Home Making

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When I was little, we used to make our own clothes. Really. My older sister made her own clothes all the way through high school. (Check out what she does now!) I made mine through about fifth grade - where I made these ugly tropical-print hammer pants. Wow! I do still love the prom dress I made in high school, though. (Wish I could still fit into it! Or have a reason to wear it.)

These days, it's not usually cost effective to make your own things. You can find new things for very little money, less than you will pay for the low quality fabrics at Joann's. But, I still love sewing, and it feels so good to have something personalized.

I'd been eyeing this quilt, and in a fit of creativity, decided to make my own. All the fabric, thread, etc. cost me about $68. By the time the quilt was done, I had definitely spent more than I would have ordering the catalog variety. But, I realized if I added in the cost of the extras (pillow covers and such) I would come up with a savings in the end. So, I used up every piece of fabric I purchased, making a full sized quilt, a decorative pillow, two pillow cases, and three cubes pillow throws.

From the catalog:
$40 for the quilt.
$20 for the pillow.
Shams, $20 each.
Cube pillows? Unavailable.
Shipping $16.
Total: $116

I spent $68

Total savings: $48