DIY: How to Bedazzle a Shirt

Embellished shirts are expensive but cheap plain shirts tend to be boring. However, for most of us, our budget says buy the boring plain shirt. After you learn how easy and cheaper it is to bedazzle a shirt, you’ll be happy buying that ordinary solid color shirt. The t-shirt used in this project was one I found on clearance for $4.00 and the stencil I found at the dollar store.
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For this project I used:
1 t shirt
Stencil
Gold metallic fabric paint
Paint brush
Black diamond 12ss rhinestones (about 170 rhinestones)
Gem Tac
Wax tipped tool or tweezers
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​Easy Steps to Bedazzle a Shirt
 
Wash and dry your shirt.
Because I like my designs to be somewhat symmetrical, I like to mark with chalk the position of the designs. Chalk works great because you can brush off your marks if you need to make a change and it easily washes out. 

​Once I marked out the position of my design, I was ready to paint. You can use a shirt board If you have one; place it on the inside of the shirt. Usually, I just use a piece of thick cardboard I have laying around. Using the chalk marks, position your stencil and apply the fabric paint using a paint brush. Either a foam brush or a regular paint brush works fine. 

​Remove the stencil and clean it off before repositioning it. When you are done painting, allow to dry completely.
 
I chose the rhinestone color of black diamond because I liked how it reflected off the black of the shirt and yet didn’t overpower the gold color of the stencil designs.
Again, I marked with chalk the design of the rhinestones.

​If the material to the t-shirt is thin, you may want to leave the shirt board in place when gluing or place a piece of wax paper on the inside of the shirt.
To glue your rhinestones, place a drop of glue slightly smaller than the rhinestone on the shirt. Then, using your wax tipped tool or tweezers, pick up a rhinestone and gently press it into the glue drop. Continue gluing until your design is complete. Allow to dry flat for 24 hours.
 

How much do you think you’d pay in retail for this shirt? At least $25. But by doing it yourself, you can bedazzle a shirt for $10-$15 depending on the brand of rhinestones you choose to use. You’ll feel trendy and stylish while keeping to your budget.