Simple Sewing Updates for Your Clothes

My mother and many of my aunts have at one time or another worked in the rag trade. One of the things I learned was that when manufacturers skimp on a garment, the first thing they cut are the buttons. One way to make a so-so piece look more expensive is to trick out the buttons. I sometimes buy garments at church sales for the buttons. This week I will be changing the buttons on a Kmart Henley to make it just a little nicer. It has dyed to match plastic buttons which I will be tricking out for shell buttons. I did the same thing once to a silk sweater from K mart. What a difference. No one could believe it was from the Big K. I'm no seamstress, but I can change a button. Simple as it is, not everyone does it. At church sales and yard sales, I often come across garments which have been discarded merely because they are missing a button. I buy them and replace the button and have a nice article of clothing with only five minutes of work. This trick is also good for updating clothes. I had a jacket that I was tired of. I got some big gold toned buttons at a sale and completely changed the look. I got a lot more use out of it. Sure beats buying a new jacket. In the summer I look over my winter clothes and set aside any mending. At the end of last winter I bought an old tweed men's coat. It's really nice, but I noticed it needed a button. This week I will change all the buttons on the coat and I willl attach a big beautiful pin that I got at a yard sale for fifty cents. It's going to look gorgeous. The coat cost me a dollar at the Salvation Army. Not bad for no money.