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FABRIC STUDDING
with Jeralyn of I’ll Wear Any Color as Long as It’s Black
NOTE: Studding may take time and some strong hands, but it
can be done on everything from jackets to dresses, accessories and even shoes. With a little extra effort, even
leather can be studded. Just take your time to align and be
careful!
SUPPLIES
Tailor’s chalk
Metal studs
Rubber mallet
Awl/sharp knife
Garment
HOW TO
1. Use the tailor’s chalk to mark the fabric with the
pattern you want the studs to follow.
2. With the awl or knife, poke a hole through the fabric
(with thicker fabrics, like leather, be careful not to use
too much force because you don’t want it to tear).
3. Studs 101: There are two kinds of studs: one comes in
two pieces—the front stud piece and the backpiece, which is
often a flat piece with a connector that goes through the
fabric and into the front; the second kind of stud is only a
front piece with four small claws that must be pushed
individually into the fabric.
* When using a two-piece stud, push the back piece up
through the hole that has been created and, lining the two
rods up, press the front piece down onto the rod until it
clicks and is secured through the fabric.
* If you’re using a one-piece stud, simply place the stud
on the fabric and, pulling the fabric taught, press the
claws through and bend them into place, two at a time.
Fold the back of the stud against the fabric. If you are
using bigger studs or a thicker material, such as leather, use a rubber mallet to be sure the back of the studs
are tight and secure.
4. Continue making holes for the next stud. Align them one
at a time, only after the former stud is in place, that way
they will be perfectly aligned side by side with
out any mistakes.
5. Repeat as necessary!
FABRIC SHREDDING
with Sarah A. of Bad Looking/Disposable City
NOTE: Fabric shredding involves a good deal of patience and
a gentle touch. Unfortunately, it’s best done by hand
because needles and other tools make it easier to tear the
threads. Go slowly until you get the hang of it, otherwise
you will be left with holes in your shred.
SUPPLIES
Clothing/fabric
* Preferably something soft and tight knit. Thicker
material will be more difficult to shred but is less
likely to rip. Softer material is better for learning,
but easier
to tear.
Fabric shears
HOW TO
1. Using the fabric shears, cut along the bottom of the
article of clothing to remove the hem. It is important that
the cut goes along the natural weave of the fabric, allowing for an even start to the shredding. Make sure there are
no loose strings that could easily snag or make the process
more difficult.
2. Pull the fabric taught in hand and, starting towards the
center of the now unfinished hem, pick gently at the frayed
end to tear just the first unhemmed strings from the bottom
of the weave. The fabric should begin to lightly unravel.
3. Once a small area has been distressed, gently pull the
intact fabric away from the garment allowing the shredded
part to grow. Try not to tear the strings as they come away
from one another, instead loosen them from their tight weave
without removing them too far from their interlock.
4. As soon as a few inches of that given section have been
frayed vertically, move along the cut hem until the entire
length of the desired shredded area has been shredded at
least two or three inches. (If the shredding is done evenly
across the bottom, the shredding will come out as one entire
area. If a more abstract and striped look is desired, shred
several inches at a time all the way to the top of the
fabric before expanding the shreds across the bottom.)
5. After the area has started to shred, it is easier to do
as an entire portion – the different started areas will
bleed into one another and the entire area will become
unified rather than uniform lines side by side.
6. Continue to pull gently at the loosened fabric until the
desired area has been shredded.
FABRIC CUTTING
with Tiffany of The Six Six Sick Girls
NOTE: The secret to fabric cutting is that you
must measure! Cutting seems like an easy enough
task, but make sure the slits are wear you want
them, and even try on the garment after you’ve
marked it with chalk to make sure it’s the right
spot. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a destroyed
dress or a T-shirt that’s unintentionally
revealing.
SUPPLIES
Fabric Shears
Jersey or plain fabric clothing, like a dress
or T-shirt
Tailor’s chalk
Ruler
HOW TO
1. Lay the garment onto a flat surface.
2. Measure a 1-inch area at the center of the
dress or shirt, using the ruler, and with the
tailor’s chalk draw a line running down each side
of the 1-inch area.
3. Measure ½ inch away from the edge of both the
left and the right side of the dress, and draw a
line running down the sides.
4. Using fabric shears, cut slashes between the
outside left side and the left of center line.
Be sure that they are neither too close nor too
far away to achieve desired look. Repeat on the
right side.
CHAIN CROCHET
with Pam Liou of Pamalamala
NOTE: This bracelet looks very lux, but the construction
is as straight forward as possible. Chain knitting is very
slippery, so make sure you don’t rush! Once you drop a
stitch, you may have to start over. This tutorial works with
chain with a good diameter. Too fine a chain would make
casting off very difficult.
