Tomorrow is finally the day you’ve been counting down to for months – the day you’re going to see your favorite band (whether it’s Maroon Five or New Republic) perform only a few feet away. The only problem? You can’t find the perfect distressed band t-shirt … or at least one that won’t cost you as much as the concert tickets themselves! What’s a savvy fashionista to do? Perform some DIY magic!
Crafting your own grungy band t-shirt is a lot easier than you think and it will make your concert outfit even more special. Whether you’re a woman who rocks a crop top, tank top or a regular band T, follow the steps below to add the perfect gritty stress to your style.
Every superwoman needs her sidekicks and for this DIY, these are yours: a pair of scissors, sandpaper, a cheese grater and of course, your t-shirt. You can do this DIY anywhere but if you really want to have a mess-free cleanup, you can lay down some newspapers with your t-shirt on top.
Remember all of those dreamy concert outfits that you pinned on Pinterest? This is your time to put them to use! Instead of diving into this project with only a mental image to guide you, grab a picture off the web and have it by your side throughout the process. You don’t need to copy the picture religiously. However, a picture can help keep you from ending up with an X-rated pile of ribbons instead of a trendy, stressed top.
When you begin stressing your t-shirt, don’t start tearing and cutting like a kindergartener who just discovered scissors. Start with “safer” areas such as the collar, hem and sleeves. First, press the cloth together with your fingers and cut the material liberally between your fingers with the scissors. Then, rub the sandpaper against the new hole and the area around it, making sure you’re satisfied with the distress. Keep doing this around the areas mentioned above and don’t forget to pay attention to the back of the t-shirt as well as the front!
Now, move to the shoulders, chest, and waist of the shirt, this time twisting a small amount of cloth and cutting the top off gently with the scissors. Try to insert your fingers into the small holes that form and tear gently until they become bigger and tattered. If this isn’t working for you, try cutting a group of small slits in the fabric of the shirt and widen them with your fingers. Keep in mind that if you’re going for a more naturally distressed shirt, it’s more convincing when there are more little holes than big ones.
To give the finishing touches to your gritty t-shirt, break out the cheese grater! Cut some more small slits into the shirt near each other, and lay your shirt flat against a hard surface. Run the cheese grater over these holes hard enough to tug the fabric but soft enough to not tear the shirt too much or create permanent damage that you don’t want. Also, make sure you don’t grate the surface you’re working on; it’s best to do this over a cement, granite or glass area. Most importantly, don’t grate yourself. When you go to your concert, you want to shock your fellow fashionistas with your new, stylin’ DIY project … not the amount of Band-Aids on your fingers!
Now that you’re done, say hello to your totally rockin’ band shirt!
