Make no mistake about it, baby clothes are big business. And often carry big prices. But getting that cute, childish baby clothing that makes a little one look so scrumptious, needn’t break your piggy bank.

A baby clothing store is a good place to start, if you’re looking for ideas. They’ll have a full range of seasonal outfits for boys and girls, and often matching baby clothes for the new arrival and a sibling that’s just a little older. If you’ve been doubly blessed, many specialty stores will also have complementary or matching twins’ outfits.

If the prices are a bit steep for you, take note of how the outfits are made. Even if you aren’t a sewing whiz that can run off a duplicate on your own machine, you can still get some of the really fun, childish baby clothing with just a little ingenuity and a few stitches.

For example, you can get a perfectly lovely yellow romper with a white Peter Pan collar at any baby clothing store. A trip to your local sewing center can net you all kinds of goodies like buttons with ducks or bunnies on them, lace, rickrack trim and appliqués. Plus, if you watch for their ads, you can often get a good selection for future projects at half price, or even buy one, get one free.

Lace around the collar, and a duck appliqué, and your baby outfit is just as cute as any bought in a store. For older siblings, or a twin of another sex, add ducky buttons to the front of yellow coveralls, and sew a matching appliqué on their cap!