Stephanie Miller's creative mind can see beauty even where most people only see worn clothing or garbage. When Miller and her husband were doing some spring cleaning, she began having ideas of how she could use her husbands throw-away shirts to create something beautiful for her daughters.
A mother of four, Miller told ABC News this creative outlet has helped her overcome postpartum depression. After the birth of her first son, Miller had difficulties adjusting to her new life at home after being an artist and a teacher as she battled postpartum depression.
“All of a sudden I was home all the time and I wasn’t making art anymore,” Miller told ABC News. "I had this loss of identity.”
It was during this time, Miller's husband bought her a sewing machine, something that changed her life.
“It totally got me out of a slump," Miller told ABC News. "Just having an outlet besides being a mom I think is so important. It’s so important for us to have hobbies and dreams and aspirations outside of our children. It’s important for them to see their parents follow their dreams because it gives them liberty to follow their own dreams. It also lets them know they’re not the center of the universe.”
Check out her beautiful creations:
I love the look of rompers but we've had too many accidents standing in front of the toilet because the romper couldn't come off fast enough...and that is why I made her a shirt and short combo instead. I used the original bottom hem of the dress shirt to make the bottom of the shorts and added pockets on this one. I love this look but it wasn't a hit for her and she didn't want to wear it past the pictures, I guess you win some and loose some. 🤷♀️ A post shared by Stephanie Miller (@mothermakesx4) on Jul 20, 2017 at 9:29pm PDT
Another refashion from one of @letsbuyutah's shirts. I let her pick out the shirt she wanted and I think this romper turned out so cute. This was my first time making shorts and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. #littleromper #littleromperbabes #sew #refashion #transform #transformation #diy #red #sewing #sewingproject #diy #mothermakes #newoutfit #mensdressshirttogirlsdress #mensshirt #mensdressshirts #daddysshirt A post shared by Stephanie Miller (@mothermakesx4) on Jul 20, 2017 at 9:52am PDT
I have a little tutorial coming of how to make this dress yourself. It is so easy and so cute. Also, I love having these two girls only 12moths apart. They are such great friends and I'm excited to see their friendship grow as they get older. #sewing #sew #diy #diysew #dyisewing #mothermakes #refashion #sewfun #mensshirt #beforeandafter #beforeandafter #doityourself #crafts #quicksew #quicksewingproject A post shared by Stephanie Miller (@mothermakesx4) on Jun 4, 2017 at 8:36am PDT
My baby woke up early this morning so I sewed in the early morning hours. She was a good sport letting me try on the dress (only 2 time😂) to cut and fit the sleeves. Once I made her a dress two years ago and kept fitting it on her to adjust the dress, by the time I was done she wouldn't wear it. I decided to not make my kids clothes at that point. Now they ask me to make them dresses and never want to take them off. It is much more rewarding. This shirt was her daddy's shirt that shrunk, @letsbuyutah. #sew #refashion #refashioned #refashionista #sewing #sewingproject #diy #beforeandafter #mothermakes #oldshirt #newdress #dresses #littlegirl #littlegirldress #onehour #onehourprojets #quickneasy #sewforfun #sewfun A post shared by Stephanie Miller (@mothermakesx4) on Jun 5, 2017 at 12:48pm PDT
Remember how she got blue nail polish on her white dress? Now I'm happy she did. I tried everything to get the blue nail polish out and was unsuccessful, So I dyed the dress blue. I used Rit liquid dye I bought from @walmart. It's funny, how it always happens, that when things look bad they can actually turn out good. #life #lifeismessy #kidsshouldntwearwhite #transformation #whitetoblue #girlsdress #sew #sewing #ritdye #dye #create #mothermakes A post shared by Stephanie Miller (@mothermakesx4) on Jul 15, 2017 at 1:09pm PDT
I really love this dress!! This is my favorite dress I've made in a long time. I've been wanting to try out this sleeve and I'm so happy with how it turned out. #bellsleeves #whitedress #wedding #flowergirl #transformation #refashion #remake #mensshirt #girlsdress #sew #sewing #sewingproject #nopattern #inventive #create #mothermakes A post shared by Stephanie Miller (@mothermakesx4) on Jul 6, 2017 at 8:24am PDT
So, this dye job was somewhat accidental but I love how it has a hint of tie dye to it. I want to make this dress for myself I love it so much. #ritdye #dye #tiedye #dress #girlsdress #beforeandafter #sewingproject #sewing #create #transform #transformation #dyeclothes #diy #littlegirldress #pinkdress #pinkdye A post shared by Stephanie Miller (@mothermakesx4) on Jul 16, 2017 at 2:05pm PDT
I've loved making dresses for my little girls out of men's shirts because it is pretty fast and the transformation is always drastic. I tried so hard to keep my kids clean all day to preserve their dresses but she some how found nail polish and spotted her dress in blue the last hour of the wedding reception. I tried everything to get the spots out without success so now I'm thinking of tie-dying this dress blue. White is such a hard color for kids. #sewingproject #nopattern #transformation #repurpose #whitedress #flowergirl #littlegirl #littlegirldress #sew #sewing #weddingdress A post shared by Stephanie Miller (@mothermakesx4) on Jul 6, 2017 at 8:15am PDT