Mom Beats Postpartum Depression By Transforming Husband's Old Shirts Into Dresses For Daughters

We live in a world where we waste more clothing than ever before. This is, in part, the result of fast fashion, which dominates malls and encourages us to part with our hard-earned cash on a regular basis to keep up with the latest trends. And while we all like to look good, this is having a catastrophic effect on the environment.

To put the problem into context, to make just one cotton shirt, 700 gallons of water are required.

And on the subject of shirts, one mom has come up with an ingenious way of ensuring that her husband's old shirts don't contribute to the problem. How? I hear you ask. Well, she turns them into stunning dresses for her daughters!

Credit: Stephanie Miller

Twenty-seven-year-old Stephanie Miller from Utah showcases her love for sewing on her Instagram account @mothermakesx4. And what makes this account totally unique is that each of its creations is an upcycled shirt.

Stephanie is a busy lady and has four young children aged between three months and five years, Babble reports. She's loved the arts since she was a child and majored in education with a degree in fine arts. However, after giving birth to her first child, her postpartum depression got in the way of her ability to create.

"I felt a loss of identity," Miller says, Babble revealed. "I couldn't paint anymore and didn't feel fulfilled like I used to."

Credit: Stephanie Miller

Stephanie's husband, however, came up with the perfect way to help his wife and invested $50 in a sewing machine for her. And even though sewing wasn't her forte, she quickly developed a passion for expressing herself in this way.

The first thing she made was a stuffed bird, and even though it was a simple project, it ended up changing her life. "That little stuffed bird was a sewing mess, but when I was done, I felt so satisfied," she said. "Sewing helped break my postpartum and honestly made me happy."

Credit: Stephanie Miller

Soon, Stephanie challenged herself to make more complicated designs, and when her husband cleared out his wardrobe a few months ago, a brilliant idea was born. And even though the dresses - which her three-year-old has described as "Elsa dresses" - have been a hit online, she said she has no plans to turn them into a business.

"My kids are only going to be little for a little time and I don't want to miss their childhood or have any regrets as a mother," she said. "However, I still have an intense desire to make things and want to feel fulfilled in more ways than just being a mom. I also believe it is important for kids to see their parents be passionate and follow their dreams."

Credit: Stephanie Miller

Instead, Stephanie hopes that her creations will inspire others to make art - and, as was the case for her, experience its therapeutic benefits.

"Making and creating is such an important process to me and I believe everyone can create something beautiful in their life that brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment," she said. "When we take unorganized material into our hands and mold it into something that did not exist before, it invigorates the soul. The more we take time to be creative, the more beautiful the world around us becomes."