Fabric glue (such as Aleene's Super Fabric Textile Adhesive)
1 white T-shirt
All-purpose beige thread
3 pie tins
Sea sponge
Bronze sequin trim
Leopard print trim
Rubber bands
1/2"-wide elastic
For best results, please read all instructions before beginning this project. Refer to the photo for color and design placement.
Before painting, prewash the T-shirt to remove the sizing. Don't use fabric softener. Shake paint bottles well.
Instructions
1. Cut the front and back of the T-shirt as illustrated (1). Lay the shirt on a protected surface.
2. Pour a puddle of each paint in a separate pie tin. Dip the sea sponge into a tub of water. Squeeze a little water into each pie tin to dilute the colors. Add more water if necessary to make a milky consistency.
3. Dip the sponge into the linen paint. Randomly sponge the T-shirt leaving blank areas for other colors. Rinse out the sponge. Repeat to sponge the chocolate and then the ebony paint in the vacant areas.
4. Wearing gloves, gather the shirt at the upper edge and continue until the entire shirt is gathered into a tight ball. Secure with rubber bands. Let dry overnight.
5. Remove the rubber bands. Flatten the T-shirt. Place the T-shirt between two layers of white fabric on an ironing board. Press to set the crinkles.
6. Fold the T-shirt 1/8" toward the wrong side at the sleeve and neck areas; stitch. Fold another 3/4" toward the wrong side at the neckline, creating a casing to feed the trim through; stitch.
7. Cut a length of elastic to fit across the back for the desired fit (2). At the back, fold the T-shirt 3/4" toward the wrong side with the elastic encased in the fold. Pin the elastic short ends in place. Stretching the elastic as you sew, stitch down the elastic middle to secure.
8. Pin a safety pin to one leopard trim short end. Thread the pinned end through the neck casing. Gather the T-shirt at the neckline (3). Make sure the trim is long enough to tie around your neck. Remove the pin; cut and knot the trim ends.
9. Stitch leopard trim 1" above the shirt hem. Stitch or glue the sequins above and below the trim. Apply more sequins at the neckline and randomly over the entire shirt.
Duncan Enterprises donated the supplies and projects. Visit www.duncancrafts.com for a list of international distributors of Duncan products such as Tulip Soft Brushable Fabric Paint and Aleen's Adhesives.
1. Cut the front and back of the T-shirt as illustrated (1). Lay the shirt on a protected surface.
5. Remove the rubber bands. Flatten the T-shirt. Place the T-shirt between two layers of white fabric on an ironing board. Press to set the crinkles.
8. Pin a safety pin to one leopard trim short end. Thread the pinned end through the neck casing. Gather the T-shirt at the neckline (3). Make sure the trim is long enough to tie around your neck. Remove the pin; cut and knot the trim ends.