The Renegade Seamstress

Throwback Sunday: DIY Summer Maxi Skirt Redesign Tutorial

Posted on June 3, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

Another early post worth pulling from the archives. Thank you Cooper for being such a good sport and taking so many pictures of your mom back then. 🙂

I’ve been seeing summer maxi dresses and skirts everywhere!

And I had just the thrift store dress to refashion into one. It was so unflattering in every way except I loved the color and the print.

So I got ruthless with the scissors, first cutting off the top and extra fabric from the sides.

Next, sew new side seams.

Then, using the fabric cut from the sides, make a new waist band.

With right sides together pin and sew new waistband.

Make a small casing in the top of the waistband.

Thread drawstring through casing, tie to fit and off you go looking good for any summer event.

For more refashion and sewing inspiration and tutorials, click here.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alterations, clothing, DIY, fashion, Maxi skirt, reconstructed clothing, Refashion, Sewing, Thrifting, tutorial, upcycling | 16 Comments

Throwback Saturday: Dress Redesign (Mad Men Inspired)

Posted on June 2, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

OK, so maybe I HAVE been watching too much Mad Men this summer.

BUT THOSE DRESSES!!!!

I just can’t get enough!

I want one…….

So…..

I found this little number at the thrift store the other day and made it into this:

Here’s how:

First look in the mirror and pull the dress up until you get the desired hem length. Mark with safety pins where you would like the bottom of the bodice and the top of the skirt.

Stretch some quarter inch elastic around your waist to the desired tension. Cut and sew onto seam allowance, stretching as you sew to create a gathered look.

Now you could walk right into Sterling Cooper with your steno pad and start taking dictation for Don Draper.

And I seriously made it in ten minutes yesterday.

You might also like to check out some other tutorials:

Thanks for visiting!

Beth

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 1960's dress, alterations, clothing, DIY, fashion, Mad Men Inspired, reconstructed clothing, Refashion, Sewing, tutorial | 21 Comments

Throwback Saturday: Shirt Redesign

Posted on May 26, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

“Life is trying things to see if they work.”

-Ray Bradbury

This shirt and post are the perfect examples of Ray Bradbury’s quote. When I started out redesigning this huge shirt,

I wasn’t really sure where I was going with it. I knew it needed to be smaller. But other than that, it was just trying things to see if they worked.

I love how the sleeves turned out, but that only happened after several different attempts at sleeve treatments.

Not to mention, I tried an animated GIF to see if it would work.

It did.

SAH-WHEAT!!!!

If you’re interested in learning how to make an animated GIF, go to gickr.com. It’s SUPER fun and easy to do.

Now on to redesigning this huge polka dot shirt.

Right sides together, pin and sew the sleeves back into the armhole.

Now, excuse me while I go find that ruggedly handsome contractor husband of mine. He needs to take me out to dinner in my new shirt.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alterations, clothing, DIY, fashion, polka dots, reconstructed clothing, Refashion, Sewing, shirt redesign, tutorial, upcycling | 33 Comments

Throwback Saturday: How to Mend Your Jeans

Posted on May 19, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

One of my earlier posts from exactly 5 years ago today… I still remember crackin’ myself up while writing this…

Today I feel like Bill Murray’s character, Bob, in the movie, “What About Bob”, one of my all time favorites. It is a hilarious laugh fest throughout every scene. In the movie, Bill Murray portrays a man riddled with anxiety who has every phobia in the book. He “accidentally” ends up on vacation with his psychiatrist, played by Richard Dreyfuss, and ends up driving his doctor completely out of his mind. My favorite scene in the movie is when he is covered in life jackets and tied to the mast of the sailboat joyously and triumphantly proclaiming,

“I’M SAILING! I’M SAILING!”

What does this have to do with today’s post you ask? Well, today I’ve forced myself to do something I don’t like to do so I’m feeling a bit like Bill Murray and I want to triumphantly proclaim:

“I’M MENDING! I’M MENDING!”

You see, as strange as this might sound, I hate to mend.

WHAT??!!?!!? Screeeeeetch…. Back the truck up! I can almost hear you shout.

The Renegade Seamstress hates to mend?

Yep, it’s true. I’ve never been much of a mender. In the past, I’d rather stick a needle in my eye. But today, I’m actually mending and much like Bill Murray’s character, Bob, I want to tie myself to my sewing machine and joyously shout out my amazing accomplishment to the world.

“I’M MENDING! I’M MENDING!”

