Becoming more thrifty...day 1!

Hello everyone,

So a recent rummage around in Snoopers Paradise and a birthday dress dilema (what to wear?!) left me setting myself a huge challenge...

I stumbled across this pattern by accident, picking it up and having a moan "why can't I find a dress like this!", then realised oh, hang on second, this is a way to make it! I don't consider myself a sewing expert at all, three years of learning to make aprons, beanbags and cushions in high school seems to have been wiped from my memory. Luckily enough it is in the right size for me. I think this will have to be a project!

My boyfriends' Mum then also came to the rescue with this beauty, what can it be?!

                                                                         Can you tell what it is yet?!

So my rainy Monday off work has been spent being very patient trying to remember how a sewing machine works! Thank goodness for YouTube is all I say! I will keep you all updated with my progress for making the dress.

Having walked around some of the shops in the lanes, it seems some are making classic shaped dresses in different patterns and then selling them for extortionate prices. Whilst it is a modern take on vintage fashion, I really do think that the prices are really unbeliebable when you consider that this was the affordable way that people used to make their clothes. It seems crazy that an older generation are so well equipped and knowledgeable with sewing machines and repairs, yet most of my generation haven't got a clue where to begin. The 'make do and mend' culture is slowly diminishing and will soon disappear with people just buying new clothes to replace any old pieces that maybe just need a small bit of tlc!

As prices rise and wages don't seem to be rising, I know my purse strings are having to get tighter. My boyfriend recently got two pairs of shoes completely re-soled and re-heeled, which came to a grand total of £30. It would have cost more than double to replace the shoes, and so he is a very pleased boyfriend! I think this is a great example of 'make do and mend' and so I am determined to improve my sewing machine skills so I can become a bit more thrifty and hopefully be able to adopt this attitude a bit more!

Have any of you made any clothes for yourself? Are there any tips you have for making do and mending? I would love to hear!