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FABRIC STUDDINGwith Jeralyn of I’ll Wear Any Color as Long as It’s Black

NOTE: Studding may take time and some strong hands, but it can be done on everything from jackets to dresses, acces-sories and even shoes. With a little extra effort, even leather can be studded. Just take your time to align and be careful!

SUPPLIES

Metal studs

Awl/sharp knife

HOW TO

1. Use the tailor’s chalk to mark the fabric with the pattern you want the studs to follow.

2. With the awl or knife, poke a hole through the fabric (with thicker fabrics, like leather, be careful not to use too much force because you don’t want it to tear).

3. Studs 101: There are two kinds of studs: one comes in two pieces—the front stud piece and the backpiece, which is often a flat piece with a connector that goes through the fabric and into the front; the second kind of stud is only a front piece with four small claws that must be pushed individually into the fabric.

When using a two-piece stud, push the back piece up * through the hole that has been created and, lining the two rods up, press the front piece down onto the rod until it clicks and is secured through the fabric.

If you’re using a one-piece stud, simply place the stud * on the fabric and, pulling the fabric taught, press the claws through and bend them into place, two at a time. Fold the back of the stud against the fabric. If you are using bigger studs or a thicker material, such as leath-er, use a rubber mallet to be sure the back of the studs are tight and secure.

4. Continue making holes for the next stud. Align them one at a time, only after the former stud is in place, that way they will be perfectly aligned side by side with out any mistakes.

5. Repeat as necessary!

Tailor’s chalk

Rubber mallet

Garment

FABRIC SHREDDINGwith Sarah A. of Bad Looking/Disposable City

NOTE: Fabric shredding involves a good deal of patience and a gentle touch. Unfortunately, it’s best done by hand because needles and other tools make it easier to tear the threads. Go slowly until you get the hang of it, otherwise you will be left with holes in your shred.

SUPPLIES

Clothing/fabric

Preferably something soft and tight knit. Thicker * material will be more difficult to shred but is less likely to rip. Softer material is better for learning, but easier to tear.

Fabric shears

HOW TO

1. Using the fabric shears, cut along the bottom of the article of clothing to remove the hem. It is important that the cut goes along the natural weave of the fabric, allow-ing for an even start to the shredding. Make sure there are no loose strings that could easily snag or make the process more difficult.

2. Pull the fabric taught in hand and, starting towards the center of the now unfinished hem, pick gently at the frayed end to tear just the first unhemmed strings from the bottom of the weave. The fabric should begin to lightly unravel.

3. Once a small area has been distressed, gently pull the intact fabric away from the garment allowing the shredded part to grow. Try not to tear the strings as they come away from one another, instead loosen them from their tight weave without removing them too far from their interlock.

4. As soon as a few inches of that given section have been frayed vertically, move along the cut hem until the entire length of the desired shredded area has been shredded at least two or three inches. (If the shredding is done evenly across the bottom, the shredding will come out as one entire area. If a more abstract and striped look is desired, shred several inches at a time all the way to the top of the fabric before expanding the shreds across the bottom.)

5. After the area has started to shred, it is easier to do as an entire portion – the different started areas will bleed into one another and the entire area will become unified rather than uniform lines side by side.

6. Continue to pull gently at the loosened fabric until the desired area has been shredded.

FABRIC CUTTINGwith Tiffany of The Six Six Sick Girls

NOTE: The secret to fabric cutting is that you must measure! Cutting seems like an easy enough task, but make sure the slits are wear you want them, and even try on the garment after you’ve marked it with chalk to make sure it’s the right spot. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a destroyed dress or a T-shirt that’s unintentionally revealing.

SUPPLIES

Fabric Shears

Jersey or plain fabric clothing, like a dress or T-shirt

Tailor’s chalk

Ruler

HOW TO

1. Lay the garment onto a flat surface.

2. Measure a 1-inch area at the center of the dress or shirt, using the ruler, and with the tailor’s chalk draw a line running down each side of the 1-inch area.

3. Measure ½ inch away from the edge of both the left and the right side of the dress, and draw a line running down the sides.

4. Using fabric shears, cut slashes between the outside left side and the left of center line. Be sure that they are neither too close nor too far away to achieve desired look. Repeat on the right side.

CHAIN CROCHETwith Pam Liou of Pamalamala

NOTE: This bracelet looks very lux, but the construction is as straight forward as possible. Chain knitting is very slippery, so make sure you don’t rush! Once you drop a stitch, you may have to start over. This tutorial works with chain with a good diameter. Too fine a chain would make casting off very difficult.

