quicker & more efficiently!

Maybe we could have a virtual "Swishing" party? Anyone looking for a pair of high heeled blue sparkly 2-strap mules? Worn once 4 years ago....

Racklen

i also prefer the smaller charity shops as the clothes are fairly priced and most of the poeple working in them are volunteers who are retired so more money goes to charity and you get a nice service and the people wprking there choose to go there