Make Your Own Childrens Clothes... For Free

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As any parent who's been to the clothing store lately knows, children's wear has become discouragingly expensive. Keeping your young'uns in duds doesn't have to spell economic ruin, however... not when you know Joan Dickenson's secret.

Have you shopped for children's clothing lately? Try it sometime: Price a five-year-olds outfit. Jeans-you'll find-are about $9.00 a pair, shirts maybe $5.00 each . . . not to mention socks, shoes, and underwear. By the time you get out of the store, chances are good you will have demolished the better part of a $20 bill.

Of course, rather than buy everything premade you could purchase the necessary fabrics and patterns and sew the same outfit (minus shoes, socks, etc.) yourself. In this case, you can count on paying $1.00 each for shirt and pant patterns, $4.00 for a yard of denim, $2.00 for one yard of cotton . . . a total, so far (not counting fasteners, thread, needles, etc.), of $8.00. A savings over readymades, to be sure . . . but still a lot of money.

Well, despair not. Because I'm here to tell you that there is a better way to keep your children in duds. All it involves is a little scrounge-and-make-do ingenuity, a little time, and (happily) no money at all. It's called recycling old clothes into new.

WHERE TO GET FREE RAW MATERIALS

One day, I happened to hear (through the grapevine) that a neighbor was afraid to offer us hand-me-downs for fear we'd be insulted! Once I set that neighbor straight-and let others know, too, that we would be ecstatic if we received unwanted clothing-the garments began to pour in: shirts, pants, coats, dresses, pajamas . . . you name it! The moral: You can get free clothes from your friends and acquaintances . . . if you let them know your needs.

If your neighbors aren't forthcoming (or even if they are), put an ad in your local shoppers' news. A good many people-you'll find-are more than happy to give away worn-out apparel if you'll just come by and get it. And the nice thing is that unwearable adults' clothes can become lovely children's outfits.

Look around. I'm willing to bet that in less time than you think, you'll be able to accumulate more free material (in the form of discarded clothing) than you can use!

TWO THINGS TO REMEMBER

You'll get more out of your recycling efforts if you'll [1] think of discarded garments not as wearing apparel but as fabrics . . . and [2] remember that the fabric from several different worn-out items can oftentimes be pieced together to produce a finished children's outfit that looks prettier (by a mile) than any of the garments you started with. Keep these two hints in mind and your young'uns will soon be arrayed like royalty.