I'm working my way through this 6-pack of sheer tights that I bought, DIYing each one in a different way. This is number 4! I've changed it up here a little; instead of using stencils for this one I'm using a rubber stamp, which I made myself. I've also done love-hearts again, but you can make these with basically any kind of design! Here's some quick designs I made to get you into the mood + give you some inspiration!
So here's the DIY bit!
What you need:
- An eraser
- A small, sharp knife of some kind, like a craft knife (...but be careful!)
- Some scissors
- A pair of sheer tights
- Some fabric/acrylic paint
- Clear nail polish
- A paintbrush (optional)
- A paintbrush (optional)
- A hairdryer (optional)
- Time!!
1. Make your rubber stamp
- Get an eraser and draw your design onto it with pen.
-Cut off the excess outside bits with scissors.
- Using a small, sharp knife, carefully work your way around the lines of your design. Carve and peel away the excess parts of the eraser. Your design should stick out from the rest of the eraser at least 1/4 of a cm (1/10th of an inch).
- Using the paint you're planning on using for your tights, test out your stamp on some pieces of paper. You'll be able to work out if your stamp is the right shape, what amount of paint to use, and also how much pressure to use when stamping. Here above, you can see that the stamp still needs some trimming around the edges.
- I'm happy with how they're turning out now. Time to start stamping some tights!
2. Painting your tights
- Wear your tights. Press your stamp against your tights/leg.
What happened when I did mine, in about half the stamps, only the outline of the stamp worked (I guess because human legs are generally quite soft and squishy compared to paper on a table, or something). This actually looked pretty cool, and in the other hearts where more of the paint transferred than this, I used a paintbrush to fill them in completely.
- Once you've finished painting the fronts of your tights, either use a blowdryer to dry the paint, or wait about half an hour.
- Then, using clear nailpolish, coat all the painted sections completely.
- Use a blowdryer to dry (or wait for a while again), then wait at least another half an hour, then carefully peel off your tights. If there's HEAPS of paint still on your leg, stop, and let it dry for longer, or they won't work out.
- Wear your tights backwards and do the other side!
Pretty cute, huh?
Total cost: about $2 - $3.
Also, you should probably listen to this while DIYing. It's called "It's Nice to Be Alive" by Aussie band Ball Park Music, and it is probably the happiest song ever; I had it on repeat basically the whole time I was painting my legs today.
Enjoy your day!
Much love, Annika xxx
