Monday, 25 November 2013

Fashion Fix: How to embellish tights



I wrote this post on the sofa next to my boyfriend whose jaw has had to be picked up off the floor at the sight of this image (he's now watching the Victoria's Secret Live Feed fashion show - for research).

ANYWAY…check out her tights. I loved these a few years ago when this image first came out, and I came up with a Paisley pattern embellished tights project for an alternative bridal outfit. I had a rethink this year and ended up creating an embellished pair of tights using a William Morris pattern.

Adding gems turns a rather quirky project into a seriously good alternative to sparkly party frocks!

Photo Carly Wong
Photo Amanda Thomas
This photo was taken for an alternative Bridal Shoot. I liked the idea of adding the 'something blue' element to this Bride's tights.

Any ornate repetitive pattern will work. I have included some of my designs for you to print out and use.





And here's how to do it!

You will need:
  • A pair of 80 denier white (or pale coloured) tights
  • Long cardboard tube (i.e. poster tube)
  • Fabric marker pen
  • Fabric paints
  • Brushes
  • Turpentine
  • White spirit
  • Assorted gems
  • All purpose glue
  • Tweezers

How to:

  1. pull one leg of the tights onto the cardboard tube.
  2. draw your design with the fabric marker pen
  3. repeat steps 1 & 2 for the other leg.
  4. Fabric paints are solvent based so use turpentine to thin the fabric paint into a more wash-like consistency and white spirit to clean your brushes. Paint straight onto the tights stretched on the tube
  5. squirt some glue onto a palette.
  6. take a gem in the tweezers and dip its backside into the glue
  7. place upon the tights in your desired pattern
  8. Allow each leg to dry fully before you remove the cardboard tube. 
painting the tights in the studio

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