Thrifting with Jen

There are so many ways to contribute to fashion and make something your own. Whether it’s actually making your own clothing line and fully expressing your creativity or just making alterations on pieces, it’s a great way to find yourself. The expressions and persona you make can be a result of your clothing choices, and the confidence you hold in them. Fashion is an art. It is a time when we grow as individuals through style. The possibilities are endless whether you create/revamp your own or shop the stores.

I’ve taken a much simpler version of changing fashion pieces than Meg. I’ve been simply trying to revamp or style different pieces to better suit me. The piece I got was a blue periwinkle-ish shirt from “In Full Swing” located in Doylestown. “In Full Swing” is a great place to thrift; it’s a non-profit organization that donates all proceeds to A Woman’s Place, a great women’s outreach center that does a lot of work for the community. Anyway, I love the shirt; it definitely has what I’d call a “grandma-style” with the style of buttons and embroidery. This is exactly what I wanted; the only issue was its length. I, therefore, decided to crop it. To do so, I grabbed my favorite crop top that comes to the perfect length and lined it up with the blue shirt. I smoothed it all out and then measured from the bottom. I marked it every few inches with a pencil (as I didn’t have any chalk) and then got to cutting. I used sewing scissors which made very smooth cuts. I cut the front first and then the back trying to make it as even as possible. I plan on folding the edge up and sewing the ends and possibly adding some white embroidery to make it more cohesive. However, as it is, I love how it came out. It was such a simple process and the shirt was only a dollar and is now a favorite of mine.

Thrifting with Meg

Hearing Jen’s flip makes my heart so happy! I stay away from basic pieces because my style is not so basic and that leads me to the thrift store and my sewing machine. When I go to the thrift store, I look for things that put me out of my comfort zone or wouldn’t be found in the department store. I also search for the pieces with the most bang for my buck. I usually will then go in and deconstruct it from the seams by resizing the piece. Since I create my clothes from scratch you must begin with fabric. I search for sheets, blankets, large dresses, and any other large piece of fabric that will serve as the base for something new. I created this super cute floral pant set and yellow top from a tablecloth/runner from the local thrift store. The store is named “Worthwhile Wear” in Plumsteadville, PA. I actually thrifted the base pattern as well but added my own details after the first few steps. The number one thing to look for is the quality of the product. If it isn’t quality as fabric, it won’t be as a garment. Creating things like handmade clothes is tricky because of the immediate recognition some people see in hand-made garments. 

The immediate satisfaction of items made by yourself is truly worth its waiting gold. I suggest giving at any stage for handmade things that are so special!