Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 15, 1993 TAG: 9307150444
SECTION: PARENT'S GUIDE PAGE: PGS-14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Relax. Take a couple deep breaths. And take a few tips from experts who have found that outfitting their children can be fun.
Joyce Bill, preschool teacher, mother of three (two-thirds are twins) and former teacher at the former Blue Ridge Center for Education at Lewis-Gale Psychiatric Center, sews most of her children's clothes, and admits that this is a solution taken by fewer and fewer mothers.
"With three children, I cannot afford to go out and buy the "in" clothes of $50 and up," she said, "but I can make it for one-fourth the asking price."
Bill said that especially with the current versatility of patterns - taking a collar off, using long or short sleeves, and pairing up jumpers with inexpensive T-shirts in various colors - there are many ways to create a wardrobe without breaking a budget.
Bill said it takes her a couple of hours, from start to finish (this includes laying out the pattern, cutting it out, pinning, marking and sewing) to complete an item from a simple pattern, although Sunday dresses take more time.
Bill suggests looking for easy patterns - she sewed a one-piece shorts outfit for her daughter in 45 minutes with an easy pattern. Patters usually are marked "Beginner," "Easy" or "Very Easy." You'll find, she said, three to four pattern pieces per outfit in those categories.
Bill also said that buying the right size is, of course, crucial, and that children's patterns are usually generous. To gauge a pattern size, she said to measure the chest. And since patterns can be pricey, she suggested watching for coupons and sales. Some fabric stores will have certain brand-name patterns discounted by half on a regular basis.
Another way around expenses, she said, is to look at the remnant table and again bring your coupons shopping. And know your fabrics. "True cottons have to be ironed but they last longer. Demins or sail cloth are durable," she said.
Bill buys in bulk and will sometimes drive to a store in Floyd that stocks last year's runs for less.
But still, there's the child to satisfy. And she counsels parents to listen to their likes and dislikes, because if you make or buy something that they don't like, they're not going to wear it.
With her older daughter, who will be starting second grade in the fall, she talks to her about styles and takes her to look at material and patterns. And. she added, "there are so many things to make a plain, simple dress into a $50 dress."
Bill finds sewing relaxing and uses her personal time to sew. "I was brought up in a family of sewers," she said. To help keep organized, she said she stocks all her supplies in a big cabinet and uses a portable sewing machine.
But say you don't sew, or don't want to consider that option. Another alternative is an off-price store that sells name brand merchandise for less. The drawback is usually that you need the time to hunt for quality merchandise, but if you know what you're doing, it can be fun and somewhat easy.
Jane Aries of T.J. Maxx said her store has done extensive marketing research to determine what styles and materials to purchase for their clothes.
For instance, most of their baby and toddler clothes are cotton. They also have a separate junior section for girls called "Trend Setters" that caters to fads that probably won't last years, but then again, won't cost too much either.
"It's a good place for teen-agers who change their minds often," she said. "It's priced reasonably for those fickle and finicky daughters."
Aries suggested concentrating on outfits that come in sets and can be coordinated. She said to "play color games with children to get their input and they'll be happier." She also suggested watching what other children are wearing.
"Spread out your budget and buy gradually. Try out a manufacturer and see how it fits and how it wears," Aries said.
A check list from T.J. Maxx also outlines some pre-shopping guidelines: Take inventory of the closet; purchase only quality, name-brand clothes; buy versatile items that can be worn with other wardrobe pieces; stick with solid colors; and know what looks best on your children.
Betty Wilson, a mother of 17-year-old and 20-year-old girls, said that her daughters never wore what she wanted them to wear, and so she usually gave in.
"I usually go with them and guide them since I'm good at putting things together," she said. They also look through catalogues at home to get an idea of the fashion. Wilson cautioned that parents should always be aware of a store's return policy, because there's always something you end up with that you don't want.
Nancy Cole, owner of Toad'ly Kids in Roanoke, has been in the children's clothing business for 19 years. For the first 13 she managed another children's clothing store in Roanoke, and then opened up her own. She believes quality should be one of the primary factors in buying children's clothes.
"You need to look at the quality of the garment, the price, and consider how long they're going to wear it," she said.
"All of these things are important. You can look at a garment and tell how well it's made - does it have a good hem, finished seams and are the buttons sewed on well? Most of my customers like 100 percent cotton, but it comes in all degrees. You can buy a nice, heavy cotton or a cheap, thin cotton."
Cole pointed out that nice linen, for good dresses, should be substantial, not something you can see right through. Also, she suggested feeling the fabric to tell if it's soft and heavy. Good cotton, she said, can be laundered easily.
Style is also important. If you're going to invest in expensive clothes, you need to get more than one season's wear out of them, but "with today's fashions, you can. Most people buying in my store will buy with two years' wear or hand-me-downs in mind," she said.
Cole also pointed out that the European influence of oversized tops and tea-length loose dresses lends itself to more than one year of wear, and most younger children are still wearing this style.
Older, elementary school children don't like to be "babyish," she said, but for them she suggested heavy cotton leggings and bike pants that can be worn year-round, and paired up with loose tops and mixed and matched to create many outfits. Colors are now bold solids and prints that easily go together. This year, she said, blueberry, fuchsia, emerald and hot pink winter coats are in, but many of her outfits and dresses pick up these colors.
Her clients with older children sometimes drop off the children and let Cole work with them, then come back to pick them up and make final decisions. Cole said that she works well with teen-agers and parents have less conflicts that way.
"It's important to let them pick out their clothes. I've seen children being absolutely miserable. You can guide the child, pick a dress and leggings, for certain occasions. I think the child should have guidelines, but don't buy clothes they don't want."
by CNB