With A Sewing Machine, Anything Is Possible
People can't always afford to go out and get fancy clothes, especially if they have a family to support. Even without a huge amount of cash in the bank, it doesn't mean you have to skimp out on fashionable attire.
If you happen to own a sewing machine and you can confidently operate one without sewing a finger, then you can make magic happen. Just look at this mom who took old unwanted items of clothing from a thrift store and turned them into very unique and beautiful pieces.
Hepburn Dress
The 33-year-old mom in question is Cailtin Trantham. With all the free time between looking after three children, she creates lovely clothing out of items from the thrift store. And they aren't even expensive. This was a Lularoe dress that wouldn't have suited anyone.
Caitlin took the gross dress and transformed it into a great-looking Hepburn dress -- the dress was named after the actress Audrey Hepburn who wore dresses like it. It went from an ugly old thing into a lovely spring dress.
Tropical Dress
The dress was an uncomfortable, loose-fitting, less-than-flattering monstrosity. It looked more like it belonged to an old lady and wouldn't suit Caitlin's figure at all.
With some brainstorming, Caitlin changed it into a breezy tropical dress. She fitted it to her body and added a belt to accentuate it. It looks much better than it was before.
Wedding Dress
While a wedding dress is something truly magical, it's seldomly worn twice. And when you factor in the high price of the single-use item it's kinda ridiculous! So transforming it into something to be worn again is a clever idea.
Caitlin took a gorgeous wedding dress and changed it into a beautiful dress that would suit a beach party perfectly. The trim at the bottom was dyed along with the back to give it a nice gradient.
Spring Dress
This dress would even turn old ladies away -- it was loose and didn't have any kind of contour. People actually liked this style back in the '80s so they can be found pretty often in thrift stores.
Caitlin addressed the issues by adding a belt to accentuate her silhouette as well as taking off the sleeves to add some class. Now the dress looks a hundred times prettier than anyone thought it could be.
A Lot Of Work
Even though many of Caitlin's creations may look effortless, they require creativity most people struggle to have and, not to mention, the time involved. This dress specifically took a while to transform into something that was well worth the effort.
This dress had thick layers that made it challenging to shape it. The sleeves were the first to go, then the end of the skirt. And Finally, Caitlin added bows to the shoulders.
Sundress
This dress had barely been worn, it may have been unwanted due to it's less-than-attractive appearance. Still, Caitlin knew she could fix it.
The dress that looked like it was owned by a schoolteacher more than a century ago was transformed. It's now a blue sundress that she can pull off at any event. Caitlin put her personal favorites on, a bow and belt.
Dress For Date Night
This dress is also a Lularoe like the one from before, this one just has a different pattern. Caitlin admittedly didn't think it looked completely atrocious, but she had other plans for it.
The dress before would have suited taking your children out to the park, this new dress suits a different occasion. It's perfect for date night with the husband and will surely get some attention.
Sheet Dress
You'll notice this dress doesn't have a before photo... there's a simple explanation for that. It wasn't a dress before, just an old bedsheet from a thrift store.
It's hard to believe! This dress screams summer fun time with its thin fabric and fresh feeling. To think that this dress used to be someone's bedsheet!
Shirt Dress
Caitlin likes to challenge herself from time to time. She found a big shirt and liked the butterfly pattern on it, so she stared at it wondering how she'd make it more suitable for her.
She played around with it until it turned into a wonderful retro-looking dress. The bottom got a black fabric trim to compliment the white of the dress. Caitlin added her signature belt to emphasize her waist.
Romper
Caitlin usually works with dresses, and if she doesn't have a dress, she turns it into one. Dresses are cute and all, but sometimes we need some more coverage in order to feel comfortable.
That's why she made a small change to this dress and turned it into a romper. Rompers are super trendy right now and are great for occasions when dresses are not appropriate.
Blue Evening Dress
The original dress could only be described as a nightmare. It had no shape, it had too many layers, and most importantly, a horrific appliqué that just made everything a million times worse.
