*** The official and awesome DIY thread ***

[Donut]

TOG the shirts are ******* sweet

 

[artishard116]

guessing you can just taper on the out seam?

 

[FlyingMonkey]

diy cutaway collar, I started with an ugly 70 style button down collar

And now you have an ugly shirt with a rough cutaway collar. Sorry, it was definitely worth a try, but this really doesn't look like a huge success.

 

[max_r]



I did this to two of my t-shirts. First attempt didn't go so well (explanation to follow). Second attempt was pretty much perfect. Instead of using Dry Packaged T-shirts, I used the premium cotton ones offered in the U.S. (I'm not sure these are available in the U.K. - they're not offered on the website and I was recently in London and didn't see them in store). Both of them have the same neck I think (or very similar at least).
******** up the first attempt because I over-thought it. Instead of just cutting out the ribbed neck part, I tried to use a seam ripper to completely remove it as well. I got the ribbed part out but also messed up some of the seams on my new hem. It looks OK, but kind of ragged and something that I may only wear for exercise in the future. The second time I kept things more simple and it turned out really well. I just cut as closely as possible without cutting the new hem. Looks like it was made that way while it's worn. If you very closely inspect the hem when it's not on anyone you can kind of tell it was cut but it's really completely unnoticeable otherwise.
I'd also recommend giving this a try if you think it looks good. I might take pics of the t-shirt I cut but I'm lazy and honestly it looks pretty much the same as the one max_r did (with an extra seam down the front middle).

thanks man!

I wish the premium cotton ones were still available, the fabric was so nice. Only problem was the smalls were a bit tight on me, and the mediums were too big

guessing you can just taper on the out seam?

i did this to a pair of walmart sweatpants with a 12" hem or something ridiculous. worked decently.

 

[wurm]



thanks man!
I wish the premium cotton ones were still available, the fabric was so nice. Only problem was the smalls were a bit tight on me, and the mediums were too big

Off-topic: The t-shirts I bought in the UK and France were the normal £10/€10 ones (with the normal collar) but the cotton was comparable to the premium ones in the U.S. The normal t-shirts in the U.S. are fine but the cotton isn't as soft. Also, the normal t-shirts I bought in London/Paris were made in Vietnam whereas both the normal and premium ones sold in the U.S. are made in China. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of stuff that's different between the two regions.

 

[TurnerE]

So, having seen the Margiela gold sneakers and fantasizing about them waaaaayyyy too much, I've finally decided that I'm going to try and DIY a pair. I have a fair amount of gold leaf lying around, so I figured I'd use that. I'm just wondering if anyone on here has attempted it before, has any advice, or any ideas about how I should go about it.
Here's the inspiration: http://www.mrporter.com/product/323642
I would probably just buy them if they made my size, but my feet are too small

 

[kindofyoung]

So, having seen the Margiela gold sneakers and fantasizing about them waaaaayyyy too much, I've finally decided that I'm going to try and DIY a pair. I have a fair amount of gold leaf lying around, so I figured I'd use that. I'm just wondering if anyone on here has attempted it before, has any advice, or any ideas about how I should go about it.
Here's the inspiration: http://www.mrporter.com/product/323642
I would probably just buy them if they made my size, but my feet are too small

so I guess you're going to take a pair of normal gats, like not the mmm ones but the ones from germany?

 

[Synthese]



So, having seen the Margiela gold sneakers and fantasizing about them waaaaayyyy too much, I've finally decided that I'm going to try and DIY a pair. I have a fair amount of gold leaf lying around, so I figured I'd use that. I'm just wondering if anyone on here has attempted it before, has any advice, or any ideas about how I should go about it. 
Here's the inspiration: http://www.mrporter.com/product/323642
I would probably just buy them if they made my size, but my feet are too small

Yes, I've done it. from the very first page :

What I did:

light layer of spray adhesive
layers of gold leaf
layers of "antique" varnish.

Mine peel constantly, so I'd experiment a bit with varnishes and stuff first. Also, it's very, very difficult to get it lay as flat and even as what they show. You could always try a combo of leaf + gold paint. I would definitely try it again. The ridges on your trainers will be tough, though.

 

[celery]

If you want to gild something here's my advice (based on quite a bit of gold leafing experience).

Apply your adhesive with a brush. Treat each area as a panel and work only that area. Use flat tweezers to hold the leaf, do not use your fingers, also be careful not to breathe towards the leaf, you want to keep it as un-crinkled as possible. Allow that area to dry before you continue.

Do not stack layers of leaf.

When an area is dry, take a clean and dry soft bristle brush and push at the edges to clean up that area. Then repeat the application process adjacent to the finished area. Take care not to touch completed areas with your fingers.

When you're done, apply varnish ( with a brush) and let it dry completely.

 

[Synthese]

^ this is good advice. I definitely rushed my job, and was happy with it being "messy," but to gild frames and whatnot you need to be much more careful than I was; so this makes good sense.

 

[kindofyoung]

pondering if I should buy or not and then paint

Because the shape is nice right? (pretty similar to the B&N oes) and then painting them either all black or all white could turn out rather cool

 

[ImaPro]

What shoes are those?

If they are a good deal you should buy them, dying white sneakers black is pretty cheap/easy. Just be careful with the sole.

 

[kindofyoung]

What shoes are those?
If they are a good deal you should buy them, dying white sneakers black is pretty cheap/easy. Just be careful with the sole.

weekday, I think they are like 25 $ downtown

 

[ImaPro]

Then go for it it is a simple process. Just make sure to use oil based dye like fiebings.

Here is a pic of my dye'd KVAs.

 

[TurnerE]

so I guess you're going to take a pair of normal gats, like not the mmm ones but the ones from germany?

Yes! that's certainly the plan could you maybe recommend a good place to pick up a pair, since I've been having a little trouble with my google searches... Definitely don't want to spend 300 pounds on a pair of shoes that I'm going to gild myself!

Yes, I've done it. from the very first page :

What I did:

light layer of spray adhesive
layers of gold leaf
layers of "antique" varnish.
Mine peel constantly, so I'd experiment a bit with varnishes and stuff first. Also, it's very, very difficult to get it lay as flat and even as what they show. You could always try a combo of leaf + gold paint. I would definitely try it again. The ridges on your trainers will be tough, though.

Those look pretty cool! I definitely wouldn't mind if my shoes turned out that way, I just know it's going to be a lot of work to even get it looking that good!

If you want to gild something here's my advice (based on quite a bit of gold leafing experience).
Apply your adhesive with a brush. Treat each area as a panel and work only that area. Use flat tweezers to hold the leaf, do not use your fingers, also be careful not to breathe towards the leaf, you want to keep it as un-crinkled as possible. Allow that area to dry before you continue.
Do not stack layers of leaf.
When an area is dry, take a clean and dry soft bristle brush and push at the edges to clean up that area. Then repeat the application process adjacent to the finished area. Take care not to touch completed areas with your fingers.
When you're done, apply varnish ( with a brush) and let it dry completely.

WOW! thanks so much for this great advice, although it seems like quite a project, your post has almost made me feel more confident about the project

I'll definitely post my progress on here... sounds like it should be a fun adventure.