Money Saving Tips to Transform Your Winter Wear into Summer Wear
Summer is here, and the heat is on to save money on your seasonal wardrobe. These money saving tips for summer clothing will help you refashion last winter’s pieces and make it easy and fun! Even if you aren’t an expert seamstress, you can turn old winter clothes into something you’ll be proud to wear for months to come.
DIY clothing is one of a kind, so you never have to worry about looking like everyone else. You’ll also get serious props for being creative and having the guts to try something new. And you’ll look good at the same time, which is crucial to keeping your summer cool. Below, you’ll find resources to help you get started.
Crop Your Sleeves
Changing sleeve length is critical to being able to wear a beloved long sleeve shirt year round. Once the weather cools down, you’ll still be able to layer it under a sweater, so you’re making your favorite shirt even more wearable.
Do you have a favorite long sleeve t-shirt that you want to keep wearing? Turn it into a tank, with this YouTube tutorial:
You can also shorten sleeves on any knit shirt, using basic sewing skills.
If you don’t have a shirt in mind, but you love these projects, you can always buy used long sleeve shirts at the Arc Stores to alter. They come in a wide array of colors, so you’re sure to find something that will fit into your wardrobe.
Make Skirts
If you’re new to sewing, skirts are a great place to start. Remember, at the end of the day a skirt is a tube. A tube that can be as flattering as you want, because you’re the designer. Take control of your destiny as a fashionista and try these helpful tutorials.
Turning jeans into a denim skirt is always a classic. Learn how.
Alternately, that long sleeved t-shirt can also be a nice new skirt.
Like shirts, jeans are inexpensive and easy to find at used clothing stores. Buying gently used denim at any time of the year is another one of our great money saving tips, but it comes in especially handy if you don’t want to cut up any of your current jeans. And, if you have an eye for designer denim, we’ve already blogged about how to make sure that you get it.
Turn Your Jeans Into Shorts
Once the weather heats up, no one wants to wear pants anymore. Rehab your jeans for hot weather by cutting them off and making shorts out of them.
Don’t Be Afraid
If you’ve never worked a sewing machine in your life, but you want to get started, dive in! It’s easier than you think to make something that looks good, and you’ll get to tell everyone that you made it yourself. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can save money by buying one used, and eBay has a great guide to help with that.
You’ll find tutorials for every basic sewing technique you can think of online, and many people have successfully taught themselves to sew using web tutorials. You’ll also find entire blogs dedicated to rehabbing thrift store finds. The ones below will help you get started on creating a list of your personal favorites:
The best part of starting this hobby is that you’ll be learning skills that will help you with a lifetime of savings, and you’ll love every minute of it. You may even want to pass on these money saving tips, and the skills you learn, to someone else one day.
All the shirts, jeans and fabrics you want to practice your new sewing skills on can be had very inexpensively at your local Arc Store.
