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. Be sure to upvote all of your favorite looks, and then if you’re interested in checking out Bored Panda’s last story featuring Sarah’s incredible clothing transformations, you can find it right here.
#1
Image credits: sarahtyau
Sarah’s Instagram page is extremely popular, as it has amassed nearly 300k followers who are in search of sewing tips and refashion inspiration. She shares countless photos of her extremely impressive clothing transformations, as well as her process for creating some of the looks including dying clothes or heading to a thrift store. At first glance, one might assume that Sarah has a degree in fashion design or grew up making her own clothes from a young age, but she is actually mostly self-taught.
In a previous interview with Bored Panda, Sarah explained that her only formal training when she began making clothes was a high school home economics class. “Being a stay at home mom to 3 kids, time is very limited so I haven’t refined my skills as much as I want to but I want to take classes soon,” she said. “So my skills are actually very basic. Actually quite few skills are needed in refashioning since you keep the button holes, darts, zippers, and it’s mostly just straight stitching. My vision makes up for my skills though, it takes me 15-30 seconds to envision the piece to something I’d want it to transform into.”
#2
Look what a 30 min. could do to a dress! Don’t you think this would make a perfect Fourth of July dress?
Image credits: sarahtyau
#3
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.
Image credits: sarahtyau
Sarah also told Bored Panda that her clothing transformations began after the birth of her first daughter. She originally just wanted to save a little money by shopping second hand, but she soon adapted her new philosophy for life: “Look good, feel good, do good”. Since then, she has created hundreds of new looks for herself and her daughters, who also love to help out.
“I have been meaning to teach them how to sew, we are supposed to start a sewing series on YouTube together where I teach them how to refashion, but they’re also so busy in their own lives, we haven’t gotten a chance to yet,” Sarah explained. “But they have a strong sense of fashion in their young age and have very good taste so I think they’ll take over what I do one day and be better than me!” Sarah first spoke to Bored Panda three years ago, so I would not be surprised if her daughters are sewing clothes all by themselves now.
#4
Made a waist-tie and a matching headband too from the extra fabric. Doesn’t she look adorable?
Image credits: sarahtyau
#5
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#6
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Sarah certainly knows how to balance many things at once, between being a mom, a fashion redesigner, a blogger, and managing her social media presence. But she has even bigger plans for the future, she told Bored Panda that she aspires to design her own clothing line and donate the proceeds to children in need. “I also have a YouTube series called “Come thrift shopping with me” where I pick out a few items and right on the spot share what ideas come to my mind,” she shared. “Then the readers vote which item I should refashion next and the one with the highest vote is the one I’ll tackle!”
When asked what advice Sarah has for people trying to cut down on their fashion purchases and reduce their contribution to clothing waste, she shared, “My advice to limit your impact is to buy more timeless, classic pieces and mix it with a few trendy pieces here and there. This way you don’t throw away as many clothes, and are not always having to buy constantly in order to stay on trend. Also throw a clothing swap exchange with your neighbors, friends, or other groups.”
#7
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#8
$5 XXL men’s shirt from Target clearance into cute girls dress.
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#9
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!
Image credits: sarahtyau
“What used to be only 2 fashion seasons of spring/summer and fall/winter is now at 52 micro-seasons,” Sarah explained. “Clothes, just like any other materialistic things, don’t buy you lasting happiness but only a fleeting moment of excitement. So if you base your happiness or self worth and identity on what clothes you wear, you’ll never be happy or content because the fashion industry will always tell you what you bought a month ago is now out of trend so you must buy this newly released item in order to stay relevant or happy. So instead of putting so much importance on what you wear or how expensive or what designer brand you’re wearing, focus on being kind, having integrity and morals and you’ll always be in fashion!”
#10
Bought the closest matching fabric to the dress and added puffy pleated sleeves. Are you a fan of the sleeves or no?
Image credits: sarahtyau
#11
Faded light yellow dress suit transformed into a fuchsia peplum dress. Estimated time: 3-4 hrs. Budget: $10 Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Image credits: sarahtyau
#12
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.
