Wahoo!! Leather-trimmed tee tutorial, totally easy.

Wahoo!! Leather-trimmed tee tutorial, totally easy.

• 5.24.2012

You can totally do this, people!  This may be the easiest tutorial I've ever done, and it's one of the coolest, too!  IMHO. ;)

So, I was inspired by this (sort of mod, a little too edgy for me) tee from Zara.  I don't normally wear super long short sleeved, loose, open neck tees like this one, but I thought the leather trim idea was a good one--fun and sort of odd juxtaposition between soft tee and edgy leather-ness!

While Google Images searching, I also found this one--perhaps an earlier season Zara?

So you get the picture.  Now I'm gonna show you how to do this to one of your own tees!  Warning: This tutorial is SUPER simple!  I won't waste your time with too many words, but you can follow along with the pics and some simple steps.

• Start with a t-shirt.  This is an old one from Target that always gets super stretched out when I wear it, so I feel too sloppy in it.  Might be perfect for this look, though!

• Get some small pieces of faux leather.  It comes in alllll colors at JoAnn, and is often on the clearance shelves--and you need soooo little, it should be very cheap.  Cut it into the shapes you want.  I had this narrow strip left over from a purse handle, so it was already sort of small--if I'd had raw materials I might have preferred pieces more like 3-4" wide.

• Place the pieces where you want them. I went for shoulder caps, sort of military-inspired, and the front pocket area (covering up an existing tiny pocket, actually!

• Using a leather needle, sew through the faux leather.  All the way around on the shoulder pieces, just the bottom 3 sides on the pocket.  **Note that faux leather doesn't want to be pinned, so either use some double sticky tape to make it stay or just hold it really well.

• Done!!  Wear and feel like a bad a**.  Kidding.  It does feel sort of edgy, though!!

How cool am I? ;)

See?  I told you, sooooooooo easy.  Great first or beginning sewing project, and great way to make an old tee more exciting.  Have fun!