The Renegade Seamstress

Sweater Scarf Winner

Posted on February 18, 2014 by The Renegade Seamstress

Congratulations to Debbie Phipps Murri!

You are the winner of the Sweater Scarf.

Email me at bhunting@eoni.com to let me know where to send it.

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

DIY: Upcycled Sweater Beret

Posted on February 14, 2014 by The Renegade Seamstress

Every once in awhile, someone crosses my path and I just know I’m going to like this person forever.

Happened to me a couple of years ago when Elizabeth came into our school as a student teacher. What a natural. So wise beyond her years, great sense of humor, positive energy, and has her own fun style. 🙂 Luckily, we were able to hire her before anyone else found out about this gem of an educator. Last year, I marveled at her grace as she balanced the demands of being a new teacher in the classroom while simultaneously planning her beautiful wedding. This year, I feel so honored to get to work with someone as intelligent, poised, and creative as Elizabeth.

Lucky for us, she agreed to take a little time out from her busy day to model this upcycled sweater beret for us. Isn’t she adorable!!!

This is a super quick and easy project that can be made in under an hour. Even Elizabeth could do this!

All you need is a sweater that has seen better days, some pins, a sharp pair of scissors and a tape measure.

Go here to see the rest of the tutorial. I feel honored that it was published on the front page of eHow today, thanks to Elizabeth’s cute face. 🙂

As usual, pin it and leave a comment to have your name entered to win this cute beret. The winner will be announced on Saturday, March 1, 2014.

Enjoy your weekend!

Beth

For more refashion inspiration:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged clothing, DIY, fashion, giveaway, reconstructed clothing, recycling, Refashion, Sewing, sweater refashion, Thrifting, upcycling | 31 Comments

Denim Basket Winner

Posted on February 9, 2014 by The Renegade Seamstress

You know, there are a few projects that come along that make me happy in every way. This denim basket is one of them.

Not only do I like the way the basket turned out, but I’m actually quite fond of each and every photo in the slide show. I love the colors and the composition. Please don’t think I’m bragging, it’s just that all my photos are results of long hours and hard work.

You see, I’m not a photographer, I’m a seamstress. Photography just doesn’t come naturally for me and I’ve never taken a photography class. So when the planets align and the photography gods decide to bestow their goodness on me, it really “rolls my socks up and down” (to quote my ruggedly handsome husband that was born a hundred years too late). 🙂

Thanks to all of you who took the time to scroll through all the photos in the basket tutorial, make a comment and pin it. It really makes all the hours of editing to get things just right worth it when I know you appreciate what I’m doing. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can find it here.

So let’s get to the news you’ve been patiently waiting for…..

The lucky winner of the basket is………..

Drumroll please……………..

Linda Warren Wheeler!

Congratulations Linda, please send your address to bhunting@eoni so I can get it in the mail to you ASAP.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged crafts, DIY, Easter basket, fashion, giveaway, reconstructed clothing, recycling, Refashion, Sewing, Thrifting, tutorial, upcycled denim, upcycling | 9 Comments

DIY: Ruffled Heart Shirt Just in Time For Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 8, 2014 by The Renegade Seamstress

For those of you lucky enough to have a little girl in your life this Valentine’s Day, I’ve put together a ruffled heart shirt tutorial for you. All you need are several thrift shop t-shirts, a sewing machine, scissors and a free afternoon.

Once again, I’d love to know what you think of the tutorial, so to thank you for checking out my tutorial, leaving a comment and pinning it to one of your Pinterest boards, your name will be entered into a drawing to win this beautiful Hot Air Balloon Kit from Craft Smaft. The winner will be announced on Saturday, February 22, 2014.

Isn’t it great!

Craft Schmaft patterns are developed by the beautiful and talented Claire Waring.

Check out more of her fun patterns here.

Hope you have a Happy Heart Day!!!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged clothing, crafting, DIY, fashion, giveaway, reconstructed clothing, Refashion, Sewing, Thrifting, tutorial, upcycling, valentine's day | 20 Comments

DIY: Upcycled Sweater Scarf Tutorial and Giveaway

Posted on February 1, 2014 by The Renegade Seamstress

I woke up this morning to a beautiful winter wonderland. The air absolutely still, every branch veiled in white, a smooth carpet of snow replacing the brown mud of yesterday. And to top it all off, it’s SATURDAY and those big goose feathers are still floating down!!!

I personally love snow but I know many of you out there have been shoveling for months now. In honor of all of you hearty souls who have to endure long, cold winters, I’ve created a quick and easy sweater scarf tutorial so you can still look great while staying warm.

All you have to do is choose an old thrift shop sweater with a pattern or color you like. This was a wonderful sweater in it’s day, but it was all stretched out now and just didn’t flatter me as a pullover. Perfect candidate for a sweater scarf.

Then head over here to see the rest of the tutorial.

And to thank you once again for checking it out, I’ll be giving this sweater scarf away to one of you on Saturday, February 15, 2014. All you have to do to enter is click here, leave a comment and pin the tutorial to one of your Pinterest boards. If you don’t have a Facebook account or a Pinterest board, go ahead and leave a comment here and I’ll enter your name into the drawing also.

I hope you enjoy the tutorial and get a chance to make one. The possibilities are endless and they are so easy to make that even my sister, Jan and my friend, Karin could make one. 🙂

Stay warm,

Beth

PS. There is still time to enter to win this upcycled denim basket. The winner of the basket will be announced next Saturday, February 8, 2014.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged clothing, DIY, fashion, giveaway, reconstructed clothing, recycling, Refashion, Sewing, sweater scarf, Thrifting, upcycling | 51 Comments

DIY: Upcycled No Sew Denim Basket (And Another Give Away)

Posted on January 20, 2014 by The Renegade Seamstress

I have to say, this latest slide show tutorial I did for eHow has got to be one of my favorites! Not only do I love the basket, but I’m thrilled with the images, too. Everything about this makes me happy!