Image credits: sarahtyau
Sarah’s focus on taking care of each other and the planet is extremely important. The clothing industry, fast fashion in particular, is a massive contributor to our world’s pollution. According to CNBC, about 53 million tons of fiber is produced by the fashion industry annually, and about 70% of that is wasted. It also takes an incredible amount of water to produce clothing, as the UN Environment Programme reports that it requires 3,781 liters of water to create one pair of jeans when you take cotton production, manufacturing, transportation and washing into account. But the clothing industry is extremely powerful, and it will not be transformed overnight. Globally, the industry is worth $1.3 trillion and provides jobs for about 300 million individuals.
#13
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#14
Thrifted dress into a removal peplum dress, so you can wear it with or without!
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#15
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In fact, today over 60% of the fabrics being used to make clothing are synthetic and created from fossil fuels. This means that when this clothing ends up in a landfill, as 85% of textile waste does, it will not decay. But people have no intentions of stopping their shopping. Worldwide, we now purchase about 80 billion new articles of clothing each year, but we don’t even have the time to wear it all. Apparently, the average shopping in the UK only wears about 70% of their current wardrobe and disposes of about 70 kilograms of clothes each year. With companies like Forever 21, Shein, H&M, Zara, Urban Outfitters, and many more making infinite pieces of clothing accessible at cheap prices, it’s tempting to shop there. But these low quality items likely won’t last you more than a couple of seasons, and they’ll spend the rest of their life in a landfill.
#16
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?
Image credits: sarahtyau
#17
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?
Image credits: sarahtyau
#18
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So you might be wondering what the alternatives are if every affordable clothing store is destroying our planet? Well, don’t be too quick to rule out second hand clothing. We don’t all need to have the skills of Sarah Tyau to be able to find clothes at a low price that are not contributing to pollution, we just need to be a little creative. Buying second hand might not be as simple as walking into the mall and grabbing exactly what you want off the rack because you know they have your size, but it can be much more exciting. Where is the fun in shopping at H&M? There’s no thrill. In a thrift store, you have to hunt for something, and it may take you a little bit more time, but the satisfaction of finding the perfect piece is always worth it.
#19
A simple fix makes all the difference!
Image credits: sarahtyau
#20
My newest Holiday refashion for you! I feel like some people would look amazing in the before but not me! But I loved the red plaid pattern and the thick, warm, high-quality fabric so I had to find a design to suit me!
Image credits: sarahtyau
#21
This was my HARDEST dyeing attempt for one dress in my entire DIY experience! I initially tried to dye it to a prettier, brighter pink like a salmon pink but it went way too dark. So I tried to dye it white but it was way too stubborn and only would give me a cream-yellowish color no matter what I tried! So in the end I tried to go for a Robin Blue color. I tried a total 9 times to get the right color!!
Image credits: sarahtyau
By shopping second hand you will also find unique pieces that you would never see anywhere else. You won’t accidentally show up at an event in the same dress as your best friend because your dress might be decades old! Vintage fashion is totally in nowadays though, so you will probably be the best dressed person in the room anyway. You can rest assured knowing that your thrift store, flea market or hand-me-down piece did not require you to contribute to global pollution or horrible working conditions at a textile factory, and you probably saved a serious chunk of change. Even if your thrift store jeans need a little altering, you can likely get that done without spending more than you would have on a brand new pair of jeans.
#22
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!
Image credits: sarahtyau
#23
They had a plethora of XL’s and XL’s only on clearance. The price kept going down and down because nobody was buying. I bet the rest went to a landfill!
Image credits: sarahtyau
#24
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?
Image credits: sarahtyau
If you are really partial to online shopping or you just don’t have the stamina for the “thrift store hunt”, there are always other options. There are plenty of websites today where people will sell you their gently used pieces, so you can know exactly what you’re getting and have it delivered right to your doorstep. You can shop second hand on ThredUp, Depop, Poshmark, Etsy, Swap, Vinted and many more sites to avoid having to rifle through racks at a thrift store and still end up with the cutest second hand pieces imaginable.
