29 Aug 2012

WhatIWore: One of my must have closet staples is a heather grey v-neck tee. They’re my go to weekend top and I have half a dozen in my tee shirt drawer.  For today’s DIY project, I’ll update this basic (from American Apparel) with chevron stripes. 

Supplies:

• Laundered Tee Shirt 
• ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape (I used 2” for this project!)
• Simply Spray Fabric Paint
• Tee Shirt Form or Cardboard
• Tailor’s Chalk
• Ruler
• Scissors

To start, you’ll want to stabilize your tee and create a barrier between the front and back layers. I used a piece of form board cut a bit larger than the width of my tee. Craft stores usually carry cardboard tee shirt forms as well.  Next, align your side seams up with the edge of the board and pin the sleeves to the back.  Your tee should be taut but not excessively stretched out. 

Now you’ll also want to tape off any areas that you don’t want paint on. I did the neckline, sleeves and bottom hem of my shirt. 

For the chevron design, I used tailor’s chalk to help create guidelines down the center of my tee and 4.25” to either side.  Depending on the size tape you use, you can play around with more wide or narrow spacing. 

It’s time to tape your zig zag! This step required a little patience to get all of the chevrons to match up at the points. I used a scrap piece of tape between lines for spacing, but there are a few spots where I had to space an 1/8” to a 1/4” bigger. Use a pair of scissors to shape off your chevron points.  Once your taping is complete, press tape edges down firmly. 

Next is the fun part! Time to spray paint! Either outdoors or in a well ventilated space, start spraying your shirt.  Start with a light coat and blot excess paint from the tape. Repeat until you’ve achieved your desired look. 

Once dry, carefully peel away the Painter’s Tape. Check out those super crisp lines! 

And there you have it!  From start to finish, this project took me 3 hours plus drying time. The tee and paint combinations and patterns are endless!  If you like this project, check out the striped sun hat and American flag shorts I made using Painter’s Tape!