diy: that old t-shirt

Bonjour,

Do you ever blatantly stare at your closet, wondering what you are going to wear? At these times, we feel our closet has nothing! Well you, my friend, are in need of something special!  A simple makeover to a basic garment can do wonders. It can be complex or really simple. It can be easy or difficult, depending on what you choose to sew onto your piece of clothing. This is a lot quicker than sewing an entirely new garment, but still looks great and is your own!

How to do it:

Embellishing and adding your own twist:
1. Find your garment. I used a solid t-shirt, but jeans, a skirt, or pretty much any garment works
2. Choose your embellishments: beads, fabrics, patches, trim, ANYTHING
3. Pin your embellishments on (very important), folding them under as you go
4. Sew it on--- zig-zag the edges on, so the raw edges stay put!
5. Cut loose threads and wear proudly.

Painting:
1. Find your garment, then get out the paints (fabric paint works the best, but acrylic also works well) and brushes (make sure you put newspaper or a cloth beneath you)
2. Figure out your design: draw it on a separate piece of paper, so you are sure you like it
3. Start painting
4. Let it dry overnight
5. Wear it proudly.

Hemming:
1. Find your garment (it doesn't have to be a skirt; shirts, dresses etc. work well too)
2. Try it on and mark how short you want it
3. Cut garment to designated length
4. Fold them hem over twice, to get a nice clean hem and pin
5. Sew-straight stitch about an inch above the end
6. Cut loose threads and wear proudly

Adding:
1. Find your garment
2. Try it on and measure how much longer you want it
3. Cut the amount of fabric you need
4. Take your garment and the piece of fabric to add on, and pin the right sides together
5. Straight stitch the right sides together
6. Cut loose threads
7. Hem the other end of the fabric by double-folding it and pinning
8. Straight stitch it about an inch above the bottom
9. Cut loose threads and wear proudly.

notes and considerations:
***remember NOT to use your favorite clothing piece. Pick one that in your opinion could use a makeover***
*right sides: the right sides are what you look at (the opposite of "inside-out"), the side that you see when you wear your clothing.

 

I made these:

xoxo,
Chantal