It all started because I’m too cheap to go out and buy new jeans for Cooper. His jeans are wearing out quickly, but with summer fast approaching and school just about over, I’d rather not buy any new jeans now, since he’ll most likely grow out of them by fall. So here I am, actually mending a pair and finding it’s really not as bad I as thought. Not only did I mend Coop’s jeans, but I also made a tutorial for you just in case you also have a bad case of “Mendaphobia”.

It’s really not that horrific, you’ll see…..we’ll do this in baby steps.

First turn your jeans inside out.

See, that didn’t hurt. Now gather some scraps of thick fusible interfacing. I happen to have loads of scraps from all of the tote bags I make.

Next, place the jeans over the end of the ironing board and straighten the rip as much as possible so it lies flat. So far, so good.

Now iron on a piece of fusible interfacing directly over the rip. Baby steps… Baby steps…

Using a zig zag stitch, sew back and forth and all around the interfacing until you’ve covered the entire area. Just keep changing directions. No need to panic.

When you’ve finished sewing, this is what the patch will look like on the inside. If you find thin areas, don’t fret, just add more interfacing and continue sewing with a zig zag stitch over the next piece of interfacing. Continue until all of the thin ripped areas are covered.

Breathe deeply, count to ten and trim the excess interfacing.

There now. You successfully faced your Mendaphobia! See, it wasn’t so bad, was it!

Happy Sewing (and Mending)!

Beth

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alterations, clothing, denim, DIY, jeans, Learn to Sew, mending, Sewing, tutorial | 12 Comments

How to Make a Lace-Up Sweatshirt

Posted on May 13, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

If you’ve been thinking about adding a little athleisure wear to your wardrobe but don’t want to spend lots of money, here’s a quick change you can make to your beloved sweatshirt so you can be stylish and comfy at the same time.

Click here for the full tutorial.

Thank you, once again, Rylee for being such a cute and willing model. 🙂

Can you tell I’m not a big fan of the restricting crew neck? If crew neck shirts give you claustrophobia too, you can click here to find out another way to open up a neckline.

Happy Refashioning!

For more refashion and sewing inspiration click here.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alterations, clothing, DIY, eyelets, fashion, reconstructed clothing, Refashion, Sewing, sweatshirt, Thrifting, tutorial | 14 Comments

DIY: Seatbelt Pillow for Your Epic Summer Road Trips: New One Minute Video

Posted on May 6, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

Road Trip!

Some of my earliest memories include legendary family road trips to the Black Hills, Missouri, and the Boundary Waters. From four kids sleeping side by side in the back of the station wagon to the red metal Coleman cooler and the canoe tied to the top to peeing in a three pound coffee can. My memory synapsis do a happy dance anytime my brain recalls this time in my life.

Then there’s the epic road trip to Oregon in the Pinto with Judy and Karleen when we were 17. The trip that brought me face to face with my future ruggedly handsome husband in Cody, Wyoming. 🙂

Times have definitely changed in the road trip safety department since then, thank goodness. Now, we’re safely strapped in tight on our Oregon Coast trips, drives to Boise and our treks back to Minnesota.

To make sure everyone is comfortable on your next road trip, make a few of these soft seatbelt pillows ahead of time. Everyone can have their own personalized pillow to cuddle with when resting up between stops.

You can see the Facebook version here:

If you’re not on Facebook, you can watch the video here:

Click here to see the full tutorial.

For more sewing and refashioning inspiration and tutorials click here.

Just a friendly reminder that this is the last week to get your copy of The Refashion Handbook for $10. Click here to order before they go back to the regular price next Saturday.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged crafts, DIY, fleece, road trip, seatbelt pillow, Sewing, The Refashion Handbook, tutorial | 4 Comments

Still Time to Get in on the $10 Refashion Handbook Mother’s Day Sale

Posted on May 4, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

My most humble apologies!

I just realized that when you clicked on the sale for The Refashion Handbook, it was saying sold out.

There are plenty of books and plenty of time to order before Mother’s Day if you’d like.

Click here to order your copy today.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Refashion, Sewing, The Refashion Handbook, upcycling | 5 Comments

15 Handmade Gift Ideas For Mother’s Day That She Will Love

Posted on May 4, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

The delight of creating and choosing joy no matter what.

My mom in a nutshell.

It is in her honor that I bring these projects ideas to you today, hoping that her legacy will live on through me and through you.

Cheers to projects that bring you and the others around you joy.

Casserole Carrier

Made from an on-trend fabric and a few sewing steps, including a feature that attaches serving spoons to the top, this carrier will turn heads as soon as your mom walks through the door.

Fabric Bowl Covers

Your mom’s salad bowls deserve so much more than plastic wrap. They deserve a cheerful, washable fabric bowl cover to keep those bugs out of her salads.

