Holy Sheet!

Every year around September, Target does an awesome clearance sale of sheets.  The ones they market for college students with the dorm setup/organization stuff.   Get your red pen and circle August 15 on your calendar.  Make a note to start stalking the clearance endcaps like the crazy crafting psycho you are.  Seriously.  Circle it.  Right now.

Good job. 

Mostly they have twin-sized sets, but that is still ample fabric yardage to make into all sorts of wonderful things.

Last Fall's sheet clearance set me up with a wonderful cotton t-shirt set in plum, with hot pink stripes and a few threads of silver glitter.  I also snagged a woven set in white with several shades of purple and pink stripes.   I paid $8 total for both sets of sheets. 

Add in a little inspiration....

Part of the knit sheets were sewn into this ultra-comfortable wrap dress.  The pattern is called Hope, and is a free download from Burda.  I still have the entire fitted sheet and pillowcase to make into something else.  Maybe a sleeveless summer sundress?  Sleep shorts?  A t-shirt?

The striped fitted sheet became these pajama pants.  They're incredibly comfortable because they feel like wonderfuly soft....sheets!   This pattern is in Betz White's book, Sewing Green.  It's full of ideas for recycling and repurposing old sweaters, sheets, and other things into clothes and accessories.

The flat sheet became a sample of Butterick 5181.  I have some expensive designer fabric that is begging to become a dress, but before hacking into it I wanted to make sure the dress pattern would actually fit.  Nothing is more frustrating than spending hours on something that is unwearable.  It's a good thing I did, too, because the bodice absolutely does not work for my body type (which is why I had to add that little butterfly-ish thingie to keep it from gaping open).  Now I know, and I can modify the pattern before cutting into that expensive fabric.  I'm only out a couple of bucks by using the sheet, and I still have a dress to wear around the house.

Fabric can be expensive, but if you keep your eyes open to other ideas, you can find large quantities of fabric in unexpected places.  Think shower curtains, tableclothes, sheets from your linen closet that have holes or stains.  The linens rack at Goodwill often has delightful vintage sheets and tableclothes.  Repurpose them!