I’m not exactly clumsy, but I am a really busy girl with a tendency to not be careful.
Messy, clumsy, stuff on my shirt…call it what you will!
My favorite shirts all seem to have taken the same abuse. A paint stain, a bleach spot or an unfortunate tear. The number of shirts in my closet that weren’t being worn because of one of the above was getting completely out of control.
So, time for some quick and dirty fixes…and to haul out the fabric paint!
Shirt fix #1 – stenciling stars
supplies:
- sad damaged tee
- freezer paper
- marker or pen for drawing
- Exact-o Knife
- fabric paint
- sponge brush
- cardboard or t-shirt form
My poor Dumbledore’s Army shirt, with a bleach stain right on the tummy. What to do, what to do? I thank my sister for the idea for this fix: stencil some stars on!
Freehand stars on freezer paper, then cut out with the Exact-O Knife – instant stencil!
Iron the stencil on and insert a pieced of cardboard or shirt form inside the tee. Procure some paint and a sponge brush for instant repairs.
Sponge that paint on!
Peel off the stencil after a few minutes and….
Instant shirt fix!
My Evile Crafts tee, made by superfriend Kadi, had a big ole blotch of bleach, too, so it also received the star treatment, along with a little glitter spray paint.
Shirt fix #2 – stamp it!
This second shirt fix was inspired by Stampin’ On Stained Jeans. Same problem: A favorite tee gets hit by something that leaves a mark, bleach, paint, or something else that’s super-duper permanent.
You need:
- oopsie tee
- fabric paint
- stamp(s) large enough to cover the spot(s)
- foam brush
- cardboard or t-shirt insert
Use the sponge brush to add paint to the stamp. Don’t dip the stamp in the paint or you’ll end up with a blob of paint on the fabric.
Stamp on the spot that needs to be covered. It looked awkward to me like that, so I just kept stamping until I felt like I had enough!
Another shirt, back in rotation!
Shirt Fix #3 = mask it!
This fix was a bit more complicated. I had a cute girly shirt that got caught on something (no idea what) and I ended up with a hole right in the tummy. After trying to stitch it and not liking the artificial belly button I received for my efforts, I decided to repair it with an iron on. Great idea, until I realized I went from artificial belly button to giant round dot on my tummy.
For this fix you’ll need:
- damaged tee (this works for spots, too!)
- masking tape
- cardboard or t-shirt form
- fabric paint
- foam brush or roller
Giant dot, as illlustrated by my left hand.
Mask out a large triangle with the apex at the top, with the damaged part of the shirt on the inside. Make sure your cardboard or t-shirt form is inside the shirt. Fill in the space with fabric paint.
Hint: If you’re working on a stretchy fabric, iron freezer paper on the inside of the shirt for stability while painting.
Fill in the entire space. Allow to dry a few minutes and the remove the tape.
And another dead shirt returns to ciruculation! Pretty cool, too, if I do say so myself.
Allow all your awesomely repaired tees to dry per manufacturer’s instructions and then add them right back in to your wardrobe!
More t-shirty goodness:
If you make a Sew Awesome Craft or any pattern, craft or recipe from sewhooked, I’d love to see a photo. Email me or add it to the sewhooked flickr group.
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