DIY: Studded tee

Hi!

I fell the other day.  Hard.  I was returning something to Old Navy and my foot got caught in my (wide leg) pants.  I felt myself falling forward and I couldn't stop what I knew would be painful contact with the pavement.  And it was. Falling in a public place is the absolute worst.  My fall was actually quite embarrassing because people actually walked around me to avoid my crumpled body. I was angry because I knew I would be the subject of someone's conversation for the day. After I hit the pavement, I quickly got back up but my ego (and knee...ouch!) were badly bruised. I'm sharing this story because I don't think I will be wearing wide leg pants anytime soon.  They should really consider having a disclaimer written on the tag.  Something like: "Falling with these on is an inevitability so proceed with caution....or, better yet, just don't wear altogether". *Sigh*

I wanted to share with you the results of a quick DIY project I embarked on recently. I'm particular partial to the studded shoulder trend so I made it a goal to replicate it the same style on the cheap. I purchased some pronged studs from BeachHeya via Etsy for $4.40 and a black knitted dress from Forever 21 for $8.80.  Any knitted dress from Forever 21's main range fits like a tshirt on me which is exactly the look I wanted to achieve for this project.  If you want to save some dough, almost any tshirt with sleeves will do.

What you will need:

-1 old/new long-sleeved tee (the thicker the fabric, the better)

-pack of studs.  I got mine here.

-pair of scissors or any pointed object (you will need the pointed ends to close the prongs...using your fingers will also work but is not recommended)

-ruler or straight edge (optional)

-tailors chalk or any water/air soluble marking tool (optional). Use this if you want to create a template on which to place your studs.  Make sure the chalk you use is visible on your fabric.

Step 1: Arrange your shirt so that the sleeve is fully extended.  Make sure it is straight and free of wrinkles/folds:

Step 2: 
Using chalk
Draw the design on your sleeve with the chalk.  If you want a "clean" look (studs the same distance apart), use the chalk and a ruler to draw even lines. If drawing lines won't work with the fabric, make dots instead making sure the distance between the dots are even:

Free form
If you are seeking more of a free form look, then chalk is not necessary.  Place your studs wherever you want!

Optional

To get a rough sense of how many studs you need, you can quickly place the studs prong side up on the sleeve like this:

If you like to wing things like I do, then you can skip this step. If necessary, use your chalk to make any adjustments.

Step 4: Start placing the studs one at a time.  Check to make sure the stud is positioned correctly before closing it.  Hold the fabric taut around the stud and close the legs of the prongs.  It is very important that you hold your fabric taut around the stud or else you stud will not adhere securely to the fabric and the design will look very bunchy. If you like the way it looks, use the tip of the scissors to close the prongs.  I love the pronged studs because you can remove them if you make a mistake.  However, I don't recommend you reapplying the same stud more than two times or else the prongs will weaken and eventually break off.  When in doubt, just use a new stud.

A fully closed prong

Step 5: Do the other shoulder and you are done! Remove any visible chalk likes with a slightly damp rag. Make sure all the prongs are fully closed because you do not want any prongs to prick you when you wear your shirt!

This shirt is a bit smedium (small + medium) but I still look fab! ;-)

I recommend hand washing the shirt by hand and letting air dry. These studs are great for all types of fabrics! You can even use the studs to jazz up a denim/leather jacket! Go crazy!

If you like this DIY project and would like me to feature more, please respond below! Thank you for reading! <3