Create New From Old

Do you ever just look inside the window of a store and absolutely fall in love with the outfit on display? Then you walk inside, and search all around for it, just to find out it is entirely too expensive. Well there's a fun and cheap way to solve this problem. However, this may take much longer then simply giving the cashier a check, money, or credit car, but in the long run you will have your own unique look that’s guaranteed not to be seen anywhere else. And all it takes is a little shopping around at a second hand store, or even a garage sale. Like they say, “Some peoples junk, may be another persons treasure.” By simply creating new looks out of an old look, you can resolve the issue of buying clothes for too much money.

First you should look through magazines that you may find clothes of your style in. Looking on the Internet would work too. Find outfits that you find appealing and clip them out. Getting ideas can help a lot because you can try to look for similar things to what’s in the clipping you took out. Even though the outfit you found in a magazine is up to date, you would be surprised by the related things that were in style a few years ago.

As soon as you’ve cut out ideas from a magazine or the internet, you get to run around a store full of old clothes and pick out anything that catches your eye. Pick out anything from dresses and skirts to tank tops and tees. Most thrift store will have accessories too like bracelets, necklaces, or even scarves. Try to stick to simple pieces of clothing. Avoid patterns and ruffles. Blues, browns, grays, whites, or blacks are really safe colors to go for. If you want to be more risky, pick out more exciting colors like pink, purple, yellow, or orange. Many pieces of clothing can be turned into something very cute. This will make it much easier to create something more modern.

When you are finished shopping, go to a comfortable, open space to make your new clothes. Lay out all of the items you have chosen. It could be easier by organizing them by color or the type of clothing item they are. Start layering things on top of each other. What colors go good together? Or what could layer together well? If you feel the need to cut the sleeves off a shirt or make a dress shorter, feel free to do that. Get creative. Mix and match things until you find the perfect outfit or even try to create the look of one of the outfits you found in a magazine.

When you have your outfit put together, you can finally create your new look! You may want to invest in a sewing machine. Even though this whole process is supposed to save you money, getting a sewing machine could really help. Plus, you can easily get a used one for really cheap, or maybe a family member could have one to loan you. A sewing machine will save you a lot of time when creating your new piece of clothing. They aren’t too hard to work either. However, you don't have to use a machine. If you were able to put together an outfit without cutting anything up, then great! You won’t have to sew anything. If you cut something shorter, though, or decided to combine two pieces, you will need to stitch the edge of it. If you do not, then it may tare or fray really bad at the seam. Make sure you lay out your pieces flat on the sewing machine, or else you may sew a part that wasn’t supposed to. Slowly move your fabric up through the needle. If you do this carefully you can create a perfect stitch and you clothes will look great!

Now you don’t have to look into the window of a store wishing you could buy that outfit without feeling guilty of spending so much on it. By the end of this process you should have a newly made outfit that is cute and totally your style. It can definitely save you money, and it is also entertaining if you aren’t up to anything.