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  • Wednesday, September 19, 2012

    My "American Apparel"

    Autumn is unofficially here and it's time for a seasonal closet cleanout! Cleaning my closet is always a big mission. I always have more trouble donating my clothes, compared to the rest of my family, so things tend to pile up in my closet. You never know when things will be back in style...plus, you can always rework your items into something else so I never want to dump things out. However, my closet's bottom shelf recently collapsed so I decided it was time I sort through my closet a bit, haha.

    This time, I found a pair of white capris that my mom handed down to me. It had a bootcut leg at the calf which I thought looked awkward and would never wear out. Since I don't own a pair of white shorts (surprising, I know), I decided to make my own out of mommy's awkward pants, haha. I've also been wanting to paint shorts for the longest time so the white shorts would be the perfect canvas.

    So here's the final product! This is my first time painting shorts so by all means, I'm no expert and there's major room for improvement. But anyhow, I'm quite pleased for a first attempt.
    Please continue reading if you want to know how I made these shorts!

    To make these pair of shorts, you'll need...
    • old white pants
    • scissors
    • packing tape
    • acrylic pant
    • textile medium
    • studs (optional)
    • sewing supplies/ machine (optional)

    1. Cut the pants 
    The first thing you need to do is, obviously, cut the pants. Measure the length that you want and make sure you cut it evenly on both sides. My pants were actually not denim material and had a bit of stretch so I decided to finish the raw edges by turning it up and sewing it into a cuff. It really depends on what kind of edge you want and the material you are working with. If you are working with denim, leaving it raw edged makes it a nice detail.
    2. Tape your design
    After sewing/cutting to the shorts that you want, you can tape your design. From experience, I find that masking tape on fabric does not resist well against paint as they peel off the fabric too easily (See images below). I would suggest packing tape or any tape that adheres well enough to hold sharp edges. I decided to do the American flag as the design. Maybe it is because I've seen pants like this elsewhere...but I think I much rather wear stripes and stars on my pants than a red maple leaf, haha.
    3. Paint your design
    Using acrylic paint, I mixed it with water to give it a slightly watery consistency. To make the paint washable in the machine and soft on the fabric, mix the paint with textile medium. Make sure there are no lumps in your paint! You want the colour to be consistent throughout your design. Layer thick magazines in the leg of the pant so that the paint doesn't seep through to the back of the pants. To apply the paint, dip a sponge into the paint and start filling in your design. Don't overload your sponges with paint! Once your design is filled in, let it air dry.
    4. Peel off the tape
    Once the paint is completely dry, carefully peel the tape off. I wouldn't worry too much about the imperfect edges. I personally feel ok about the rough edges because I kind of like how it gives it a DIY, crafty touch.
    5. Spice it up (optional)
    Once the design is done, you can spice up your design by adding different notions. I decided to stud my pants. I added one on the fly as a button since my pants actually close with a tab closure. I also wanted to stud the pockets different. I decided to keep the studding simple on the blue side and more dramatic on the striped side.
    ...and you're done!
    Since the design of the shorts is pretty sharp and bold, I'd probably wear this out with a basic black tank and maybe a cardigan. Black pantyhose with ankle boots will also make it appropriate for fall.

    So that's all there is! I'm probably gonna make more and try to perfect the art of shorts painting, haha. I hope to be able to post even better shorts DIY projects soon! To end off this post, let me share with you some pictures of my room during the disastrous stages of my closet clean-out.


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