The Renegade Seamstress

DIY: Indigo Tie Dye Maxi Skirt and Totebag

Posted on July 15, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

What do you get when you mix a bucket of indigo dye, a couple of girlfriends, and a beautiful day?

A new maxi skirt and a tote bag, of course!

I had a big bucket ‘o dye left over from my first tie dye adventure so Cathy and Linda came over to help me use up some more.

I couldn’t believe my two hippy girlfriends had never tie dyed before.

But they caught right on and jumped right in. Linda made river scarf party favors for an upcoming raft trip and Cathy made some cute new shirts.

The tote bag was for Cathy’s birthday present. I used the same pattern from my previous DIY Tote Bag Post.

You might recognize the maxi skirt pattern from this post.

Believe it or not, I STILL have dye and I think I may have, quite possibly, tie dyed everything in sight……

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Thanks for visiting!

Beth

Posted in DIY, Sewing, Tutorial | Tagged Blue Indigo Tie Dye, Maxi skirt, tote bag | 18 Comments

DIY: Ten Minute Summer Dress Tutorial

Posted on July 14, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

At first glance, you might think I just cut off the length.

I didn’t, but it was almost as easy and I was able to give a too small dress a refashion for a change.

To refashion something that is too small can be a real challenge. I usually put the too tight thrift store clothes back on the rack. But I thought it would be fun to have something red, and into my cart it went.

So instead of just cutting off the bottom and putting in a new hem, I cut out the mid section and used the more roomy bottom and the existing hem.

Here’s the game plan:

You’ll cut twice.

Three quarters of an inch below your top measurement.

And three quarters of an inch above the bottom measurement.

You are basically cutting out the middle section.

Match the marks when pinning, easing and sewing the top to the bottom.

Use a quarter inch piece of elastic and measure around your waist on the new waistline. Pull slightly until you get the tension you like and cut. I left mine slightly loose since it’ll most likely be hot when I wear this.

You could dress this up with a belt, some nice shoes and jewelry or just keep it simple and casual.

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Thanks for stopping by!!!

Beth

Posted in DIY, Sewing, Thrifting, Tutorial, upcycling | Tagged Summer dress | 63 Comments

DIY Blue Indigo Tie Dye Refashion

Posted on July 9, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

Tie dye is NOT just for summer camp anymore.

Believe it or not it’s actually being seen on the high fashion runways!

So I gathered up supplies, headed out to the yard, put a flower in my hair and got busy:

I ordered this kit from Amazon and it has almost everything you’ll need. The directions are excellent.

You end up with four gallons of dye that lasts for several days which will allow you to experiment with some effects to get just what you want.

The directions that come with the kit explains many fun ways to create different effects.

I’m going to show you one that isn’t included:

A gathering technique.

My old river dress was begging me for a refashion.

Still a great swim suit cover up, but it just needed a new lease on life.

Here’s what I did:

Then following the directions that come with the kit, prepare the fabrics, prepare the dye, and dip away!!!

Oops……

But for THIS I’ll dye my hands blue anytime!!!

I LOVE my new river dress!

Don’t be surprised if you see a few more tie dye posts coming up, I’ve still got a bucket of dye and I’m off to the thrift store to pick up every piece of white clothing I can find.

Stardust Coyote made these beautiful bags at the beginning of June which totally inspired me to try this. You should check out her site!

Here is a good chart with loads of folding techniques for tie dye:

Have fun and let me know if you try this. I’d love to see your projects!!!

If you liked this, you might want to check out some more easy DIY refashion tutorials on my tutorials page.

Thanks for visiting!!!

Posted in DIY, Sewing, Thrifting, Tutorial | Tagged Blue Indigo Tie Dye | 59 Comments

A name change: The Renegade Seamstress

Posted on July 8, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

As you probably noticed from yesterday’s post, I’m trying on a new name for size.

Now that I’ve had a chance to look in the mirror a bit, I think I’m going to slip into this one, it feels much more comfortable.

I had some nice people give me some feedback and I’m wondering what you think.

If you have a spare moment, I’d love to hear what you think about the new name……

The Renegade Seamstress

Posted in DIY, Sewing, Thrifting | 85 Comments

Easy DIY Refashion Tutorials

Posted on July 7, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

Come see what all this refashion fuss is all about.

Warning:

Once you start, you might not be able to stop!

Click on an image below to see the available tutorials.

Posted in DIY, Refashioning, Sewing, Tutorial | Tagged Maxi skirt | 5 Comments

One Thrift Store Dress+One Refashion=Three New Looks

Posted on July 4, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

Three new looks from one thrift store dress.

Start with this Little House on the Wrinkled Prairie Dress :

Let’s make that into three new looks.

This particular thrift store dress gave me the perfect opportunity to try out a peplum.

And there you have it!

A new peplum shirt or pair it with the skirt for the top of a peplum dress.

Oops, there goes my photographer experimenting again…

He says, “Hi”, by the way…..

Now onto the paperbag waist skirt tutorial:

Determine how long you’d like your skirt and cut the extra length off from the top. That way you can use the existing hem.

Be sure to leave a two inch opening to thread your elastic.

Then sew the two inch opening closed.

