When it comes time to clean out the closet and get rid of old clothes, most moms will donate their old unwanted items or use them as cleaning rags. This crafty mom has come up with a better solution to put these outfits to better use.
Stephanie Miller is an art teacher and mother-of-four from Utah. She has found a unique way to save money on her daughters' wardrobe by using items she already has around her home: her husband's old work shirts.
While her husband was sorting through the clothes he no longer wanted, she decided to re-purpose a brand new shirt that had shrunk in the wash.
She was then able to create rompers and dresses out of this menswear for her girls aged 3 and 4.
Stephanie took up sewing after the birth of her first child when she was experiencing postpartum depression. This creative outlet allowed her to to feel happy again in the couple's one bedroom apartment.
"We were living in a one-bedroom apartment with little space for me to set up my paintings, the oil paints have unhealthy fumes, and it took me too long to set up my paints with a baby to care for," she told HuffPost. "I was suffering with postpartum depression, and with the lifestyle shock of motherhood, I felt a loss of identity."
Since they were living in tight quarters with a newborn baby, Stephanie wasn't able to paint, which was her former passion. That's when her husband Jon went and bought her a sewing machine, which she became 'hooked' on as her new hobby.
With the help of YouTube tutorials, Stephanie, who now has a 5 year old son, 4 year old daughter, 3 year old daughter and 5 month old son, was able to focus her creativity into something that would help save the family money at the clothing store.
In March, Stephanie shared her first refashioned creation for her youngest daughter.
Continue to the next page to see her creations.
"Three months ago, my husband was getting rid of clothes and on top of the pile was a shirt I had just given him for Christmas," she explained. "I was frustrated at him for wanting to get rid of something so new, but it had shrunk. I kept it and a few of his other shirts in hopes of making something out of them. I follow some other seamstresses on Instagram and saw some of their refashions and thought, "˜I could try that.'"
Her first attempt was a success!
With no surprise, her daughter was excited with the result, and ended up calling it her "Elsa dress". She loved it so much that she even wanted to sleep in the new outfit.
That's when Stephanie put together more outfits for her girls and the results are adorable.
Stephanie grew up in a family where there was little money to spare, so her mother was an inspiration to her savvy creations.
"My mom is very creative and taught me to work with what I had," she said. "The last few years, as I started to get better at sewing, I wanted to make some of the expensive styles I couldn't afford. And now I love making clothes that are one of a kind; I know I'll never see someone else in one of my outfits."
She chooses men's shirts for her creations, because she feels it's a fast process and the transformation is always drastic.
However she agrees that white dresses are not always the best choice because somehow they always find a way to spill something on it.
This particular dress she made for a wedding somehow ended up with blue nail polish stain on it during the last hour of the reception. Now she is considering another way to re-purpose the mess; by tie dying it blue.
What a smart way to use the resources you have to make something useful and enjoy some creative time.
Share what you think of her creations in the Facebook comments.
Sources: Daily Mail / Huffington Post
