CONNECT WITH ME! FOLLOW OVER 18,250 SUBSCRIBERS!


Tuesday, May 22, 2018

The Ultimate Guide To Customizing Your Clothes

Customizing your clothes is a super fast and effective way to create a brand new wardrobe for yourself without spending a ton of money. It also gives you a huge sense of satisfaction as you have some truly unique clothes that you managed to put together yourself! In this guide we’ll talk about different tips, tricks, and techniques that will help you to customize your clothes when you’ve gotten a little bit bored. Whether you have old t-shirts, jeans, or jackets, you can use some of the tips here to customize them and make them look like brand new items of clothing.
 Read on if you want to know more!

1.     Buy Fabric Dye
Fabric dye is a great way to freshen up old items or even make them look brand new. It’s important to remember that natural fibers such as cotton, linen, silk, and wool take dye much better than synthetics do. Dying is an art as well as a science, so make sure you experiment and see what techniques work for you. You can come up with various shades of your own by mixing shades of liquid dye that you like, for example. Make sure you read the instructions on the dyes thoroughly so you get the best results from your efforts. You need to get the clothing wet through usually, and you can keep them in dye for up to 15 mins to get the most vibrant look. When it comes to creating custom colors, you can get the look you want without wasting dye by making a small dye bath first. You can mix your colors together in hot water and then test the color on a paper towel. When you have the color you want, you can then create your dye bath with a larger amount. Bear in mind that you can never truly know how a material will take the color. It’s also worth remembering that dye won’t cover up or get rid of stains!


2. Draw On Them
Drawing on your clothing can be a really fun way to bring items back to life, especially if you have a creative side. You can use a pencil to make basic shapes or letters that you want drawn in. A ballpoint pen can also be used, but make sure you sketch everything in as lightly as possible. Once you have the design you want, it’s time to make the permanent marks. Using permanent marker is a common choice - they make thick, black lines and they won’t wash out. You can also find different colored markers, although they will likely fade over time. Fabric markers can also be purchased. The great thing about these markers is that the colors are much less likely to fade over time as they are specially designed to stand many washes.

3. Iron On Patches
Iron on patches are a great way to give an old jacket or pair of jeans a funky look. You could add just one patch on a pocket, or you could add multiple patches to create a bit of a punk look. Take a look at Pinterest and get an idea of what you can do from some of the patched up jackets on there. Ultimately, you’ll always end up with a unique jacket that absolutely nobody else has. You can use your patches to show off your personality and let people know what you’re into - whether that’s music, TV shows, food, or something else entirely. Have fun with it and don’t think about it too much. If you want to make sure the patches last, sew them on rather than iron them on.  

4. Add Some Badges
Badges are another fantastic way to give an item of clothing a new look. Just like patches, you can add lots of badges or just one or two. However, something that puts many people off about this is the fact that they put holes in your clothes - what if you don’t want them on there forever? Well, that’s already been thought about. You can find magnet buttons rather than actual pins, and they can be added and removed as you see fit. No need to worry about holes in your garments and you can change up the design whenever you like.



5. Create Some Holes
Holes might look funny to older generations (they always seem to comment on jeans with holes in, amirite?) but they are actually very trendy these days and can give clothes a more laid back look. Use scissors or a grater to carefully fray jeans and shorts and add holes. Go carefully so you don’t completely butcher your garment. You can find tutorials on YouTube to help you if you’ve never done this before.

6. Alter The Length
If you have a long t-shirt, turn it into a crop top. An old pair of jeans, turn them into a pair of shorts. You can alter the length of just about anything to make it look brand new.

7. Cut The Sleeves Off
Whether you’re looking at a long sleeved top, a t shirt, or a jacket, you can cut the sleeves off to give the item a new look. T shirts become vests, long sleeve tops become t shirts, and jackets can become gilets.

8. Add Lace or Mesh

Adding lace, mesh, or another fabric that you like can give any item a custom look and something a little different about it.

9. Invest In A Sewing Machine

Investing in a sewing machine could be one of the smartest things you ever do if you really want to get into customizing your clothes. However, you need to make sure you choose the right sewing machine for your ability level, budget, and how you plan on using the machine. Here are some pointers:

How Often will the Sewing Machine be Used? - You don't want to buy a large complicated machine if you will only use it once every couple of weeks.


How is the Sewing Machine Going to be Used? - What is needed from a machine is going to vary from person to person. Someone who makes curtains and clothes is going to want a completely different machine to someone who does machine embroidery. It's worth making a list of the things that you want from your new sewing machine before you start looking for one. Speak to other sewing machine owners to help advise you on the best model to get.

Types of SewingMachine
Mechanical Sewing Machines - not operated by electricity and are the most basic of sewing machines. They need a bit of muscle power as you will need to use a wheel (or dial) on the side of the machine to get the needle and bobbin to move. This type of machine is predominantly used by those who undertake lighter sewing projects.

Electronic Sewing Machines - these types of machine are powered by an electric motor that powers the machines lights (if it has one), the needle and bobbin. Electronic machines are operated by a foot pedal on the floor; the more pressure you apply with your foot pedal, the faster you stitch. Electronic machines are the best all-round machines and cater to a range of sewers, as they feature many stitch patterns, and the tension and stitch length can be altered to allow for lots of
materials and threads to be used.

Computerised
Sewing Machines - Computerised machines tend to be used by experienced machinists. Feature many stitch functions and ways in which they can be tailored to the individual's sewing needs. On some, you can even design your own stitches and embroidery patterns! These are best for people who will use the machine on a daily basis and really know what they are doing.

Overlockers - A
type of finishing machine, mainly used by those who make their own clothes and crafters, as the machine gives a neat and professional finish. The machine can sew a seam, finish the edge and trim excess fabric all in one go. Great for simple projects where no extras such as zips or button holes need to be added, as the machines are not equipped to do this.

10. Make Your Own Stencils and Use Spray Paint

Instead of free hand drawing on an item of clothing, make your own stencils instead. This is pretty easy to do with some of the templates that are available online, and you can use spray paint to get your designs onto the material in a professional looking manner. 

11. Add Some Pom Poms or Tassels
Pom poms are cute and can add a groovy finish to just about any item of clothing. You could also add fringing or tassels. You see things like this all the time on festival outfits!

Hopefully you’re now feeling inspired after reading this guide and you have a few ideas of your own! What will you do with your wardrobe? Leave your thoughts and ideas below.

Come back soon! 





No comments:

Post a Comment

Winning Moves Candy Land Classic Edition Easter Gift Guide 2024

  Winning Moves Candy Land Classic Edition for ages 3 and up along with 2-4 players. Candy Land was created in the 1940’s and has been a fav...