The Refashion Handbook: Refit, Redesign, Remake for Every Body

by Beth Huntington

Take secondhand finds from frumpy to fabulous with a little help from Beth Huntington, a.k.a. the Renegade Seamstress. The Refashion Handbook contains 19 stylish projects, each showing you how to transform easy-to-find items into a better fit, a new design, or a radical makeover. Learn the basics of refashioning: how to measure, reshape, fit, and finish a garment, so it fits you perfectly. Plus size? Petite? No problem! Beth's designs flatter a wide variety of sizes and body types. Her easy techniques are fun for even beginning sewists. You'll love creating your own secondhand chic!

Genres: Sewing, Nonfiction, Crafts, Reference, Fashion

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2014

Reviews

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I follow the author's blog and got this book out of the library to check it out. I haven't started refashioning yet as it's been over 20-years since I sewed properly. I have however started getting my supplies and stash ready. I need a refresher in how to sew and I like having an actual book to thumb through rather than always turning to youtube videos. I really liked this book. All the basic sewing info at the start was wonderful for me and something I would refer to often. The outfits made are simple, classic, never-out-of-style fashions. These give plenty of advice to the newbie refashioner and help get the creative juices flowing to help one see what can actually be done with various secondhand garments. I've decided to buy the book for myself and have it in my cart already.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

nonfiction; sewing (esp. for beginner/intermediate with some gaps requiring supplemental sources). Thrifters on a budget will appreciate some extra ideas, though some of the instructions given could be elaborated on (tips for sewing with knits and elastics would be helpful). Some projects assume you have patterns in your stash already and are comfortable choosing one to frankenstein with your thrifted findings, but others could be tackled by the less experienced--with beginning sewing, you sort of have to just try things and be ok with them not turning out exactly as pictured.

review, revisited: I think this is a pretty solid beginning-intermediate (have used a sewing machine before, but perhaps have not been regularly sewing lately) primer to fixing your thrift finds, but I kind of want a little bit more than this handful of shirt/skirt-to-dresses and separates. I can definitely appreciate the desire to cheaply create comfortable looks to flatter an older-woman's body when RTW (ready to wear) stuff from the stores is mostly designed for younger ladies. I would definitely want to check out any future books from Beth, if she were to publish more.

[Andrea Hickman Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I disliked pretty much all the items in this book. And yet, this is going to be a really useful book. Because it's not about the items themselves, it's about the techniques used in refashioning one thing into another thing, and those are the reason I'm going to come back to this when I have projects.

[Laura Ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This woman really has skill at taking old, oddly fitting clothes and taking then apart and sewing them in new shapes/styles and they look amazing! I'm in awe of her eye for being able to update practically everything in her closet.

[Jane Opper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I have read about creating wearable fashion from thrift store finds.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has watched waste in America sky rocket, I was looking through my closet one day and saw some old t shirts and many other clothes and did some changing, cutting, embroidery and made a cool looking item. I made a pact with myself that I was going to become more responsible by using more items, on hand to reuse and repurpose. I have been working on many paper trees with recycled items. I picked this book up at the library a couple of weeks ago and found it very informative and an extremely useful way to use up clothing and other items to re make them for improved, new stylish clothes, I loved this book and have begun to look at new ways to repurpose even more items plus use up some creative muscle to boot. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone wanting to make a difference in combating waste in the world but, also anyone interested in designing better, more stylish clothing for themselves, than anything they can purchase off the shelf. Also, a way to save tons of money as an added bonus. Happy creating!!!

[Kathleen Ring · Rating 5 out of 5]

Innovative and very creative!

I am a serial thrift store shopper and seamstress! I can't tell you how many garments I have passed on just because the style or size wasn't right. The author teaches you that with a little imagination, creativity and basic sewing skills, you can give new life to an oversized, out-of-style garment!

The directions are clear and simply written, the pictures illustrate the projects with before and after photos. A fun, inspiring and enjoyable read!

[ara]

white women clothes - skirts, etc
shirt stuff
helpful for techniques on remaking thrift stuff

[Abcdarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost all the remodelling has the same style of gathered skirt which may suit the author but does not suit everyone.

[Kimberly Harries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such good ideas!

I love all of her ideas, her passion, and her vision. Things we take for granted just need a different perspective to give items new life. Glad I bought this book 🥰

[Laurla2]

-nice to page thru. lots of pictures.
-some things i've already done, cutting off a tshirt and sewing material to the bottom of it to make a dress.
-had info on ways to change the collars of tshirts, and sleeves.

"sometimes people tell me they are afraid to make a mistake. who cares! if it doesnt turn out, its ok. just set it aside and try something else. with every mistake comes learning. just go for it. if you're shopping at thrift stores you most likely arent spending much moolah on your items to refashion. be willing to take that risk. jump in with both feet."

"to live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." - joseph chilton pearce.

-says wednesdays at her thrift store all clothes are only 50 cents each. not sure where she lives, but only kids clothes are priced/discounted that way at thrift stores around here.

-insulting about 'look for larger sizes' in clothes at thrift stores to remake. as a plus size gal i can tell you the selection of plus size clothes at thrift stores is minuscule.

[Amy Isham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I have been reading refashion blogs, including Beth's blog, for years and always just enjoyed it as entertainment. This book has helped me visualise how I would actually refashion something. Additionally at the time I was trying to learn how to put a zipper in a dress, watching youtube tutorials and reading blog tutorials. Beth's visual, step-by-step guide to this skill is the bets I have read and I successfully installed a zipper for the first time yesterday!
Beth is also a very down to earth lady with older children, so her refashions are more modest, appropriate and wearable than a lot of other 'refashionistas'. She includes basic skills to shorten or reshape an unflattering dress, rather than styling to impress readers. Specific projects help you imagine your own projects.

[Juliana Haught · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows some neat techniques for making alterations to clothing that is already made, and that is the most useful part of the book to me. The book also features some neat project for re-making ready-made clothing into a new item. The problem with that part is that it uses very specific thrift store items and turns them into very specific new items - so, if you don't have those items, or don't want to turn items into the new items featured, the book has limited usefulness. Maybe it would be more helpful to someone who is more experienced with garment sewing than I am, who could use each project as inspiration for a similar project, but make adjustments according to the clothes they're using and how they want everything to turn out.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some cute ideas, but lacks finesse and technique enough to make the end pieces look truly stylish, or even hold up through a machine wash... everything has that holly-homemaker vibe. Leaving raw edges everywhere is a pet peeve of mine though.

[°BeauutiLovve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful......

[ياسمين يوسف · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for beginner sewers