ARE you enjoying the latest season of The Great British Sewing Bee?
If the BBC1 hit has inspired you to make your own clothes, you need some kit to get started.
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Here is how to get it without spending a fortune.
IT’S A SNIP: Aldi sells portable sewing machines for £34.99.
Look on Facebook and Freecycle for ones that are being given away.
SHEET ART: Dressmaking fabric can be expensive, so practise on old sheets, pillowcases, table clothes and light curtains.
Charity shops are a good source of cheap fabric and old clothes to upcycle.
CUT YOUR CLOTH: Hobbycraft has lots of offers on fabric, including a three-for-two deal on four and five-packs of fat quarters (smaller sections of larger pieces), normally £8 each.
Designs include Star Wars and Disney favourites.
KIT’S A DEAL: Check out eBay for the 100-piece professional kits, £8.99.
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WATCH AND LEARN: YouTube has thousands of sewing tutorials to get you started, including from the popular Sew Over It, Tale Handmade and Pattern Scout channels.
MAKE THE CUT: You can order ready-made patterns from Amazon for as little as £2 each.
There are also lots of free ones available from websites such as sewmag.co.uk and moodfabrics.com.
Register and sign in to access them. Download the pattern, print, cut out the shapes and put together like a jigsaw. Then lay over fabric to be cut.
TAILOR-MADE: Made To Measure Patterns by Hobbycraft offers bespoke sewing patterns to suit your body measurements.
Just type them in and it creates a pattern. There is 75 per cent off your first purchase.
THAT’S CLASS: If you want a teacher, check out local adult education centres.
An online ten-week course might cost £128 and you may get a discount if you claim benefits.
Or look for local sewing groups on Facebook.
- Prices correct at time of press. Deals/offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
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THIS “hobo” handbag is half-price at Matalan, now just £7.
SAVE: £7
Cheap treat
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TUCK into Ben & Jerry’s Caramel Brownie Party ice cream and Rain-Dough Cookie Dough Twist ice cream, two for £6 at Iceland. Normally £4.50 each.
SAVE: £3
Top tips
THE RAC is holding a sale on breakdown cover, including 39 per cent off its standard policy (five call-outs) at £5.75 a month, rather than £9.50 a month.
The sale ends on Thursday.
Its unlimited-call-outs policy is 50 per cent off right now, at just £7 a month.
Top swap
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TROUSERS made with geometric prints are in, with woollen pairs from Paloma £107.
But save your cash and buy a similar pair from George at Asda for just £14.
SAVE: £93
Leah’s little helper
THE Entertainer is holding free events and activities in its stores across the country over the next few months, including character visits and giveaways.
Check out thetoyshop.com/store-events.
Shop & save
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ASDA is selling three six-packs of crisps for £3.75, including Walkers roast chicken crisps, French Fries and Wotsits, normally around £1.65 each.
SAVE: £1.20
Hot right now
CHECK out Dunelm’s Harry Potter beach towels for £5 each. Available for each of the four Hogwarts houses.
Play now to win £100
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