DIY: Madewell Paris Tee

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a self-proclaimed Madewell fangirl. I spotted this tee in the brand's fall lookbook and for some reason, I just had to have it. If you know me at all, I'm not one to often don a tee and pair of jeans. Sadly, not only is this tee $45, it's also back-ordered until January of next year! Yeah right! Within a day I was off to the store to gather everything I needed to make this incredibly simple piece for myself.

What you'll need:

• a grey heather tee (mine was $6 from Target)
• cardstock
• an Exacto knife and blades
• black fabric paint
• a paint brush or sponge
• tape
• a piece of cardboard and newspaper

First, print out your text on a piece of cardstock. I recognized this font immediately as Impact, a standard font in Microsoft Office, which was what initially inspired me to make this tee on my own. I made the text as large as I could without it overflowing onto a second line in the word document.

Next, cut out your letters carefully using your Exacto knife. Save the inside pieces of the "P" and "R", you'll be using them later.

Next, insert a piece of cardboard or newspaper inside your tee. This will keep the fabric paint from seeping through to the back of the shirt.

Tape your stencil down across the chest of your tee, including the inside pieces of some of the letter "P", "A" and "R".

Then apply your paint. I used a drybrush technique to create a distressed look. I knew I wouldn't be able to create clean and exact lines that would look as good as a professionally screen printed shirt, so I just decided to work with it.

I let the first coat dry for about twenty minutes and then refined and darkened certain areas. Following the directions on the fabric paint bottle, I let the tee dry for 36 hours and then washed it inside out.

That's it! My text ended up being a little off center, so I regret no taking the time the align it more accurately. So far I've worn this to class several times and no one has been able to tell the difference. Good luck!