I can’t wait for you to see this one!

Mary Dacuma, the Content Manager for eHow, gave me the the challenge to create a slide show tutorial for a refashioned denim basket for Easter. I told her I was up to the task, collected all of Steve’s old Carharts, and started snipping away to create this no sew basket tutorial that could be used, not only for Easter, but all year round.

I hope you’ll head over to eHow and check out the rest of this quick and easy basket tutorial slide show. I worked so hard on making the pictures beautiful for you and if you like what you see while scrolling through the slide show, it would mean the world to me if you’d make a comment there and then pin the tutorial to one of your Pinterest boards. To thank you for taking the time to comment and pin, your name will be entered into a drawing to win this denim basket. The lucky winner will be announced on Saturday, February 8, 2014.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has been so supportive in my latest adventure. I wish I had the words to express how lucky I am to have you all in my corner cheering me on! None of this would be possible without all of you.

Now enough of me talking, I can’t wait to hear what you think about this project.

For more refashion inspiration:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged basket, crafting, DIY, Easter basket, giveaway, jeans reconstruction, reconstructed clothing, Refashion, tutorial, upcycled denim, upcycling | 49 Comments

Smitten Winner Number Two

Posted on January 18, 2014 by The Renegade Seamstress

Thank you, once again, for pinning and all of your wonderful comments over at my eHow Upcycled Sweater Dress Tutorial.

As promised, I chose one lucky pinner to win this pair of Smittens made from the left over sweater pieces. (Click here for the Smitten tutorial)

And the winner is……….all the way from the frosty, frigid, freezing plains of North Dakota,

Mary Ellen Reimers!!!!

Congratulations, Mary! I hope these Smittens will help you stay warm this winter. Send your address to me at bhunting@eoni.com and I’ll get them to you ASAP.

For more refashion inspiration:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged clothing, crafts, DIY, fashion, giveaway, mittens, reconstructed clothing, recycling, Refashion, Sewing, Thrifting, tutorial, upcycling | 12 Comments

Winter Sweater Dress and Another Giveaway

Posted on January 4, 2014 by The Renegade Seamstress

Ok now, I would seriously wear my new refashioned sweater dress EVERY day if I thought nobody would notice. It is super comfy (especially since my sweet tooth has been running amok over the holidays) and it is super warm. I’ve already worn it to a Winter Solstice party, a Christmas Eve family get together, just around the house, and it’s definitely going with me to a New Year’s Eve party up at our local ski resort, Anthony Lakes.

You, too, can make one quickly and easily in under and hour with a couple of thrift store sweaters.

Once again, eHow has generously published my tutorial. I’m not sure if they realize just how much they have done for me. Jerri Farris came along at just the right moment and offered me an opportunity to do something I love to do. She was a part of one of my many miracles of 2013. It really is a dream come true for me.

And it wouldn’t have happened without you.

You all have been so kind by leaving comments over at eHow and pinning my projects. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I appreciate each and every comment. I’ve felt like Santa by giving away clutches and Smittens to a few of you.

To continue the season of giving, I’d like to have another giveaway. As much as I’d like to give away this dress…… I just can’t part with it. 🙂 However, I did make a pair of Smittens from the sleeves of the sweater and I’d like to give them away to one of you. (That’s the next best thing, right?!!?)

All you have to do to be entered into the giveaway is click here to the sweater dress tutorial, pin it to one of your Pinterest boards and leave a comment on my eHow post. I will choose a lucky winner on Saturday, January 18, 2014.

Happy New Year!

Beth

For more refashion inspiration:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged clothing, DIY, fashion, giveaway, mittens, reconstructed clothing, Refashion, sweater dress, Thrifting, tutorial, upcycling | 86 Comments

Cut Out and Keep Sewing Super Star

Posted on December 30, 2013 by The Renegade Seamstress

When the lovely Scottish Cat Morley, founder of Cut Out and Keep, asked if I’d like to be a Sewing Superstar on her amazing site, I didn’t have to think about it very long.

OF COURSE I WOULD!!!

Cat and her fiance, Tom Waddington, have millions of visitors to their site each month, and have developed a wonderful community for crafters, sewers, and cooks to share and learn from each other.

Last week, she published seven of my refashion tutorials, one each day. We would both be honored if you would head over there and check out The Renegade Seamstress page.

If you enjoy listening to stories of how people have grown their blogs into successful enterprises as much as I do, you might even like watching the Cut Out + Keep story that Google turned into a video. (Even though it is a plug for AdSense, to me, the minute long video was well worth the watch.)

–

Seeing as I’m of Scottish descent, it was fun to watch the video, get to know her a bit, and hear Cat’s accent. I’d love to visit Scotland someday to meet her in person.

Speaking of Scotland, if I’m ever lucky enough to travel there, the first thing on my agenda will be to head on over to my castle for a photo shoot!

“You have a castle in Scotland?” I can hear you asking.

Well, sort of.

You see, my maiden name is Crichton. Pronounced like Michael Crichton, the author of Jurassic Park. (Oh, so fun to name drop) And I am a direct descendent of Lord William Crichton, who was Chancellor of Scotland (1439-1443 & 1448-1454). This was his castle and even though it changed hands throughout the ages, it’s still called the Crichton Castle, so I’m going with it. 🙂