Okay, I'll admit, I'm a little smug about this project. I love how it turned out! Plus it's inexpensive and cheap, my favorite kind of project. Read more to see how to make your own patterned tights.
Supplies: tights, acrylic paint, fabric medium, sponge paintbrush, heart punch, adhesive vinyl or contact paper.
Step 1: Punch out a LOT of hearts (or any other shape) from a piece of adhesive vinyl or contact paper. I punched out a little more than 50 hearts from a couple of vinyl scraps.
Step 2: Cut around each heart 'negative' (aka not the actual punched heart, but the hole it leaves behind). Be sure to leave a lot of space around each punch. This makes it tons easier to stay in the lines when painting.
Step 3: Place your cut outs on your tights in whatever pattern you'd like. I think my alternating pattern turned out pretty well.
Step 4: At some point, insert paper strips into your tights to keep the paint from bleeding through to the other side.
Step 5: Apply your paint + fabric medium mixture (follow the directions on the fabric medium bottle) in a dabbing motion. I did about three coats. This step doesn't take much time at all!
Step 6: Wait for the front of your tights to dry, flip over and repeat all the steps for the back of your tights.
Voila! So easy and cute. I have to be honest though, I'm a little hesitant to wear these to work. I'm the youngest employee in my department and I frequently get called, "cute" and told, "you look like a doll." Ugh. Maybe no heart tights at work?
FYI - these tights are from the $5 tight section at Target. Surprisingly good quality!
Also, I know you're wondering if the hearts stretch too much when you put the tights on. Actually, there is only one heart on my upper thigh that looks like a pancake. All the others are intact, ha!
23 comments:
These are so cute! I've been wanting to stencil my tights – I have a couple pairs of really bright-colored ones that could use some sprucing up. Thanks for sharing your tutorial!
And quick Q : at what step did you use the fabric medium?
These are adorable! Gosh, the possibilities. So many shapes to choose from!
Great question, Esther! I just added the fabric medium to step 5. I mixed it with my paint before applying to the tights.
These are so precious. I love how easy they are to make! =)
xo,
nancy
oh my goodness you did an AMAZING job on these! they are so adorable and just perfect! I'd totally commission you to turn all my tights into these if i wouldn't get funny looks at work w/ only heart tights haha. I'm lovin that casual cute outfit & those slipons too!
http://dusanabotswana.com/
and i LOVE that you picked a place w/ a bunch of fallen leaves, great photography!
You deserve to feel smug about how these turned out, because they're really adorable! I can't wait to make a pair :-)
Thanks so much for sharing the DIY!
Believe me, at 38 you will miss those comments! Take them now, and wear what you like.. they only mean well, and heck, isn't it a good thing to be cute and look like a doll? I think so! As long as you're intelligent, competent, and a good employee, I don't think adorable tights will be a problem! You dislike those comments now, but believe me, you will wish you had lived it up a little better while you were younger! Great tutorial and I plan on dolling up some tights for myself, perhaps not with hearts though, because even if I still have a baby face, I just don't think I could pull that off without people whispering about my sanity behind my back, hahaha :)
these look so cute! need I say that I have a cat shaped puncher that I could use? :)
These are super cute. Forever in love with pretty tights so these are perfect! Definitely trying this!
Such a cute idea! Will be definitely giving these a try x
Wow ! Just popped by from the Love & Laundry party & I have to say those tights are AMAZING !! (your photos are great too btw)Im offf to make a starry pair of these for my daughters Christmas stocking !! S x
Just a quick question. Do the painted hearts hold up well in the wash?
this is so cool! what a fun project and I love the pattern!
Erica, I've washed these now and they held up fine! The fabric medium helps with that.
Hey, thanks for letting me know how they held up Katie! :)
These are SO cute!! Ive totally been into pattern tights, so what a FUN and brilliant idea to make my own! Thanks so much for sharing!!
~Maria-Isabel
www.agapelovedesigns.com
cool love this idea ;)Irene Wibowo
So adorable!
absolutely love this! have to try it!
Wow! That looks fun! I never knew you could do that! Cool! How long does it last?
Oh gosh this is BRILLIANT. I'm totally going to try this out. Thanks for the great tips~~
So cute! Love this! I would press glitter on top of the wet paint so they are glittery. I love glitter. And I love this project. Tooootally doing it. Thanks!
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