How about a fun summer inspired print tutorial! It’s easy, quick, affordable, fun and apparently very much in style.
You might recognise this skirt from my L1 Fashion Collection. This was my first ever fashion collection and all of the pieces are made from reused items like curtains. Including this skirt, which is believe it or not, actually made out of an old Ikea curtain.
One of the main reasons why I wanted to make this collection, was to show how fun and most of all easy it can be to create or upcycle your own clothes. There are really not many skills involved when you can find the right DIY. So after my Tassel Necklace DIY, it is time to share the secret technique behind this watercolour skirt!
First I want to mention how perfect the timing for this piece is, I have been spotting all kinds of brushstroke, watercolour prints on the spring runways! see image below
So not only will you be wearing a custom made piece, but you will also wear it while being very trendy ;)
The process for this skirt is actually really easy, and it cost me only about 8 euros to make (sharpies are something that I will never run out of). I especially enjoyed this, because anyone can do this without ruining it! I mean really: you just cannot go wrong here.
Find your inner artist and doodle away with this super fun textile DIY
TUTORIAL:
SUPPLIES
– Sharpies in as many colors as you like (neon, metallic, grey tones, the options are endless)
– Rubbing Alcohol
– Q-tips, or if you are covering a larger area: a spray bottle, or an eye-dropper
– Fabric. The fabric that I used (actually a curtain from Ikea) had a silky structure, which worked really well with this technique.
STEP 1
– Before you start doodling all over your precious shirt/skirt/entire wardrobe, make sure to do some tests first.
– Take some sample pieces of the fabric or a similar fabric and doodle on it. Afterwards you add a small amount of the rubbing alcohol to see how much the colors will bleed. This way you can see how much alcohol you will need and what the effect is.
STEP 2
– Prepare your fabric. Iron it, and place it on a flat surface that is aloud to get dirty.
– If you are making a piece of clothing or a pillow, etc. use this dye technique preferably before your sew it.
STEP 3
– Start doodling! Mix and match with colors, cover larger and smaller areas with different colours. Go wild!
STEP 4
– Here comes that magical part: adding the rubbing alcohol.*
– The amount of alcohol that you will need, depends on the desired look:
>Doodling still visible: a few drops** of alcohol every few centimeters will be enough.
>Tiny bit of doodling still visible, but also lots of colours bleeding across the fabric: Use a spray bottle or an eye-dropper, and don’t be scared to use a lot.
> Watercolor effect: Really soak the fabric in; no spray bottle necessary, just pour the alcohol over the fabric. (risky, because the fabric will decide how it’s gonna turn out, but also lots of fun!)
– Let the fabric dry.
Washing instructions: Preferably no washing. If you still want to wash it, I suggest you wash your sample pieces in the washing machine on a gentle cycle and see how they turn out. Oh and wash separately ;)
*You might want to wear gloves for this part
**It is always possible to add another round of rubbing alcohol ones the old layer has dried. Do this until you get the desired affect.
Which piece of clothing or fabric will you transform with this technique? Let me know in the comments section!!
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