We have no idea how Caitlin removed that appliqué without damaging the dress, but this is a work of art. She also removed the underskirt to make it less puffy and used the extra fabric to create two adorable straps.
Cute '90s Dress
The fashion of the '90s is making a huge comeback now, but not every piece that was trendy then works nowadays. For example, this long, dowdy dress makes you look shorter and not stylish at all.
Caitlin turned it into a cute, fun dress that still retains the original concept but fits her body and current times much better. As always, she added a belt made with the extra fabric to accentuate her figure.
Small Changes
Caitlin loves to take up a challenge and create entirely new looks, but sometimes she goes for something simple, like this dress right here. There was nothing wrong with the original one, but it was too big.
The butterfly appliqués were cute, that's why she wanted to keep the dress. All she did was make it smaller to fit her body. Still, this small change makes a huge difference.
Sunflower Dress
This is another '90s piece that Caitlin decided to change. Much like the red dress we saw before, this one had a nice pattern and adorable sunflower buttons, but the shape was just frumpy and unflattering.
Caitlin shortened the dress and, as usual, used the extra fabric to create a belt. She does this a lot because it just looks great on her.
Cute Summer Dress
Can you believe this gorgeous summer dress used to be skirt? Being short came in handy this time for Caitlin because the skirt was too long. When she shortened it, she used the extra fabric to create the top.
She ended up with a lovely dress perfect for a summer day, and it looks super chic. She was inspired by Taylor Swift's Golden Globe dress, which was similar in shape if you remember.
'60s Style
The original dress was cute, but it wasn't very stylish. It was baggy and kind of boring, so Caitlin decided to make it much more fun and flattering.
She turned this '90s dress into a two piece that totally screams "'60s". You can't see this, but she added shorts underneath the skirt because it was too short. Now, she has a super comfy, delicate, fun two piece for any occasion.
Pink Party Dress
The original dress was from the '80s, and even then it's hard to picture it as being fashionable. This hot-pink mess was probably going to remain at Goodwill for all eternity, but Caitlin decided to rescue it and give it another chance.
She shortened it to a better length, made the waist tight, and took the bow and put it right over the skirt. Now, it is an adorable '50s party dress that is much easier on the eyes.
Subtle Changes
When you first look at these two pictures, it is a little hard to notice what changed. Sometimes, there's nothing really wrong with a piece of clothing but a little subtle change can really bring out the best in it.
What Caitlin did here was change the waist and the buttons and cut the back ties and turned them into a belt. The dress fits her much better now and is much more modern like this.
Trendy Romper
The first dress was too long and frumpy and honestly did not do Caitlin any favors. But where Caitlin sees a nice pattern, she also sees potential to create something amazing out of it.
The best part of the dress was the pattern because it is trendy right now. So, she turned the dress into a romper and it now looks like something you would find at Forever 21.
Fresh Look
The original dress was nothing like the other dresses we saw before. This wasn't some old, hopeless '80s dress - on the contrary, there was nothing wrong with it. However, the changes Caitlin made certainly improved it.
While the shape of the dress was very nice, the thick fabric combined with the sleeves and the tight neck didn't make it summer-friendly. By making it sleeveless and opening up the neckline, the dress is now fresh and won't suffocate her if the weather gets hot.
A Modern Change
The original dress was already lovely. In fact, some people might prefer it over the new look because it is a beautiful vintage dress that is really trendy right now. However, it wasn't really Caitlin's style.
She preferred to turn it into a sleeveless dress and use the collar to embellish the sleeves and make the look much more relaxed.
Blue Party Dress
This makeover is just stunning. The original dress wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't really wearable. The appliqué on the chest was a little too much and limited the occasions the dress could be worn for.
She removed it and shortened the dress to a very feminine, flattering length. She used the extra fabric to create a neck piece that can be removed to reveal the gorgeous dress underneath.