Have you ever seen a piece of clothing at a thrift store and thought, “This would be perfect if it were only my size!” Or maybe if it didn’t have these weird puffed sleeves or a glittery collar. Most of us simply turn down a piece like that because we don’t have the skills or resources to do anything about it, but some particularly innovative individuals can actually take a piece of clothing that leaves much to be desired and transform it into something they will proudly wear for years to come.
Allow us to introduce you to Sarah Tyau. Self-proclaimed Refashion Designer and mom of three, Sarah is famous for taking old or undesirable clothes and transforming them into adorable looks for her and her family. We’ve gone through Sarah’s Instagram page and picked some of her most amazing pieces to share with you below to show how far a little creativity and a sewing machine can take you. Keep reading to also find an interview with Sarah to hear some updates on her life since she last spoke to Bored Panda and a little bit more about her process. Be sure to upvote all of your favorite looks, and then if you’re interested in checking out our first story featuring Sarah’s incredible clothing transformations, you can find it right here.
#1
$5 XXL men’s shirt from Target clearance into cute girls dress.
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#2
Made a waist-tie and a matching headband too from the extra fabric. Doesn’t she look adorable?
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#3
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#4
I’ve failed every single time I tried to dye a clothing red but I refused to give up! Do you think my perseverance paid off?
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#5
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#6
Thrifted dress into a removal peplum dress, so you can wear it with or without!
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#7
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#8
Before/after. 1. Dyed the dress. 2. Removed the collar and made into a v-neck. 3. Cut across the waistline to separate the bodice from the skirt. 4. Made the bodice narrower by cutting 1.5” off each side, then added darts. 5. Gathered the waistline of the skirt and sewed it back on to the bodice. 6. Cut off 10” to make the skirt shorter. 7. Using the extra fabric I cut off from the skirt, made pockets and added it to the skirt. 7. Cut off the sleeves. 8. Cut the armhole to make the shoulder narrower. 9. Made the sleeves smaller and sewed it back on. 10. Using the extra fabric from the skirt I cut off, made a waist-tie. 11. Removed the buttons and sewed on new wooden buttons. Any questions?
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#9
Size medium coat to a bib skirt. I wished I could make it into a cropped, straight-leg overalls but there was only enough fabric to make it into a knee-length skirt.
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#10
I found this dress from a thrift store years ago and just got around to refashioning it!
I thought about changing out the buttons with more modern ones or replacing with little red bows but decided to keep the original buttons to keep the vintage vibe going. Then paired it with vintage style heels and red lipstick!
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#11
I added black ruffle trim to a plain black tee by playing around with the trim until I came up with what I call a “Ruffle Around Me” top. What do you think of this top?
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#12
My old skirt ⮕ Suspender skirt for her.
I actually bought this skirt from a yard sale my friend had 2 years ago but never ended up wearing it. Last week my daughter told me she needed a cute skirt or a dress, and her favorite color being blue, I thought of this design for her.
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#13
XXL men’s shirt into a bell sleeve girls’ dress
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#14
The dress is too big and the shape didn’t flatter me.
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#15
While I loved the fabric and the fit was perfect, I wasn’t in LOVE with the dress. So I removed the ruffles and gave a simple update using white bias tape. The bias tape has worked magic! So what do you think? Do you like the before or the after?
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#16
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#17
Look what a 30 min. could do to a dress! Don’t you think this would make a perfect Fourth of July dress?
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#18
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#19
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#20
I made the shoulder ruffles significantly smaller, shortened the sleeves, cut off the bottom tier of the skirt and sewed it back on after shortening the main skirt bodice about 8”, then added navy blue trims on the tier and the waist.
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#21
Two men’s shirts into one dress.
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#22
Women’s suit to dress refashion DIY.
Project cost: $8
Estimated time: 3 hours
Skill level: Intermediate
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#23
My newest Refashion Revision where I transformed a large men’s flannel shirt into a dress for my sweet girl
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#24
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#25
One of my most pinned refashions! See how I solved not having enough fabric, even after using every scrap of fabric of this denim dress.
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#26
A simple fix makes all the difference!
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#27
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#28
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#29
Since I made the skirt longer on my last DIY, it reminded me of this refashion where the dress was way too small that it couldn’t even zip up so I made it bigger!
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#30
Bought the closest matching fabric to the dress and added puffy pleated sleeves. Are you a fan of the sleeves or no?
Image source: sarahtyau
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