Elaine / England 
Do you like to make your own clothes?
Hello, my name's Elaine, and I'm from England. My question was, do you like to make your own clothes?
I wish I could make my own clothes. I have tried, but I don't have the patience. My mom's actually a costume designer, and so when I was little she used to make all my clothes for me. I had lots of beautiful party dresses and nobody else had anything like them. In fact, my mom even bought me a sewing machine for my birthday last year. I haven't had much time to learn how to use it.
I really like buying vintage clothes or secondhand clothes and adjusting them. So I will try to, for example, if a dress is too long, I will try to take it up. Or if something is too wide, I will try to take it in. Maybe sometimes I like to change a button or to make it more beautiful. I find this is also an ecological way of shopping. It's a bit unusual, and I don't want to dress like everyone else. But what about you? Do you make your own clothes? Do you modernize or revamp your clothes? Let us know.
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How to Practice Vocabulary
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take in
Meaning: To make clothing smaller by sewing it tighter.
Examples:
- I tried to take in the dress because it was too wide.
- She took in her jeans to make them fit better.
secondhand
Meaning: Used by someone else before; not new.
Examples:
- I like buying vintage or secondhand clothes.
- She bought a secondhand sewing machine online.
take up
Meaning: To make clothing shorter by sewing or cutting it.
Examples:
- If a dress is too long, I will try to take it up.
- He took up the curtains so they wouldn’t drag on the floor.
revamp
Meaning: To change or improve something to make it look new or better.
Examples:
- She likes to revamp her old clothes by adding new buttons.
- They revamped the store to make it look more modern.
an ecological way
Meaning: A method that is good for the environment; eco-friendly.
Examples:
- Buying secondhand clothes is an ecological way of shopping.
- They try to live in an ecological way by recycling and reusing.
Vocabulary Quiz
revamp • an ecological way
How to Practice Grammar
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