Shopping Tip - Use A Tape Measure

Finding clothes that fit when shopping is a challenge. Here is an idea to make it easier.

No matter where you shop, finding clothes that fit is hard. Each brand has a different version of what each size is. And sizes change through the years. A vintage piece that is a size 12 will not fit like a current size 12.

If there are fitting rooms you can try things on, but that is tiring. Shopping garage and estate sales doesn't give you that option. When you are shopping online, the only way to try on the clothes is to purchase them and return if they don't work.

So here is a quick tip to help you better determine if something will fit.

Use a Tape Measure

Get a tape measure, take your measurements and write them down. Take these with you when you go shopping along with your tape measure. Before trying things on, measure the garment and see how close it is to your measurements. If it is close, and there is a place to try it on, do so. 

What measurements should you take? I'd begin with

• chest
• waist
• hips
• inseam
• leg from waist to floor
• arm from shoulder to wrist 

(How to Take Body Measurements - where to measure for each of these) 

As you shop you may find you have other measurements that would be helpful to have. Take those and add to your list.

A note about waist measurement. This is normally taken at your natural waist, but be aware that if the jeans/trousers/skirt has a mid- or low-rise, the waist measurement will not match your waist. 

This Is Not a Perfect Method

This is not foolproof. An item may match your measurements, but still not fit right. The cut of a garment will effect how things fit on your body, and with time and experimentation, you will learn things that work for your unique body. 

For example, I cannot wear skirts that have no waist; they just do not fit me right. It doesn't have to be a big waistband, but there needs to be one. 

When shopping online, whether new or resale, check your measurements with the listing. If a measurement you need is missing, message the seller and ask for it. 

I even use this technique for shoes. My foot is large and wide, and it if hard to find shoes that fit my foot. A couple of measurements help me better determine if things will fit or not.

I have an old tape measure that I keep in a small bag along with a notebook with my measurements and names and contact information of thrift and vintage stores. I pop that in my purse when I head out so I always have what I need.

How To Crochet Around A Wire Hanger

I would rather reuse things rather than throw them out. With this in mind, I created this tutorial for crocheting yarn around wire hangers to make them non-slip and to add a bit of padding.

Tutorial includes:
*List of supplies
*Step-by-step instructions
*Photos

Available for purchase on Etsy and Gumroad.

Reviews

★★★★★

This was soooo helpful!! I was actually able to pick it up as I read along! Thank you for breaking this down well for a beginner!!!

Buyer on Etsy

How To Upcycle A Sweater To A Purse

Upcycling at it's best! Turn a pullover sweater into a purse, giving new life to an old garment.

This sewing tutorial is a PDF you download and print off.

Included is a list of supplies, step-by-step instructions and color photo illustrations.

 Get your copy today!

Upcycle A Sweater To A Purse Sewing Tutorial PDF

How to Dye Fabric With Leftover Coffee Grounds

Needing new window hangings, I dyed an old sheet with leftover coffee grounds and created something for nothing!

How I Began

I made new covers for the living room throw pillows. The colors were exactly what I wanted, but after, I noticed that the blue curtains I had hanging did NOT go with the new color scheme.

Going through all the fabric I found nothing that worked. Then I remembered another garage sale sheet I had. It was white, which was too bright for what I wanted, but there was plenty of fabric.

Since the sheet was 100 percent cotton, I decided to dye it. I first consider tea dyeing, then thought coffee dyeing would produce a darker color. An internet search turned up several tutorials, and I found this one to be most helpful. What I really liked was I  reused the coffee grounds that I normally threw out each day.

Saving coffee grounds was not a problem! I took a large plastic container and added my grounds to it each day. If I had a bit of black coffee left, I poured that in as well.

What You Need

• Deep plastic container for soaking fabric in
• Leftover coffee grounds

Instruction

Be sure to do this outside!!! I am serious - it will make a mess.

1) Into the old storage container, I dumped in the coffee grounds, leftover sludge, and some additional water.

 

2) Mixed it well and added the fabric, making sure there was enough liquid to cover the sheet. Then, I mixed it around and rubbed the grounds into the fabric to get a bit more color.

3) Then I let it sit and soak. After about 15 minutes, I shifted the fabric around. And waited some more. Another 15 minutes, and more shifting. And more waiting.

In all, I let it soak over an hour, trying to get the color dark enough. Then I added some vinegar to the water (the tutorial I referenced suggested using alum, which I did not have, or vinegar. I didn't really measure it, just poured some in - probably about 1/3 cup) and let it soak about 15 more minutes.

 
4) I pulled out the sheet, wrung out as much liquid as I could, and draped the sheet over my patio table and chairs to dry. Since I did not rinse the sheet (because I did not want to remove the color) there were a lot of coffee grounds stuck to it. They do fall off as the fabric dries which is why this project should be done outside! I dumped the grounds and liquid in the grass.

 

5) On a warm and breezy day, the fabric should dry in a few hours (and out of the sun, so it wouldn't bleach any of the color out). I shook it well to get all the dried coffee grounds off and looked at the color. It was pretty much what I expected.

Then I used a dry iron to iron the fabric and help set the color.

Final Thoughts

And that's it - dyeing with coffee. It really was easy to do, a bit of a mess, but easy to clean up if done outside. And as an added bonus - it cost nothing! I was able to reuse an old sheet and used coffee grounds instead of throwing them away. 

If you like to sew, check out my tutorial How To Upcycle a Sweater to a Purse. Don't throw out that old pullover sweater - upcycle it to a new purse. Step-by-step illustrated instructions are available on Etsy and Gumroad.