Sewing

[derketchup]

and I want to start sewing again! But what should I know about sewing supplies and sales patterns? Are there annual sales, do certain fabrics go on sale during certain parts of the year, etc.

Thanks in advance!

[lestelle]

Congratulations Der! I've recently resurrected mine.
Check Joann's flyers, they sometimes rotate each pattern company's patterns on sale for $.99 to $1.99 each. That's when I've been restocking my pattern stash.
Check out Club BMV Welcome Page to preview the patterns you're interested in, then buy at Joanns.
A good magazine to check out is Threads. They have great tips and reviews of notions and stuff.
Fabric is a little more difficult to find by me--all the discount places have closed as people sewed less. I live in NJ, near NYC, so a semi annual trip in on my calendar for this year. There are a few good online sources like Denver Fabrics, but I like to touch before buying.
Good Luck!

[Merczilla]

Also check your thrift stores. I often find good chunks of fabric there. Patterns, too, although you can't be 100% sure it's all there. Mine usually only charges .10 cents a pattern, so you don't lose much if a bunch is missing. The only store I have for fabric is Joann's. I never/rarely buy anything at Wallyworld. I used to buy some vintage doll clothing patterns on Ebay, but I don't buy there anymore.

Garage sales in the summer (if you're in a northern/snowy clime).

Oh...what machine did you get? I'm a "collector", so all mine are vintage. lol

[Doreen]

Der, Congratulations on your new sewing machine! yah

If you haven't already peeked through my JoAnn Fabrics Forum, I wanted to let you know that you can browse current sale flyers (including current class flyers), sign-up for in-store and online coupons/deals, coupon policy, and clearance finds.

[derketchup]

Also check your thrift stores. I often find good chunks of fabric there. Patterns, too, although you can't be 100% sure it's all there. Mine usually only charges .10 cents a pattern, so you don't lose much if a bunch is missing. The only store I have for fabric is Joann's. I never/rarely buy anything at Wallyworld. I used to buy some vintage doll clothing patterns on Ebay, but I don't buy there anymore.

Garage sales in the summer (if you're in a northern/snowy clime).

Oh...what machine did you get? I'm a "collector", so all mine are vintage. lol

It's a singer... I got it from freecycle. The lady said she had it for 10 years. But most of the body is made from painted cast-iron, except for the upper half which is plastic. So I think it's a mite older than 10 years!

It seems to run just fine, which was my main concern.

[ILv2Shop]

Wishing you alot of fun projects. Hope you'll be blogging about them. :-)

[derketchup]

Also check your thrift stores. I often find good chunks of fabric there. Patterns, too, although you can't be 100% sure it's all there. Mine usually only charges .10 cents a pattern, so you don't lose much if a bunch is missing. The only store I have for fabric is Joann's. I never/rarely buy anything at Wallyworld. I used to buy some vintage doll clothing patterns on Ebay, but I don't buy there anymore.

Garage sales in the summer (if you're in a northern/snowy clime).

Oh...what machine did you get? I'm a "collector", so all mine are vintage. lol

It's a singer 3102 c.

[Kristen.C]

Welcome to the wonderful world of sewing! The possibilities are endless and it will surely become an obsession. As far as sales, I'd just make sure to hold on to the JoAnn fabrics 40% off coupons and pay attention to their sales ads- they have some big sale for national craft week going on either this week or next week, so that would be a good time to look at thread and needles. Also, there should be a lot of books available at your library that you can check out for free. And don't forget all of the sewing/craft blogs too. One of my favorites is sew, mama, sew. They have tons of tutorials and craft projects posted there. Also, don't forget that you can find ways to reuse stuff- the old tablecloths at the thrift store can be used to make napkins, etc. I'm so excited for you!

[Coupon-Crazy]

Oh what fun, Der!

I keep my eyes open for sheets, tablecloths, etc. at yard sales and thrift stores. I got a beautiful flat sheet at a yard sale on Sat. The lady couldn't find the fitted sheet. I just smiled and said that was ok. I didn't have the heart to tell her I'd but cutting it up to make bloomers for my girls.

[derketchup]

Yeah, I have plans to turn an old pair of khakis into an apron.

I got 5 easy-to-sew Simplicity patterns from Joann for $1.99 each. The so simple ones weren't part of the sale, but the easy-to-sew ones were. Lucky me! I also signed up for the next sewing 101 class because it's been oh.... 22 years since I last sewed something more complicated than a felt poodle skirt...