Zippered Pillow Covers

Decorative throw pillows are a great way to bring beautiful fabrics off the shelves and into your mom’s home.

Chunky Hand Knit Blanket

Your mom will will love snuggling up with this cozy blanket, a good book and a steaming cup of cocoa.

Towel Robe

A handmade towel robe would make a luxe gift to go along with a spa treatment for Mother’s Day.

Embroidered Jeans

If your mom loves the look of embroidered jeans, but you don’t have the time to embroider them yourself, try out this trick…

Mosquito Repellent Bracelet

Summer means backyard BBQs, fun in the sun, and beach parties, but your mom doesn’t want to slap pesky insects when she ventures into the great outdoors. She can wave bye-bye to bugs and look great doing it when you make her some of these fun insect repellent bracelets.

Apron Made From a Man’s Shirt

Make a new, bright and cheerful spring apron for your mom or maybe even yourself. So many colors to choose from…

Hand Sewn Journals

You can put these colorful books all around your mom’s house so she can record her thoughts, generate unique artwork, make lists or even document her travels. She never knows when a bright idea is going to hit her and she needs to make a note of it.

Insulated Lunch Bag

Your mom will look forward to her lunch break with a colorful, insulated lunch bag that you made for her. She’ll get to relax, visit with friends and recharge with great food: it’s exactly what she needs in the middle of the day.

Soup Bowl Hot Pads

I love the idea of this Soup Bowl Hot Pad. Use it for hot bowls of soup, or even cold bowls of ice cream. My friend Barb suggested using them to put between dishes in the camper to keep everything safe while traveling. BRILLIANT!

Ombre Rope Bag

If you’re looking for a great gift to make for your mom or if you want to make one for yourself, you can make this in a few hours and in any color combination you’d like. All you need is some cotton clothesline and thread.

Fabric Boxes

Combine your love of sewing and your mom’s need to be organized by creating these fun fabric bins. Make one for her silverware, surprise her with a fabric gift box, or organize her drawers.

Garden Kneeling Pad

Your mom can say goodbye to mud stained knees and say hello to a bright, comfortable kneeling pad that you made for her this Mother’s Day.

Citrus Pin Cushions

Your mom could just store her pins in the plain plastic container they come in, but why not give one of her hardest working sewing tools the presentation they deserve with a bright, handmade pin cushion?

If you’d like to order My book The Refashion Handbook will be on sale for $10.00 until next week. Click here if you’d like to order one for you or for your mom. (If you tried to order one earlier and it said it was sold out, I’ve added more for this sale so you can try again.)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aprons, crafting, crafts, DIY, fabric bowl covers, gifts, hot pads, Mother's Day, pillows, Sewing, Soup Bowl Hot Pads, tutorial, upcycling | 10 Comments

DIY: How to Sew a Garden Kneeling Pad

Posted on April 22, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

Who doesn’t look forward to spring? The air is warm, the sun is shining and the flowers are starting to bloom–it’s exactly what we all need after a long, cold winter. However, sometimes kneeling on the hard ground can put a damper on our bloom planting bliss. Say goodbye to mud stained knees and say hello to a bright, comfortable kneeling pad that you made yourself. Just grab some fabric, rice and a bit of elastic to get to that gardening in style.

Happy Sewing and Gardening!

Beth

For more sewing and refashioning inspiration click here.

To order The Refashion Handbook for more than 50% off just in time for Mother’s Day click here. (The sale ends May 12)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged crafts, DIY, garden kneeling pad, gardening gifts, gifts, Mother's Day idea, Sewing, tutorial | 4 Comments

Make a Zesty Citrus Pin Cushion For Your Main Squeeze

Posted on April 21, 2018 by The Renegade Seamstress

You could just store your pins in the plain plastic container they come in, but why not give one of your hardest working sewing tools the presentation they deserve with a bright, handmade pin cushion?

My good friend Jakki inspired this project. She creates the most beautiful felt ornaments and pins. Then, being one of the most thoughtful people I know, she’ll wrap them up in a pretty package, deliver them to her friends, and brighten up the lucky recipient’s day.

Using just a few sheets of felt and some embroidery thread, you can create a zesty cushion for yourself or maybe even make one for your main squeeze. You will definitely brighten up their day. 🙂

Click here for the full tutorial.

Happy Sewing!

Beth

PS. Thank you to everyone who has ordered The Refashion Handbook during this last $10 Mother’s Day sale. The sale lasts until May 12 when they go back to the regular price of $24.95. Click here to order your $10 copy today.