10.10.2011

End-lace Possibilites - A new DIY project

After Christmas dinner several years ago my aunt lugged two giant Hefty bags into the living room and said take what you want.  Inside was a lacy wonderland; tablecloths, doilies and runners for the taking.  My sister-in-law and I tore through the bags, and I ended up with three matching table runners with scalloped lace edges.

Cardigan/Jeans - Ann Taylor Loft, Tee - DIY (excuse the soy sauce stain, I wore this for a takeout date with a friend)
Until recently I had no idea what to do with these, but with lace making a major resurgence on the runway for fall, I decided to chop one up and make myself a new striped t-shirt.  For this project you will need:


- A piece of lace, I used a 12"x20" runner
- A t-shirt (A.C. Moore has them in all colors for $1.99 right now)
- Fabric Glue
- A pair of sharp fabric scissors
- Ruler

1) Roughly cut the lace you want to use from the rest of the piece you don't want to use.

I used my knee because of my black legging, using a dark background helps identify loose/fraying pieces

2) Once separated, go back with small, sharp scissors and clean up your edges removing any fraying bits or loose strings.  If you can do this step on a dark surface, it helps.  Your legginged leg will suffice.

3) I only wanted lace stripes on the front of the shirt, so I cut 4 strips equal to the width of my t-shirt (18" for my shirt).  Also, I used a children's XL shirt to get a closer fitting tee than the adult sizes offer.



4) Position a ruler across the shirt, lay the lace above it and begin gluing.  I glued one circle at a time, and then pressed down on the lace with my ruler to ensure a firm adhesive between the shirt and lace.

Sorry for the wrinkles, I wore it to dinner before documenting the end product.
5) Move your ruler 2" up or down and repeat step 4 until you complete your look.

If stripes aren't your style, use a V-neck tee and embellish the neckline with circles, half moons, etc.  You can also cut stripes and loop a colorful ribbon through the ends for a lace headband or cut small circles and add earring hooks for delicate earrings.  Endlace possibilities here.

Happy Monday!

  

15 comments:

Lola Benito said...

That's so beautiful... I love love love buying t-shirts, preferably from Zara cause they do make the best ones, and decorating... thanks for sharing!

And thanks for stopping by ;)

Love,

Lola

www.lolabenito.com

A Very Sweet Blog said...

And what a great way to save money! Because stores like LOFT are selling similar ones for 40 bucks are more. You're so creative Cara! You could make a dressier one with a dark tee too! :D
http://sassyuptownchic.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Great DIY! I would have never thought to do that with old table runners. Your new shirt looks just like the ones I've see at the Loft this season. Oh, and I buy children's sizes too (shhh--don't tell!).

kristina@beancakes ★ said...

cara ~ this is absolutely genius!! so pretty!!
xo ~ kristina

Van @ The Clothes We Wear said...

SO CUTE, Cara! I love this idea. Thanks for the inspiration.

AllThingsYummy said...

Wow, that's super cute. Love the DIY lace shirt.

Dirt On The Rocks said...

This is a great, easy, cheap DIY! This is awesome. I'm going to look into making something like this now! :D

skippysays said...

wow, what a cool DIY! And it turned out awesome!
www.saysskippy.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

This is an amazing DIY project- I love lace on tees so I will have to give it a try! You should link up to tomorrow's DIY edition of Everybody, Everywear- http://www.everybodyeverywear.com/

Fabrizia Spinelli said...

Great idea, and good job, I like the result! Take a look at my blog, and if you like it follow me, I’ll be waiting for you!

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Rach said...

Such a great DIY idea. I love what you did! looks awesome!

www.sugarfilledcloset.com

Ly said...

I love this DIY! IT's such a creative idea...i need to try this.

-Ly
http://www.lyzhang.com

Plami said...

Great job! You really upgraded this top! I was actually planning a similar DIY :) Great minds think alike ;)

XoXo
Plami

http://www.fashionthrill.com

rebecca said...

this looks like something I'd buy from jcrew!

Bravoe Runway said...

WOW! You did a beautiful job here and that gray t-shirt is anything but ordinary! I am still on the fence about the cape...I may try a very short one that is not really for outerwear purposes, and see how that goes. All of the ones I've tried thus far are just overwhelming!

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