Tag: eco-friendly

sewing

How to Make Clothes on a Budget

Jasmine HustonLeave a comment

Hello everyone! Something that I get asked about a lot is how can you make clothing cheap or on a budget. This is hard to find when you’re first starting out because a lot of the prices for fabric are crazy and it might feel like it is easier to just buy a ready-to-wear clothing on sale. So here are a couple of my favorite places to get fabric.

1.) Thrift Stores – You might be suprised by this one but there are so many diferent ways that you can go. Of course you can find pieces that you an alter to fit you and your style but primarily when I’m going to a thrift store with sewing in mind the very first place that I go is to the tablecloths and sheets. My tinkerbell cosplay was made out of a leaf lace tablecloth that I purchased for 4 dollars. My pinafore dress I bought a round table cloth and use the circle that I cut out of the center to make the bib. I also like using sheets for dresses because there are so much fabric there.

2.) In My Own Home – This might sound like a no brainer but I also use the fabric from my own home. As mentioned above I’m looking at old curtains that might have some rips in a couple of different places but generally can be reused or even bed sheets. One of my favorite summer dresses that I have ever made is out of bedsheets and I’m about to start another dress with this same idea.  Either way it is more eco-friendly and budget-friendly if you can reprurpose items you already have to make some fun new things.

3.) Shopping Sales In Store – I’m going to be honest with you, unless it is something I must have in that moment, I NEVER pay for fabric full price. I will always wait for a coupon or a sale. One of my favorite places for sales is Hobby Lobby. The normal prices are pretty good but they have 40% off sales every other week. For the Asrid Cosplay that I am working on right now, I was able to buy a yard of faux fur fabric for $13.50 when it was identical to faux fur they had at Joann Fabrics for $50 a yard! I always shop around when it comes to fabric. I have even gotten some good quality fabric from walmart before.

4: Online – Of course you can always buy fabric online. My favorite place to buy fabric online is Fabric Wholesale Direct. The price is great for most types of fabric and for some of the major holidays they offer 10% off. Also, I love that they have flat rate shipping and after spending so much, shipping is for free. It does take about a week or a little more for it to arrive though so you have to plan way in advance. Amazon is another great place to order online, some of their fabric can be expensive though so I always like to check the local stores and Fabric Wholesale Direct to see what the going rate is for that type of fabric.

Do you have any other tips that are not listed here? Be sure to let me know in the comments section to help others. Have a great week and talk to you next time!

PS: Check out this new reel of a recent upcycling project from some old ripped sheets.

sewing

Reuseable Paper Towels – Eco-friendly Project

Jasmine HustonLeave a comment

Hello! Are you looking for ways to be more eco-friendly? Over the last couple of years I have started taking small steps into adjusting my day-to-day routine routine make it better for the earth. When I started this journey I was scared at first because I thought it was going to be really expensive, but it actually saves you money too. I started out with my laundry detergent by using Earth Breeze. In case you aren’t familiar, they are a company that sends you dehydrated laundry detergent. They completely dissolve in water and the package is biodegradable in just 3 months. 1 package lasts me a couple of months, and it’s only $12 for a package. After I got used to that I started using dissolving hand soap tablets. All of the packaging is biodegradable and I use the same glass soap dispenser that I’ve had for years. I’ve also switched my cleaning products to dissolving tablet cleaners as well and repurposed old clothing or fabric to make new pieces.

There is something that has always bothered me, though, and that is how many paper towels I use, especially when cleaning or cooking. It is a very embarrassing amount because I can’t stand to have certain textures on my hand. I’ve tried hand towels and cheap multi-use cleaning cloths but there was always something I didn’t like about them. This brings us to our post for today. I saw on Joann Fabric’s Instagram this year for earth day a guide for reusable “paper” towels. I knew right then that I had to make it. If you would like to find the instructions on Joann Fabric’s website click here.


Fortunately, the fabrics were also on sale so it made it much easier and cheaper. I also have never used snaps before so I was kind of nervous but they were easy to use and I bought a set from Amazon. Since you can find the information on their website I’m not going to repeat it on here. The instructions are very simple. You can also use a serger to make it even easier. I put my snaps 1″ on each side of the corner.

Would I make these again? Absolutely! I absolutely love them! While I will still use paper towels for raw meat and cleaning disgusting places (toilet I’m looking at you) I will make more for everything else. They turned out so beautifully. I want to make ones just for cleaning and summer just for drying my face after I wash it. If you would like to see a video as I work on it please head over to my YouTube channel! Is this a project that you would be willing to try? Let me know in the comments!