Inspired by the Dolce & Gabbana spring 2012 collection, I decided to DIY my own gem-embellished creation. Unable to find a suitable lacey number to embellish, I settled on a plain white t-shirt instead ($5 from Best & Less). This is a fairly quick and simple DIY. All you need is a top, some fancy looking gems, and craft glue. I still have heaps of gems left over so will be keeping my eye out for more things to embellish. More photos and instructions after the jump.
Bits and pieces. Make sure that the glue is suitable for fabric. The one I picked up is specifically for sticking gems onto things (woo hoo!) and is washable, which is what you want when gluing things to fabric.
Before you glue anything on, lay out the pattern. I stuck to a simple radiating pattern around the neckline.
After you’ve decided on a pattern, it’s time to start gluing. Just dot on a bit of glue to the backs of the gems and start applying. My tip is to stick to bigger sized gems as the smaller ones can get a bit fiddly.
Also, if you are thinking of creating a really large, intricate pattern, stick to stiffer fabrics. Stretchy fabrics (like cotton t-shirts) may cause the glue to expand and gems to fall off. That’s partly why I stuck to such a small area on this t-shirt.