SUPPLIES

1 Wooden dowel (8-inch circumference with a central hole)

7 Nails (as brads, any size)

4 yards of 6mm brass chain

4 brass jump rings (small metal pieces to connect chain)

Pliers/tweezers

Charms/beads (optional)

HOW TO

PART I–THE SPOOL

There are pre-made spools available at most commercial craft stores, but it is very simple to make one. Hammer seven nails around any doughnut-shaped wood or foamcore dowel. The circumference of the dowel should be 1 to 2 inches longer than the circumference of your wrist. It is a good idea to take this measurement beforehand.

PART II–CROCHETING

1. Thread the chain through the spool, letting approximately three inches hang from the bottom

2. Wrap the chain around all the brads in a counter-clockwise direction.

3. Cast on by placing the chain on the outside of the first brad. Using a crochet hook or pointed stick (I use a sanded down chop stick! The more low-tech the better), reach under the lower chain loop and hook the loop and

over the brad. Do this with each brad.

4. Place the chain on the outside of the first brad, and pull the previous chain loop over the brad and repeat with the six other brads.

5. Repeat Step 4 to desired width. After each round, pull the chain downward to move the knitted cord through the spool.

6. To cast the chain off of the spool, wind one without slipping the loops over the brad. Secure the knitting with jump rings by connecting the chain hole from the bottom loops to the top loops. Cut the chain, and secure end with jump ring. If you’d like, this is an excellent base for charm bracelets. Add anything with jump rings through the loops of the chain.

JEWELRY DESIGNwith Christina of The Six Six Sick Girls

NOTE: Creating jewelry may seem like it requires a fine eye and a variety of tools, but this fringe necklace takes minimal supplies and no previous experience.

SUPPLIES

Fringe

Chain

Double-fold seam binding

HOW TO

1. Decide upon a pattern for layering the fringe. The design may vary in length and width depending on the desired look, but should make a sizable breast plate.

2. Lay the seam binding flat and, placing the fringe upon it, fold the seam binding around the fringe, sandwiching it.

3. Place the chain amongst the fringe, leaving enough to create the necklace circumference as well as some detailing.

4. Pin the seam binding around the chain and fringe.

5. Hand-stitch the binding to the fringe, making sure that everything is held in place, including the chain.

6. Use the embroidery floss for a little added detail.

Embroidery floss

Large-hole needle

Pins

DISTRESSED DENIMwith Nikki Moose of Dirty Flaws

NOTE: Be as precise or imprecise as you want, as there’s no right or wrong way to do this.

SUPPLIES

Desired denim

Wooden board or sturdy surface

Exact-O Knife or razor

HOW TO

1. Lay denim out flat.

2. Place board between front and back of jeans, inside the leg.

3. Using the razor, slice anywhere from 2 to 4 inches across the leg. Do this as many or as few times as desired, all the way down the legs. The bigger the better!

4. After slicing the denim to desired amount, take the razor parallel to the tears and gently graze across the tears to loosen the threads from one another (similar method to Steps 2 and 3 of the shredding tutorial) to make the “dis-tressed” look and roughen the clean cuts from the razor. Repeat this step until satisfied.

5. After the area has started to shred, it is easier to do as an entire portion – the different started areas will bleed into one another and the entire area will become unified rather than uniform lines side by side.

6. Continue to pull gently at the loosened fabric until the desired area has been shredded.

WHO’S THAT GIRL?

The Six Six Sick Girls (sixsixsick.blogspot.com) most frequently collaborate to create new outfits for their weekly Six Six Sick party, and are launching a jewelry line for spring 2010. Christina is the designer of the jewelry line Arms and Armory http://armsandarmoryjew-elry.com, which is sold at stores ranging from Seven New York to Urban Outfitters. Tiffany is a jewelry designer who has sold her own line of work around the country at stores that include Castor & Pollux and Neiman Marcus.

Sarah A. (badlooking.blogspot.com) has always enjoyed experimenting with art and fashion to craft the perfect balance between personal style and comfort. Having held various retail fashion positions, she has seen the inner workings of a variety of fashion capitols, all while polishing her own ability to create.

Jeralyn Mason (illwearanycoloraslongasitsblack.com) spent seven years in New York working at Beacon’s Closet and writing about fashion before moving back to her hometown of Boston to join her brother in opening a buy/sell/trade boutique called Rescue. When she’s not busy at the store, she puts her degree in creative writing to good use by blogging about fashion, music and the other minutiae of her life.

Pamela Liou (pamalamala.blogspot.com) is a blogger, playwright, and jewelry designer. She has interned and written for Refinery29 and recently launched her jewelry line, Langoliers, which integrates metalwork with her love of macrame, knitting, and other handicrafts.

Nikki Moose (www.dirtyflaws.com) is an Urban Outfitters employee and considers herself the love child of Gareth Pugh and Grace Jones. Inspired by all things black, white, obscure, heavy, and see through, she starting DIYing to recreate her favorite designers’ most outrageous pieces.

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All clothing courtesy of Urban Outfitters.