DIY Tie-Dye Swimsuit Cover-up

I’ve been meaning to buy a cute swimsuit cover-up, but I’ve yet to find one that I love. So of course -- I decided to make one. Who doesn’t love a good tie-dye?! This would be a great DIY to do with a friend, so you can split the tie-dye kit.

Before & After

Supplies needed:

A white t-shirt (I bought a large, and I usually wear a medium t-shirt)

Tie Dye kit

Needle & thread

You can tie dye your shirt however you want, but if you want a spiral effect like mine, here are the steps.

1. Pinch your shirt wherever you want the center of your swirl to be.

2. Swirl your shirt around your pinch until it’s compact.

3. Divide your shirt into 6 sections with 3 rubber bands.

4. Squirt your dye in each section. Try not to overlap your colors.

5. Place shirt in a plastic bag for about 8-14 hours.

6. Rinse shirt in the bathtub.

7. Wash your shirt by itself on hot in a large sized load.

As for the braided racer back steps:

(adapted from TheSorryGirls on Youtube)

Lay your shirt out flat.

1. Starting about 1 ½ inches below the bottom of your sleeve, cut one sleeve off of your shirt, creating a U-shape.

2. Use your cut-off sleeve as a pattern to cut off your other sleeve. (Save those sleeves for later!)

3. Flip your shirt over so the back is face-up. Cut the back sleeves of your shirt, making the holes bigger ONLY in the back, making a wide racer-back shape.

4. Now, flip your shirt back over and cut off your collar. At first, I only cut about a 1-inch collar off, but I ended up cutting it more. So, I would recommend cutting about a 2-inch collar.

5. Flip to the back of the shirt again. Cut a straight line right below your collar, cutting your racer back off.

6. Divide and cut your loose piece of racer back fabric into 3 strips. Tug on the strips to make them longer and easier to braid.

7. Braid your 3 strips all the way to the top. Sew a few stitches at the end of your brad to hold it together.

8. Now take your collar and fold it in half to find the center. Make a small mark where the center of your collar is.

9. Make a few stitches connecting your braid to the center of your collar.

10. Now cut a strip of fabric from one of your cut-off sleeves, about 1 ½ inches wide and 4 inches long. You can pull on both sides of it to make it longer.

11. You’re going to use this fabric to cover your stitching. Stitch the end of the strip to the connection, and wrap it around covering your previous stitching. Connect your fabric at the end to complete your shirt.

There you are- your own tie dye swimsuit cover-up!

-A

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Hippy Happy Sunday

I decided to go with a bit of a hippy flair for this fashion post. I’m really not much of a hippy at all, but hey… who can pass up a maxi skirt on a breezy summer night?!

I love this particular skirt, because it’s simple and oh-so comfy. The small stripes can easily be thrown with a fun, printed top- like this tie-dye crop top.  The tribal platforms were a Dillard’s clearance find! And of course, stacked bracelets top off any outfit.

Next comes a bright blue hi-lo pleated skirt, neon tank, and crochet overhang. As I shared in my first fashion post, I love the trendy hi-lo hemline. The pleats really complete this skirt, giving it a little body. I picked out the crochet overhang to tame the neon tank. I thought the tasseled necklace helped tie in the boho feel of the crocheted top.

Lastly- Jorts! Surprise, surprise, right!? I just can’t get enough of them. If you’re new to the blog, check out my DIY Jorts post to see how I made these! I love the vintage sass the tie-up shirt gives this outfit. The turquoise & leather handmade cuff is one of my favorite pieces I took home from Greece- 8 € from a street vendor!

Happy Sunday!

-A

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Heart of Gold

I recently pinned a DIY gold wire bracelet from ispydiy.com, and I finally got the time to make it! It makes for such a cute addition to any outfit- it’s dainty and simple but adds a touch of girly- ness.

All you need is 5 ft of 16-gauge non-tarnish brass, jewelry pliers (round and flat) and a glass (or a jar of salsa in my case!) that's about the size of your wrist.

 1. At the end of your wire, make one hump for half of your heart. Use the round pliers to shape.

2. Next to your hump, make the valley (the V of your heart) by pinching the wire with the flat pliers.

3. Make another hump for the other half of the heart, and pull the ends together to create the heart.

4. Wrap the short end of the wire around the long wire twice to create the heart. Make sure you wrap it to where the sharp end won’t prick your skin!

5. Now wrap the long wire around your glass to create the bracelet part.

6. To make your hook, pinch the other end of your wire so that it is doubled up. This part should be about an inch long. (You’ll want to try the bracelet on to figure out where you want your hook to be.)

7. Bend the piece of doubled up wire in half to create the actual latch. (This might require an extra pair of hands!)

8. Now wrap the excess wire around 2 times and trim!

And there you are! A new handmade stackable bracelet!

-A

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