patterns on the cheap

[greenwitch]

What are everyone's best recommendations for finding cheap patterns? I know that some big box stores (Joann's, Hancock Fabrics) run $.99 sales every once in a while, but unfortunately I don't live near enough to just run in and check weekly whether or not a particular brand is on sale. Do you sign up for marketing e-mails on official sites? (I just signed up for Vogue and McCalls, and they've posted a few ~$5 sales.) Ebay? Do local independent stores near you sell them for any cheaper than list price? I'm still new at sewing, and tend to mess up a lot, so paying $10+/pattern at my local shop is a little tough, even though it would be great to support the local independent business.

I'm not really looking for a specific place to get them (although if you do know of a place, that's great), more of what everyone's strategies are. Thanks for any help!

Comments

[carolyn_claire]

Those sales from the big companies (the ones they notify you about through email, like you said) do get better than $5; I just wait for the really deep price reductions and buy a bunch at once. I think they charge a flat $7 per order for shipping, regardless of the number of patterns ordered (or they did last time I ordered.) I never order less than half a dozen at a time, because of that.

[greenwitch]

Good to know! I only signed up for one two weeks ago so haven't found anything super decent yet. I think I'm going to have to suck it up in the short term and pay more -- I need a few specific patterns for costume pieces by Labor Day weekend, and can't wait much longer, heh.

[takemyrevolution]

Thrift stores! The ones around where I live usually bundle several patterns together in a plastic bag and sell them for $2 or $3. Sometimes you end up with stuff you don't want, but unwanted patterns can always be given away, and they're so cheap it's worth it. Not too long ago the girlfriend and I hit the jackpot and found half a dozen never-used Renaissance-themed patterns for about five dollars.

[greenwitch]

Awesome stuff! I end up needing very specific patterns now unfortunately (I used to do a lot of Renaissance/Medieval stuff, but now I'm recreating a bunch of TV costumes so it's trickier), so I don't know how well I'll do in a thrift store, but I'll try and find one and check it out (I have never been to one anywhere near where I live now, haha.)

[wired]

Usually, the sales at JoAnns are $2 apiece now, not $1, but it's still a heck of a lot less than $17. I am on their mailing list, so I get flyers ever couple weeks telling me what pattern companies are on sale when. It's very useful. Also there is always a coupon.

Also, I have purchased some tracing material (like interfacing, with one inch grid lines) that I trace my patterns out on, so I can make modifications or smaller sizes without damaging the pattern.

[greenwitch]

Oh hell yes. I know that Joann's always has their patterns for 40%, but that's still $10 usually and still a lot. I used to be on their mailing list, but I'm guessing since there isn't a store near me and I didn't use the coupons for a while, they took me off and now I'm having trouble getting back on (the nearest store is an hour away from me.) Do you know of any blog or twitter account or something that might announce when they're having those types of sales?

A friend of mine mentioned doing that, but the sources of that tracing paper that I've found so far were so much more expensive than the patterns themselves it didn't seem worth it. What brand do you use/where did you get it?

[wired]

I don't know, sadly. I am still on their list to get paper flyers, and got on the list by signing up in person.

The tracing stuff I use is a couple dollars a yard, usually, and sold next to the actual interfacing (frequently with names like Tru-Grid). I wait for the big coupons and buy it a bolt (15 yds) at a time, because I use it so much.

[auntruth]

http://www.joann.com/joann/home/home.jsp lets you look directly at their current flyers, without killing trees. Somewhere in there is a signup for their email newsletter, which also includes printable coupons (some only useable online, but most okay both online and in local stores.)

(If you do subscribe to the mailers, you can use the web-distributed coupon as well as the print coupon, they have different bar codes)

Hancocks has similar deal: email newsletter, and online display of the monthly flyers at http://www.hancockfabrics.com/index.htm

I keep a list of the patterns I'm interested in, by manufacturer, and scoop up several at a time when they do on sale.

cheers

[redsnake05]

Patterns are ridiculously expensive where I live - the cheapest they will get on a half-price sale is still NZ$5 or more. I pick up a lot of patterns from op shops (thrift shops) and trace them to alter them (like, a basic princess line dress and then alter the neckline or whatever), or I make a pattern from an existing item of clothing.

[greenwitch]

When I made medieval style clothes back for my reenactment group in college, I did a lot of tracing of existing items, but now that I'm making slightly fancier stuff (for SF/F conventions), it's been saving me a lot of time and aggravation to use patterns. Unfortunately it's not cheaper :( But I suppose tracing patterns that aren't quite exact is an option as well, I just have to find out where a thrift store is around me, lol.

[auntruth]

Oh, the Joann flyer came in today's mail: July 18-24, Up to 10 Butterick are 99 cents (but excludes See and Sew). July 29-31, Simplicity up to 10, 1.99 (excludes So Easy, New Look, and Burda) And there is a large set of coupons for 18-24th at

I hadn't noticed before that the extra-easy lines get excluded! Seems unfair...

[greenwitch]

Thanks for the heads up (delayed comment, sorry!) I took advantage of the Simplicity sale last weekend.

[reyl]

I have a Fabricland membership, and there are always members' pattern sales. Simplicity, Vogue and Butterick's are often on sale.

Plus you can poll the lj-verse to borrow one. I have a few, but I have a gigantor network of sewers that I can get them from. Learning to draft your own is the ultimate, but I'm still a ways from that. I can make patterns relatively well from existing garments though.

[florentinescot]

Just ran across this group. I'm an hour away from JoAnnes and 1.5 hours from a Hancocks, but when there's a $0.99 or even $1.99 sale on Patterns, it's worth the trip. The last trip to Warner Robbins, counting the bolt of lines that I bought on Major sale, I got almost $400 worth of stuff for about $75.

I get the paper flyers (and I think the email flyers too although I rarely look at those -- I want paper if possible) so we know when to schedule a Road Trip!