Here’s your new summer skirt.

Happy Fourth of July!!!!

Be safe!

Beth

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Posted in DIY, Sewing, Thrifting, Tutorial, upcycling | Tagged paperbag waist skirt, peplum dress, peplum shirt | 28 Comments

Easy DIY Maxi Dress in Fifteen Minutes or Less

Posted on July 2, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

Ah, the maxi dress.

So comfy!

So cute!

Here’s a maxi dress you can make in less than fifteen minutes.

I had previously used the bottom of this thrift store shirt for some ruffles.

Now I can use the top.

The fabric was a lightweight knit from Joann Fabrics.

After refitting the bodice and the sleeves, sew sleeves back in sleeve casing, being sure to sew right sides together.

I measured from under my bust to the floor and added an inch to get the length I wanted for the skirt.

I’m 5’4″ and I measured 44 inches. This is a perfect length if I’m wearing flats.

My fabric was a lightweight knit and 60 inches wide so I just used it all and sewed the seam down the selvage edge.

Since this fabric had a pattern, I was also careful to match the pattern.

I put the seam down the back of the dress.

Stretch and cut a piece of quarter inch elastic under your bust to a comfortable length. Don’t make it too tight, just enough to gather in your dress nicely.

And now you have a fun, inexpensive summer maxi dress in less than fifteen minutes.

My “fashion photographer” (aka youngest son, Cooper) was experimenting with this photo. I kind of like it…..

You might also like:

Posted in DIY, Sewing, Tutorial | Tagged Maxi dress | 66 Comments

DIY 1950s Shirt Dress Refashion Tutorial

Posted on July 1, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

Styles from the 50s.

Super cute!

But are they for me?

There’s only one inexpensive way to find out……

Refashion an old fifty cent thrift store dress, of course.

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Posted in DIY, Sewing, Thrifting | Tagged 1950s shirt dress | 46 Comments

DIY Ruched Maternity Shirt Tutorial

Posted on June 30, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

No, I’m not pregnant!

Remember that big secret I had to keep awhile back.

It’s Katie!

And I promised I’d make some ruched maternity shirts for her.

Here we go:

I started with thrift store shirts of the same color. One had a nice v neck, yet it was too short and had a small hole in the bottom, so this will be used for the bodice. The other was nice and long but we didn’t like the neckline so this will be used for the bottom of the shirt.

Both were good brands and cost twenty five cents each. It’s so easy to take a risk and start cutting at that price!

First cut off the sleeves then pin and sew sides to fit. Leaving some room for growth, of course. 🙂

Next cut the empire waist. Leaving a quarter of an inch for a seam.

Cut the bottom of the other shirt using the bodice as a guide.

Pin and sew the side seams in the bottom piece to match the width of the bodice piece.

If you are keeping the existing hem, be sure to start at the bottom so it will be nice and even.

Right sides together, pin and sew the bodice to the bottom piece.

Get some quarter inch elastic.

Cut two pieces that are the length of the side seam when the elastic is stretched out.

Use a zig zag stitch and start sewing the elastic to the side seam of the shirt. Stretch out the elastic while sewing and you’ll get a nice gather.

After stitching, it will look like this:

Next cut the sleeves to the desired length.

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

And there you have it, a nice ruched maternity shirt.

And here’s what I hope it will look like on Katie:

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Posted in DIY, Reconstructed clothing, recycling, Sewing, Thrifting, Tutorial, Upcycled clothes | Tagged Ruched Maternity Shirt | 23 Comments

OK, so about that pink belt……

Posted on June 29, 2012 by The Renegade Seamstress

For some reason I’m feeling compelled to either apologize or explain about that pink belt.

Some readers loved it, others hated it, and others very graciously eluded to the fact that it wasn’t their favorite.

Perhaps it’s the fact I hang out with 5 and 6 year olds. Perhaps it was a hasty decision. Perhaps I was racing to get something finished before my fashion photographer had to go to football camp.

There was a beautiful green and a bright yellow shirt sitting on the table screaming to be made into belts for this dress…..but the sun was going down quickly and time for the photo shoot was running out. The pink elastic was handy, ready made and screamed louder than all the rest. So there you have it.

Whatever the reason, I’ve decided to hold my head up high, look at the pink belt for what it is-an accessory option only.

Today, I have more time.

Today my “fashion photographer” is here, sprawled out on the couch, eating ravioli and watching Myth Busters.

Today, I’m going to try to redeem myself.

So for you, my dear readers, here are some other refashioned “accessory options” you might enjoy more than the pink belt.

Start with a yellow thrift store shirt and cut five 2 inch strips a bit longer than the circumference of your waist.

Spread out the strips in one group of 3 and one group of 2.

You will braid the group of 3 once. Always starting with the outside strip.

Then the outside strip will end up over with the other 2 strips. Now braid that once starting with the outside strip. The outside strip you started with with on this side will end up over on the other side to be used in that braid. Keep going back and forth always bringing that outside strip over to the other side each time.

You are basically braiding back and forth, borrowing a strand from the other side each time.

Once you have finished braiding, sew up the end with a zig zag stitch.

Then you can borrow a buckle from a thrift store belt.