diy friday: dotted denim

It’s friday, so you know what that means…

I’m beyond excited to share today’s diy friday project with you.

denim, jean and chambray are classic timeless pieces that got a revival for spring and will still be super trendy this fall. I invested in a fabulous denim shirt from banana republic (take a peek) thats become a wardrobe workhorse, but I really wanted something fun, and whimsical.

I had been on the hunt for a polka dot chambray shirt and after discovering ones outside my price range or not to my liking, I just decided to make my own!

To create your own spotted shirt, you will need a few things: A chambray or denim shirt will work, but a lighter weight chambray shirt will give you the least amount of work. I wanted a cheap one that fit, so I turned to H&M and invested $15 in mine. They have a bunch of colors, weights & shades. For spot-on spots, you will also need to pick up a scrappers hole punch to make the large polka dots, I used a 13/16 of an inch (I wouldn’t go any bigger, but you could go smaller!). As for iron on paper (or adhesive fabric, I used iron on printable paper) make sure you get the kind that is 1) for dark fabrics, 2) stretchable, 3) washable & 4) good quality. I paid $10 for 3 sheets, but if you purchase poor quality paper your shirt won’t last!

Start out by ironing your denim shirt, it needs to be wrinkle-free otherwise your polka dots will wrinkle & crinkle. While your shirt cools, punch out your dots with iron on paper using your scrapper punch. Then peel off the paper backing & place your polka dots in accordance to the iron on paper instructions. For polka dots, I started by placing mine in a diagonal pattern, then adjust some of the dots slightly to make it a little less perfect.

Do each panel separately. For example, I dotted & ironed one front side, then the other, then the collar, sleeves & back. You iron on paper should come with a cover sheet, use the cover sheet to slowly iron on the polka dots with medium to high heat and no steam. After you are finished, let the shirt sit and cool for about a half hour and then try it on. When you try it on you may see places where the dots are peeling due to wear, make a mental note of these before taking it off. Now quickly re-iron without the cover sheet with minimal pressure to even out some of the peeling parts. After you let it cool, you will be ready to wear!

Insta-update: I tracked my progress via instagram