Customisations

[thebeesknees]

diy halter top gone wrong... help!!!

i just finished making a halter top from an old shirt. its my first customization and i felt so proud of myself because it fits really well and i thought i had taken all of the preventive measures (measuring, drawing on the fabric, checking a zillion times before cutting, etc.) but i think i totally screwed it up.

i cut the edges of the halter top exactly where i wanted them to be. i only realized after, when i was trying it on in front of the mirror, that i should have cut it larger than the length that i really wanted it so that i could fold it over and hem it! i have raw edges along the two sides that run from both armpits to the neck and all around the back.

i dont care if it ends up looking messy because i plan to wear it in extremely casual situations and a little bit of messy actually kind of looks cool, i just dont want it to fray at the ends, especially along the front. the back part is not a problem because i dont care how low it dips but i wanted to ask you girls (and guys!) if there is anything i can do to save the front.

i already tried pinning some of the fabric along the raw edge back to get a clean hem but since i cut the halter to the EXACT spot where i wanted it, it ends up showing too much chest and i cant have that!

can i sew some kind of "closing stitch" (i dont know the proper word for this, i apologize to those of you who are pros) along the raw edge? would it be possible to sew on more fabric to the raw edge to fold over for the hem? i still have the fabric that i cut off.

im sorry this post is so long, im rambling now so ill stop. please help!!!

 

[purechris]

if you do a straight stitch about 1/8-1/4 inch from the raw edge it will keep it from completely fraying. If we're talking about the cut being on the bias, which I assume, because you cut it at an angle from the under arm to the neck, then it will fray even less. You could also just cut strips of the fabric (on the bias) and attach them on the top and leave the edges raw.

 

[thebeesknees]

thank you, purechris! ill try it this weekend!

 

[Arug]

When I want some chance in my wardrobe I just make a mess out of it..
I've drawn things on my jeans and made some patterns on my t-shirts and cut them.
After all I always hate myself for doing it and regret...
It's a wicious sircle...
But hey, that's life... I get to buy more new clothes afterwards...

 

[amneris]

i'm so addicted to customizing my clothes! I don't have one t-shirt that I haven't cut up, added some kind of beading to, or drawn some sort of design on. i just can't stand wearing plain t-shirts and stuff, i have to add some sort of unique style to it

 

[pucci_mama]

I just have a question, can you make a short sleeve t-shirt into a tank top?

I also need to take in the sides..

I really want to make it work, but not sure it would...


Any opinions would be appreciated. TIA.

 

[gius]

I just have a question, can you make a short sleeve t-shirt into a tank top?

I also need to take in the sides..

I really want to make it work, but not sure it would...


Any opinions would be appreciated. TIA.

Of course!
You just need to cut off the sleeves
and find an existing tank top to copy
(or you could guess).
You draw that design on to the t-shirt and cut and voila!
You will have to create a "facing" for the parts, which you've cut.

I actually did it just yesterday

 

[Mink]

Let's Make our Own Clothes.

Let's give ideas, tips and DIYs to each other.

Mine:

Take a longish/past knees skirt, stretchy, if you could. Hold it on you to make sure it is the correct length for a dress. Slit a hole larger than your arm on the side, so you have a one-shoulder dress. I've done this with a black velvet skirt, and a stretchy cotton white dress. They're both very shapeless on me (I'm thin, and I like how it hangs on me.) They're pretty comfortable, too, if you cut it right. Just go to the thrift stores/Goodwill and pick up a skirt and do it. Takes less than a minute to make it

I'd love to hear your ideas

 

[Trista]

Get an old skirt that would fit around the top of you.

Put it on you and cut it so that it falls slightly over your hips, but not into dress length.

Get some sequined trim and make straps.

 

[adi]

there are already sewing and customizing threads

 

[Curious]

Merged

 

[Stylebites]

Pen drawings on white T-shirts

Saw a girl today while I was shopping wearing the CUTEST shirt. She had drawn a vest/waistcoat onto the front of her normal white men's t-shirt with a black permanent marker. She wore it with a red cropped pea coat (Marc Jacobs-y) and a purse with a long tan strap worn across her body. It was sooo sweet and punky-funky!

I only wish I'd had my camera with me.

Has anyone else done this with their shirts? Let's see pictures!

 

[Stylebites]

Let's give ideas, tips and DIYs to each other.

Mine:

Take a longish/past knees skirt, stretchy, if you could. Hold it on you to make sure it is the correct length for a dress. Slit a hole larger than your arm on the side, so you have a one-shoulder dress. I've done this with a black velvet skirt, and a stretchy cotton white dress. They're both very shapeless on me (I'm thin, and I like how it hangs on me.) They're pretty comfortable, too, if you cut it right. Just go to the thrift stores/Goodwill and pick up a skirt and do it. Takes less than a minute to make it

I'd love to hear your ideas

This was in Nylon magazine a few months ago. Super cute when you belt it under the bust.

 

[BohoChick]

I dont know if this is the right thread to ask, please redirect me if there is a better one.
Anyway, my question to you is:

I have this white leather jacket, MC style. It is so cool, but I hate new-looking leather jackets, so I dont wear it much. Do you have any tricks for making the leather look worn and slouchy fast?

 

[SpookyGirl]

I want to stencil a pair of shorts with a skull like the one in the picture... The problem is I've searched almost every website stencil-related and I've never found a cool skull...
Can someone please find me a skull like the one on scarlett's pic?

Pic from lime-light.org

 

[concretegirrl]

wow. so totally love this thread.

a couple things I modified.
these are plain black eleven dollar black ballet
slippers that I just got tired of being just black
so I sewed white ribbon on both sides of them.
Theyre a little old and I wear them all the time so
theyre pretty crapped up but here they are:

This purse I made was actually a tube top that for
some reason as soon as I looked at it I saw a purse.
I took the straps off a dickies purse (Yeah yeah I know)
for it and so it wouldnt stretch I made lining out of these
fake leather looking pants I had when I was going through
some disgusting phase of life.
Its reeeeaaaalllllllllyyyyyy getting messed up.
lots of holes and the zipper doesnt even work anymore.
I dont know if you can tell but the design is like some
weird/pretty birds and stuff... I dont even like birds.

uhhhhh I dont know why its so dinky.

I love going to thrift stores to get stuff to make into other things.
Hahaha last time I went I bought these ugly clothes to use the material
and the guy ringing me up was like "uh..... are these for you??"
it was pretty awesome.

this shirt I made was originally a pair of God awful 80's balloon pants.
if you can imagine without getting physically ill the striped part
was the top front part of the waist.
I cinched it in the middle and then had to
do a lot of tailoring to get it to fit as a shirt.
The straps are of ribbon which I dont really
like because it makes it completely clear that
its homemade but I didnt know what else to
make them out of.

 

[adi]

^ love the top! good job with that

 

[concretegirrl]

a friend of mine's band just made shirts.
theyre just plain ol tee shirts that of course run rather large.
I had planned on sewing up the sides to shrink it but the
freakin design is a screen print right on the left side.

any ideas???

pretty please???

 

[melt977]

^ In similar situations, I have often thought of cutting out the part of fabric where the design is, and appliquee it on a different t-shirt that fits me... Haven't done it yet because I'm too lazy, so I can;t actually give you the success factor...

 

[Alliecat]

^ I've done this and it works quite well. But the t-shirt that you applique it onto needs to be not too stretchy (or if it is very stretchy take this into consideration when you sew it on). You can also have fun with a contrasting stitch color, contrasting stitch (hand sewn, x's, zigzag etc). Lots of fun to be had witht his.