#25
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#26
The Refashion Runway: 6 weeks of elimination, 6 challenges, and 1 final winner. Week 3 Challenge: Handbag, Tote bag or Clutch. Swipe to see the other handbag I made for my daughter. I knew I wanted the bag to be made out of black leather so I scoured a couple thrift stores to find the right one. After taking it apart, the leather was thinner than it seemed at first, so I thought it would be perfect to add fringe, it’s light enough to have movement but thick enough so it doesn’t look stringy.
Image credits: sarahtyau
#27
Two men’s shirts into one dress.
Image credits: sarahtyau
We hope you’re enjoying this list of some of Sarah Tyau’s most amazing refashioned pieces. Maybe you’re even feeling inspired to pull out your old sewing machine and start upgrading a few of your own clothing items? Keep upvoting the pics you are most impressed with, and then let us know in the comments if you have ever upcycled an article of clothing. And then if you’re looking for even more fashion inspiration, don’t forget to check out our last piece featuring Sarah right here.
#28
The dress is too big and the shape didn’t flatter me.
Image credits: sarahtyau
#29
My newest Refashion Revision where I transformed a large men’s flannel shirt into a dress for my sweet girl
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#30
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#31
XXL men’s shirt into a bell sleeve girls’ dress
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#32
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#33
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#34
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.
Image credits: sarahtyau
#35
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#36
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?
Image credits: sarahtyau
#37
When I have two very similar dresses, I love dyeing one of them to get a different look!
Image credits: sarahtyau
#38
In partnership with Dove, I turned a $4 thrifted blouse into a sleeveless bow-tie blouse that’s perfect for transitioning into Fall. I’ve been using Dove Advanced Care Antiperspirant since I was 14 years old, but recently converted to a Dry Spray Antiperspirant fan! Dove Dry Spray provides the same 48-hour odor and wetness protection I love and goes on instantly dry – perfect for a finishing touch on this blouse.
Image credits: sarahtyau
#39
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#40
One of my 1st refashions where I combined a plain cardigan & a dress slip(both from my closet) to make a new cardigan.
Image credits: sarahtyau
#41
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.
Image credits: sarahtyau
#42
Wore this dress to a “80’s casual dress” themed church event(Young Women Excellence) for my daughter tonight because I thought it meant “a 80’s dress” but upon walking in and seeing everyone in jeans, big earrings, crimped hair and side ponytails, I knew I didn’t get the right memo(like that one time when I walked into a non-costume Halloween party as Maleficent.).And about this dress, if you saw this dress(the before) at a thrift store, would you:1. Buy and wear exactly as is2. Skip right along to the next itemTrying to gauge since I always get some unhappy people whom are angry that I’m taking away bigger-sized options from them(this is only a size 6-8).
Image credits: sarahtyau
#43
Men’s shirt to a crop top + skirt combo.
Image credits: sarahtyau
#44
Women’s suit to dress refashion DIY. Project cost: $8 Estimated time: 3 hours Skill level: Intermediate
Image credits: sarahtyau
#45
I saw this plain XL shirt from a clearance rack at Old Navy for $5 and knew I had to buy it because I loved the color. Inspired by a shirt from Anthropologie, I did my best to make it look as close as possible to the inspiration. And if you look closely on the “after”, you can see the green markings from my disappearing marking pen.
Image credits: sarahtyau
#46
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#47
Super old refashion when my oldest daughter was tiny! I used to wear this skirt when younger but it was now too short for me so I sewed the sides narrower and turned it into a skirt for my little girl. Super simple way to upcycle a skirt that’s too short!
Image credits: sarahtyau
#48
Am I too old to pull off the original length? Or is that just me thinking that based off of my programming? Either way, this would be my New Year’s Eve party dress… if I was going to some cool party. The party I’ll be going to is still cool, but it’ll be with my mom, aunties and uncles and all my kids
Image credits: sarahtyau
#49
Turned this plain women’s top into a fun design with a pleated detail(using a fork!) and navy blue ribbons
Image credits: sarahtyau
from Bored Panda https://bit.ly/3RNNzq1
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