Hi everyone!

Today I will be doing a DIY on how I added some gold and silver ribbons to decorate and spice up your shirt. I was inspired by a sports jersey. The design looks like this and let me show you how I did it. 

For this DIY, you can choose any shirt you like. I chose silver and gold glitter ribbons because I like difference in contrast against the black tshirt.

The items you will need are a pair of scissors, fabric glue, and ribbons of your choice. As for me, I picked silver and gold glitter. Other optional items include fray glue or clear nail polish.

There are a few things to note when doing this DIY.

I recommend getting a tshirt that does not stretch out while it is being worn. This really depends on the material of the tshirt. 

This is because ribbons are not elastic. Unless you get the elastic type of ribbons, the ribbons may constrict the sleeves part of the tshirt. 

To prevent this, get a shirt that is not stretchy or doesn’t stretch out while it is being worn.

To add on, the type of ribbons you get may not be exactly the same. This depends on the width, color and material which may helps to add some texture and pattern. If you choose ribbons with a thinner width, you can add a few more layers of ribbons. But, if you get a wider ribbon in terms of length you may not add as much. So its really personal preferences, as for me, I only have 2 layers, one silver and one gold ribbon.

To start, get an old shirt or  top that you are alright with using. As for me, I chose my black shirt.

Using the sleeve, measure the tshirt to see where you want to place the ribbon.


As for me, I chose the gold ribbon to be 1cm above the seam.


 Next, I marked out where the ribbon should be. You do not really need a ruler to be that accurate and precise, as long as both sleeves are identical, it should be fine. Next, taking the ribbon, I measured the circumference of the sleeve.

I measured the sleeve using the ribbon. 

I measured the top part of the sleeve and fold the ribbon to double it in terms of length.

Then take the ribbon and cut it to the desired length. When cutting the ribbon, cut it in a v shape instead of straight across to prevent the ribbon from fraying.



I do recommend to cut it slightly longer than need so you can trim off the excess. Remember if it is too longer, you can cut it shorter but it if it to short, you cannot make it longer. Yes, you can use a few ribbons to form one round around the sleeve of your shirt but I think it would be neater to use one long piece instead of a few little pieces.

Repeat the same steps for the silver ribbon, measure and cut.

After cutting for an optional step, if you are worried the ribbons may fray, take some fray glue or nail polish to apply at the ends of the ribbon. For a precautionery measure, I placed my ribbons against the shirt to check or any problems and to see if you are satisfied with the length and how it looks.

I glued the ribbons because I was sewing challenged but if you are able to sew it on, that will be even better. Please note where is the best place to end it. I recommend putting it on the inside or the inner part of the sleeve or if not  the side edges where it may be a little less obvious as compared to the top part of your sleeves.


When glueing the ribbon onto the sleeve, make sure to press it down so that it sitcks properly.

Once I am done with the first sleeve, I move onto the next sleeve using the original sleeve as a guide or reference for measurements. It is the same steps as before, measure, cut and paste.


Once you finish pasting, you are done with the sleeves!

Moving onto the ends of the shirt, it is also the same steps. The only difference is that the ribbons are longer so you have to be a little but more careful when pasting it on. Since the ribbon was long, I did one side at a time. I glued the first bit of the ribbon and paste it on the front of the shirt compared to gluing the whole ribbon.

Measure,

 glue,

Moving onto the silver ribbon,

I really like the outcome of the shirt. I like the color contrast of the ribbons against the black tshirt and how it kind of looks like a sports jersey. I hope you guys will like it too! 

xo

carissa