A mum who taught herself to sew watching YouTube saves almost £300 a year by upcycling charity shop finds - turning them into fashionable outfits for her daughters.<br /><br />Haidee Burner, 33, started learning how to make clothes for her two little girls - aged five and two - when she realised how expensive it was becoming to buy brand new outfits.<br /><br />She started by creating skirts and dresses from fabric she bought – trying to mimic the sewing skills from her seamstress mum, Maria Kaczor, 60 - before turning to YouTube tutorials.<br /><br />Haidee then turned her hand to upcycling and now spends her time searching through thrift stores for clothes she can turn into stylish pieces for her young daughters.<br /><br />She turns adults tops into dresses or dungarees and jumpers into rompers or hoodies in just a matter of hours and says her girls “love it”.<br /><br />Instead of spending up to £50 on a new branded jumper, Haidee finds and upcycles sweatshirts for just £6 and makes dresses for £10 – rather than forking out £32 for a new one.<br /><br />She says she used to spend an average of £334 on brand new clothes every year but now spends just £66 - saving £268 - on her kids' outfits by upcycling.<br /><br />Haidee, a respiratory therapist, from Salt Lake, Utah, US, said: “I loved buying my daughter clothes, but it was getting really expensive.<br /><br />“I thought ‘I can do it.’<br /><br />Haidee - who lives with husband, Andrew, 36, who works in the technology department at the home depot - first made a little skirt for her eldest daughter in early 2020.<br /><br />Haidee would buy her own fabric and create designs to make her own clothes for her children but took up upcycling when the cost of fabric increased in 2021.<br /><br />She said: “I saw people on YouTube and TikTok doing stuff like that.<br /><br />“You have to look through every piece of clothing at thrift shop.<br /><br />“It takes a long time, but I enjoy it.”<br /><br />Haidee buys the clothes she likes before bringing them home and planning her designs.<br /><br />She said: “It’s so satisfying to see the end product.”<br /><br />She can put together a shirt dress in about an hour but other outfits, using multiple fabrics, can take three to five hours.<br /><br />Haidee said: “My eldest daughter is pickier, so I have to take her with me to pick out what she wants.<br /><br />“I can’t remember the last time I bought something new.<br /><br />“They love it.”<br /><br />Haidee now makes most of the girls clothes herself - but will buy the odd item new.<br /><br />She said: "I don't buy stuff brand new unless it's a really good deal or I see something really cute that I don't want to make.<br /><br />"I would say one every few of months.<br /><br />"Now I do buy and upcycle quite a bit but it's just because I enjoy it.<br /><br />"If I was just doing it simply because they needed clothes, I would probably spend £66 on clothes for the season."<br /><br />Haidee also saves the scraps of clothes to use if she is missing material for future designs.<br /><br />She said: “It’s my me time.<br /><br />"It helps me relax."<br /><br />Haidee sells her creations to other parents when her daughters grow out of them – continuing the cycle.