SUPPLIES
1 Wooden dowel (8-inch circumference with a central hole)
7 Nails (as brads, any size)
4 yards of 6mm brass chain
4 brass jump rings (small metal pieces to connect chain)
Pliers/tweezers
Charms/beads (optional)
HOW TO
PART I–THE SPOOL
There are pre-made spools available at most commercial
craft stores, but it is very simple to make one. Hammer
seven nails around any doughnut-shaped wood or foamcore
dowel. The circumference of the dowel should be 1 to 2
inches longer than the circumference of your wrist.
It is a good idea to take this measurement beforehand.
PART II–CROCHETING
1. Thread the chain through the spool, letting
approximately three inches hang from the bottom
2. Wrap the chain around all the brads in a
counter-clockwise direction.
3. Cast on by placing the chain on the outside of the
first brad. Using a crochet hook or pointed stick (I use
a sanded down chop stick! The more low-tech the better),
reach under the lower chain loop and hook the loop and
over the brad. Do this with each brad.
4. Place the chain on the outside of the first brad, and
pull the previous chain loop over the brad and repeat
with the six other brads.
5. Repeat Step 4 to desired width. After each round,
pull the chain downward to move the knitted cord through
the spool.
6. To cast the chain off of the spool, wind one without
slipping the loops over the brad. Secure the knitting
with jump rings by connecting the chain hole from the
bottom loops to the top loops. Cut the chain, and secure
end with jump ring. If you’d like, this is an excellent
base for charm bracelets. Add anything with jump rings
through the loops of the chain.
JEWELRY DESIGN
with Christina of The Six Six Sick Girls
NOTE: Creating jewelry may seem like it requires
a fine eye and a variety of tools, but this
fringe necklace takes minimal supplies and no
previous experience.
SUPPLIES
Fringe
Embroidery floss
Chain
Large-hole needle
Double-fold seam binding
Pins
HOW TO
1. Decide upon a pattern for layering the fringe.
The design may vary in length and width depending
on the desired look, but should make a sizable
breast plate.
2. Lay the seam binding flat and, placing the
fringe upon it, fold the seam binding around the
fringe, sandwiching it.
3. Place the chain amongst the fringe, leaving
enough to create the necklace circumference as
well as some detailing.
4. Pin the seam binding around the chain and
fringe.
5. Hand-stitch the binding to the fringe, making
sure that everything is held in place, including
the chain.
6. Use the embroidery floss for a little added
detail.
DISTRESSED DENIM
with Nikki Moose of Dirty Flaws
NOTE: Be as precise or imprecise as you want,
as there’s no right or wrong way to do this.
SUPPLIES
Desired denim
Wooden board or sturdy surface
Exact-O Knife or razor
HOW TO
1. Lay denim out flat.
2. Place board between front and back of jeans,
inside the leg.
3. Using the razor, slice anywhere from 2 to
4 inches across the leg. Do this as many or
as few times as desired, all the way down the
legs. The bigger the better!
4. After slicing the denim to desired amount,
take the razor parallel to the tears and gently
graze across the tears to loosen the threads
from one another (similar method to Steps 2 and
3 of the shredding tutorial) to make the “distressed” look and roughen the clean cuts from
the razor. Repeat this step until satisfied.
5. After the area has started to shred, it is easier to do
as an entire portion – the different started areas will
bleed into one another and the entire area will become
unified rather than uniform lines side by side.
6. Continue to pull gently at the loosened fabric until the
desired area has been shredded.
WHO’S THAT GIRL?
The Six Six Sick Girls (sixsixsick.blogspot.com) most
frequently collaborate to create new outfits for their
weekly Six Six Sick party, and are launching a jewelry
line for spring 2010. Christina is the designer of the
jewelry line Arms and Armory http://armsandarmoryjewelry.com, which is sold at stores ranging from Seven New
York to Urban Outfitters. Tiffany is a jewelry designer
who has sold her own line of work around the country at
stores that include Castor & Pollux and Neiman Marcus.
Sarah A. (badlooking.blogspot.com) has always enjoyed
experimenting with art and fashion to craft the perfect
balance between personal style and comfort. Having held
various retail fashion positions, she has seen the
inner workings of a variety of fashion capitols, all
while polishing her own ability to create.
Jeralyn Mason (illwearanycoloraslongasitsblack.com) spent
seven years in New York working at Beacon’s Closet and
writing about fashion before moving back to her hometown
of Boston to join her brother in opening a buy/sell/trade
boutique called Rescue. When she’s not busy at the store,
she puts her degree in creative writing to good use by
blogging about fashion, music and the other minutiae of
her life.
Pamela Liou (pamalamala.blogspot.com) is a blogger,
playwright, and jewelry designer. She has interned and
written for Refinery29 and recently launched her jewelry
line, Langoliers, which integrates metalwork with her
love of macrame, knitting, and other handicrafts.
Nikki Moose (www.dirtyflaws.com) is an Urban Outfitters
employee and considers herself the love child of
Gareth Pugh and Grace Jones. Inspired by all things
black, white, obscure, heavy, and see through, she
starting DIYing to recreate her favorite designers’ most
outrageous pieces.
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All clothing courtesy of Urban Outfitters.