DIY teen fashion projects

from Casey Lewis

Part Two: Fits to a Tee!

Everyone from Samaire Armstrong (Fox's "The O.C.") to the Olsen twins (a.k.a Mary-Kate and Ashley) has done the DIY thing, so why shouldn’t you? It’s not necessary to be Little Miss Suzy Homemaker. As long as you have a bit of creativity and a handful of boring clothes, you’re on your way.

Ruche It

Using ½ inch wide elastic, measure and cut four strips the same length as your tee (HINT: pull elastic taut before cutting the strips). Turn inside out, and sew the elastic, while stretching tight, evenly down the length of the tee. Though solid tees do work, stripe or graphic-print tees look especially cool with this ruching effect.
To put the leftover elastic to good use, grab any random tee that needs a little spicing up and, while pulling taut, sew the elastic strip (should be about three to four inches long) vertically, off-center at the bottom hem for a neat, asymmetrical look.

Cut It

Chop off the neckline of a solid crewneck tee into a boat neck. Be careful not to go overboard – unless you’re channeling Flashdance. If you’re using a long-sleeved tee, hack the sleeves into a ¾ length. With a short sleeve, just trim about one inch off. Unhem bottom using a seam ripper, leaving the edge raw. A new neckline will make all the difference, and the raw edges with toughen up your basic tee.
With a crewneck tee, cut a straight line down the collar to about mid-chest. If you like your V-necks low, make the straight cut longer. Turn your tee inside out, fold flaps in to form a V, and sew in place. This works well with solid-colors, but adds a funky look to graphic tees.

Pretty It

Using a solid beater (or skinny ribbed tank), sew one foot of a funky inch-wide ribbon around the tank about an inch above the bust. Start on the back of the tank, making sure that your ribbon is centered in front. Be extra cautious that you sew in a very straight line. Tie in a pretty bow in the front, and secure. For a quirky look, sew the ribbon off-center, creating an off-center bow.
Craft stores like Hobby Lobby, JoAnn’s, and Michael’s carry a huge variety of hip appliqués and decorations that will give even the simplest tee a complete style upgrade. Look for little beaded designs, cool sequin numbers, or even neat letters.

Destroy your jeans and get the season's hottest look!

Apart of being a really cool trend, the worn in denim look is really sought after and can usually only be achieved by wearing the same pair of jeans for years upon jeans. Instead of waitting for that to happen narturally, companies like Abercrombie began to sell destroyed denim at their premium prices. But fashion designer Tiffe Fermaint wasn't having any of it. So, she found a way to get the same look, for much, much, less. Here's Tiffe's DIY recipe for destroyed denim.

This is a two step process. The first step is to soften the denim, which makes it easier to distress.

Softening Denim

Materials:

fabric softener

denim fabric

old tennis shoe

towel

Steps:

1 - Prewash the denim fabric in a washing machine. 2 - Dry the fabric in the dryer with a towel and a tennis shoe.
3- Repeat three times. On the third wash, add an entire bottle of fabric softener. This is called progressive shrinking and softening.

Continue to destroying..

Materials:

solution - 1 part bleach, 1 part h2o

coffee - brewed strong

a brush

sandpaper

Steps:

1 - Put the jeans on and sit down.
2 - Free hand the solution onto the scrunches at the top and anywhere natural wear would occur, including the seat of the jeans and the knees (I like to add splashes to the bottoms)
3 - Use sand paper to ruff up the knees and hemlines
4 - Cut and tear holes whereever you'd like
5 - Soak overnight in coffee (optional)
6 - Dry on HIGH heat in the dryer

So, you’re totally unique, and you love one-of-a-kind or limited edition fashions. We’ve got a great idea on how to make you own custom flip flops for the summer season. Check it out!

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: At least 20 minutes.

Here's How:

1. Decide on a design. For example, if you’re doing crystals, decide how you would like them arranged, and do a trial without glue to get an idea of what you want where, and how many you’re going to need. Once you’ve done that, go on to step two!

2. Grab your glue, and apply a thick line along the thong part of your flip flop.

3. While the glue is wet, pick up the tweezers and grab your first crystal.

4. Place the crystal where you want to start the design, and continue until you have both flip flops done.

5. Leave the shoes to sit overnight to make sure the glue dries and your design is secure. Voila! Super chic and totally unique flip flops!

Tips:

If you're not into crystals, try using beads, and if you’re feeling creative, seashells!

What You Need:

A cheapie pair of flip flops, any kind, as long as they’re Jelly or plastic.
Swarsovski Crystals or plain crystals.
Heavy Duty Glue (It has to dry clear)
Long tweezers

Feedback, submissions, ideas? Email fynechica19@hotmail.com