As evidenced by my recent DIY Inspiration post, windowpane-print is everywhere! It’s a graphic, eye-catching statement that is reminiscent of checks and tartans, but feels oh-so-fresh this year. I wanted to find a way to mimic the look without splurging for it – and without messy fabric-painting; some way that would create crisp, bold lines in a cinch.
And I figured out how to make it easily (with a little help from some trim and double-stick fabric tape). Here’s how:
You Need:
item of clothing (my sweatshirt is Hanes Live.Love.Color in White) / about 8 yds black woven trim (mine was 1/2″ wide) / 8 yds Peel & Stick hem tape (around 2 rolls) / scissors / ruler (not pictured) / marking chalk (not pictured) / pin or needle / black fabric marker (optional, not pictured)
How To:
1. (Wash and dry your shirt first to prevent shrinkage.) Fold the shirt in half at the front and mark the center with a pin or needle. Lay the shirt down on a flat surface.
2. Make a small mark on either side of the pins at the collar. (I measured out 2.5″ between marks…so 1.25″ on each side of the pins.) Make another mark straight down from each mark, near the hem.
3. Peel a section of the double-stick tape off the roll, and adhere it to the underside of the trim. (Leave the paper covering of the tape intact.) Continue to add to the underside of the trim, until you have a piece long enough to place all the way across your shirt.
4. Trim at a length that is long enough to cover your shirt at the marks, plus another 3/4″ – 1″ or so. (Sorry this photo was taken after I had already done the vertical lines…but the process is still the same!)
5. If your hem tape is wider than your trim, now trim the extra off. (It gums up your scissors so be prepared to clean them!)
6. Peel the paper backing off the hem tape, and adhere the tape to your shirt. (Mine I placed right at the edge of the marks barely covering them, so there would be a solid 2.5″ in-between each line of trim.)
7. Fold the 3/4″ extra of the trim underneath itself at the hem seam and shoulder seams (making sure the trim will still reach all the way to the seam when folded under).
8. Cut a tiny piece of hem tape and stick under the folded part to glue that down too. Press to secure at the shirt’s seams.
9. Repeat the process for each piece of trim. I found that by spacing my trim 2.5″ apart I was able to cover the whole front of a Medium-sized sweatshirt with close to 8 yards of trim. (I chose not to do the back or sleeves, but you could if you wanted to! Just make sure if you do the back, to keep the back pieces and front pieces of trim separate, folding over each at the side/shoulder seams, in order to allow ease of movement and possible shrinkage when laundering.)
10. (Optional) If you like, color in the neck ribbing (and/or the cuffs and hem) with a black fabric marker to increase the graphic contrast.
And that’s it! A funky, blocky, amazing windowpane-print piece, perfect for pairing with bold colors and graphic prints!
Happy DIY’ing!
xo
Carly
Nice project. I would probably never get mine lined up straight.
Samantha recently posted…My DIY Dannijo-inspired earrings
🙂 Haha – some of my lines aren’t lined up straight either – but it’s hard to tell once it’s in a windowpane pattern like this. The lines that cross over hide most imperfections!
This looks so easy to do! Very cool!
Thank you, Beth! It was pretty easy…though a little fiddly with all the sticky tape. But I’m happy with the result!