DIY Studded Sneakers. Studding sneakers has been on our DIY to-do list for awhile now. But the idea of hand piercing hundreds of holes through thick canvas was daunting enough to allow such procrastination. Enter E6000, the crème de la crème of adhesives. As you probably know by now, it’s our secret weapon for quickly and effectively attaching metal to fabric. So after the recent release of Vans‘ brushed twill pastel Authentics, we thought it was the perfect summer shoe to adorn. So grab some glue and let’s get studding! And don’t forget to enter our giveaway, after the jump, for a chance to win a pair of our favorite kicks . . . You’ll need:a pair of sneakers150 – 200 brass cone spikesE6000 adhesivea disposable container or popsicle sticktoothpicks Start by squeezing a small amount of E6000 into a disposable container or onto a wooden popsicle stick.
Press the spike into the sneaker, holding it in place for a few seconds. Arrange the spikes, without glue, into awkward spaces before attaching them. DIY Embellished Denim Shirt. In case you weren’t able to join us last week at Madewell‘s anniversary event, we’re giving you the breakdown on just one of the many ways we embellished our favorite chambray shirts that evening.
So grab a handful of sparkle and let’s get gilding! You’ll need: For shank style buttons, start by cutting off the backs with a pair of flush cutters. Vintage buttons are most commonly made of lightweight metal and plastic so cutting off the shanks is very easy. Squeeze a dollop of Jewel-It washable glue onto a wooden spoon or small plastic container. Position the embellishment on the tip of the collar and work outwards. Note that the glue does not set right away and takes quite a while to dry so be careful not to nudge the pieces around too much. Repeat the same design on the other collar tip and that’s it, you’re done! Another option is to embellish the pocket of a denim shirt using the same technique. DIY Elbow Patch. While perusing Pinterest one evening, I came across an intriguing tutorial on the wonderful art of needle felting. I had to learn more – especially after realizing it entailed repeatedly stabbing a needle up and down into a piece of fabric or sweater.
A satisfying stress reliever that results in something wearable? Sign me up. And now that I can officially call myself a needle felting maven (and nerd), trust me when I say that you’re going to have a blast with this technique. So grab your supplies and let’s get started on a pair of heart shaped elbow patches! You’ll need: With the sweater on, place a piece of tape about half an inch below the elbow. Align and center the bottom of the cookie cutter along the top of the tape.
Fill the cutter, spreading out the wool fibers evenly. At the base of all felting needles are tiny, sharp burrs, which grab and interlock the wool fibers. Continue stabbing away until the surface is flat and even. Carefully peel the sweater away from the foam. Ta da! DIY Gold Painted Jeans. Chloé’s Fall 2010 gold embroidered, part mariachi-part cowboy denim pants were our inspiration for this week’s DIY. Such elaborate embroidering is beyond our skill set, so we figured stenciling a beautiful pattern using gold fabric paint would be a more feasible interpretation.
Who knew paper doilies made the perfect stencil? Lightly spray the doilies with the adhesive and press down firmly on the jeans. We overlapped the doilies and stopped at three but there really isn’t a right or wrong way to creating your own pattern. Gently dab paint into the negative spaces of the doily, making sure not to overload the paintbrush. (top image here and here, rest of images by Honestly…WTF) DIY Bell Bottoms. Some say that the comeback of the flare & wide leg denim trend marks the death of the skinny jean. Although I’m not ready to retire all of my skinnies just yet, I’m more than happy to lend a couple of pairs for the sake of an HonestlyWTF DIY. With denim scrap I saved when making some denim cut-offs last summer, we’ll show you how to upcycle a pair of skinny jeans into a pair of bell bottoms! Start by opening up the outer seams of each leg with the seam ripper. Stop at around 18 inches or right below the knee. Fold the the scrap denim or fabric in half lengthwise and draw a diagonal line measuring the length of the open seam plus 2 inches.
Pin one side of the triangular panel to an open seam. Your bell bottoms are finished! (top image via Jak&Jil, rest of images by Honestly…WTF)