Be more confident: How to Make Clothes Look Vintage and Worn

How to Make Clothes Look Vintage and Worn

Embrace your inner shredder! It's the key to your best
vintage looking apparel! Making clothes appear vintage and
worn is an ongoing trend that flits in and out of mainstream
fashion but clings on in many indy fashion interpretations
whatever else is in season. Customizing your clothes in this
manner is guaranteed to make them unique, interesting, and
personalized, so making them look vintage and worn can be a
great way to set your standard clothes apart from the crowd.
The following steps provide numerous ways to turn your new
into old, while still retaining a great style.

!! Steps !!

Ensure good fit [1] before beginning. The processes set out in this
article are not designed to change the size; they are designed to
change the appearance.

* Wash the clothes [2] thoroughly before proceeding. This will
assure that bleeding and shrinkage has taken place _before_
antiquing the clothing.

Choose a suitable workspace. Since you'll be cutting, slashing, and
attacking your clothes, use an area where damage won't be an issue
and where the surface is strong. Good choices include an old
gardening bench, a concrete [3] garage floor, or outside somewhere.

Size up your clothing. At this stage, decide how much damage you're
willing to inflict on the clothing to change its appearance. If
you're reticent, put the item away, as the changes will be
permanent.

* This is a good opportunity to plan the appearance changes that
you'd like to make. Sketch [4] or write down your hoped-for
outcome and match the methods to the desired look.

Age your t-shirt. An aged t-shirt is a great starter project because
t-shirts [5] don't cost a lot and yet can be made to look fantastic
when antiqued. Some suggestions for aging them include:

* A broken-in and worn away look: Cut away the sleeves or neckline.
Once you start the cut, stop using the scissors and simply tear
away the rest of the fabric. This will you give your t-shirt that
"curled" look.

* Really aged look: A more aged look can be achieved by using
sandpaper [6].[1] [7] Find sandpaper of about 100 grit or heavier.
Rub it over the t-shirt in the places where you'd like it to
appear more aged; the sandpaper will fray the fibers and make the
shirt softer and more worn in appearance. An electric sander also
works well and makes for faster results. Be sure to sand the edges
of the shirt along the cuts, or along the neck, arm and waist
line.

Distress (artificially make old) denim. This is probably the best
known fabric subjected to aging techniques in a wide variety of
fashion styles.

Distress the edges with a razor blade. As you wash the fibers will
separate and give you a shagged look. Starting at the edges of the
jeans, make small cuts along the top edges in line with the edge of
the jeans. You don't need to go over every edge. Just nicking the
fabric enough to allow it to fray during washing. A razor [8], X-acto
knife or utility knife works best. Use caution to avoid cutting
yourself.

* Destructed denim can look sexy and sophisticated if you
wear it well and with complimenting pieces. Rip jeans [9] for the
ultimate distressed look. Make a small cut and then tear with your
hands. Ask for help from someone stronger if this proves difficult
for you!

* For torn knees or other torn areas such as the thighs: Try on the
jeans, and with a pencil or sewing marker, make a horizontal mark
across the front of your knee while you're sitting. Remove the
jeans and make a small hole along the line big enough to fit in a
finger or two. Rip the jeans [10] the remainder of the desired
width. Knees and thighs tend to show highest wear on normally
wearing jeans.

* When grating [11], sanding or filing the jeans, place a block of
wood inside the leg. That way, if you grate, sand, or file too
hard, you won't press through to the other side of the leg.[2]
[12]

* Power tools are your friend! Use hand and power sanders
to fray [13] fabrics and soften cottons.right Use power tools to
achieve an older look on clothing. As explained for aging
t-shirts, worn areas can be made by using sand paper (100 grit or
heavier) along the butt, other knee, sides or near the pockets of
many fabrics. This process is much faster if you have an electric
sander. Just be sure to use a fabric that can withstand this
pressure; clearly a fabric such as silk or satin will respond
poorly.

Wash the doctored items. In many instances, the previous steps will
prepare the fabric but won't necessarily fray or change the color of
the item. For that, you'll need to wash them. Once you have snipped,
sliced or torn, put all of your items in the washing machine and
wash on medium heat with half laundry detergent [14] _and_ half
borax or OxiClean.

* The detergents will soften the water and assist the fraying
process.

* Dry the items completely in the dryer [15].

* Examine the distressed areas. Fraying should begin in the the
areas you've torn or sliced. If not, redo the above process and
make the cuts deeper. If some fraying has begun and you want more,
you can begin to tear and pull some of the strings to encourage
more circumferential fraying.

* A wire [16] brush, grater or nail file can also assist in causing
fraying. Alternatively, use a rasp over stones, such as stones
inside a pocket.[3] [17]

Fade your jeans [18]. For a faded look, do not use bleach unless you
know what you're doing. For best results: wash your clothes with
detergent, find a secure place outside in a sunny area, hang your
clothes right side out, and leave outside for up to two weeks. Make
sure to move your clothes pins daily and rotate how the clothes
hang, in order to avoid clothes pin (peg) lines or causing the item
to become darker on one side. Your clothes will be stiff. Take your
clothes inside and wash in warm water with detergent and borax or
OxiClean. Dry in a dryer. Fabric softener [19] can also be used.

* If you want to use bleach, wear gloves and be very careful because
every drip will cause fading; also, be prepared to work fast as
bleach damages the fabric and the sooner you can wash it off, the
better. Lay the jeans on an old towel or cloth that you don't use
anymore (it will get stained too). If you don't want the back of
the leg to look like the front, stuff the legs with plastic
grocery bags to prevent the design leaking through to the other
leg. Apply the bleach using a sponge [20] rather than randomly
dipping and squeezing. Use strokes with the sponge to create
effects and avoid unwanted drips from the sponge. Work most on the
areas you want to be faded the most. Turn the jeans over once
you've done one side and do the other side. Then, wash in cold
water using a normal cycle but exclude any other clothes. Dry as
normal.[4] [21] Other alternatives include using a wash cloth or a
spray bottle in place of a sponge, for different effects; if
spraying, wear goggles.

Think beyond the usual methods. There are a number of "extreme"
methods that can be used for aging clothes. While these will take a
little more strategy and should only be performed by a responsible
adult, they can produce spectacular results providing that you
accept that there is no guarantee of the end look nor even that your
clothes will survive the punishing treatment! Some of the methods
you might like to consider include:

* Take your unworn jeans, jackets and shirts to the range for target
practice [22]. Fire a few rounds and you'll see awesome distressed
looks on the garments. Just be sure to avoid the zippers. Wash
them and wear.

* Use a high power washer. Lay clothes on the pavement or against a
wall and use the washer on them.

* Use an axe [23]. Hit clothes with the axe at varying angles.

* Bury clothes in the yard for a few days.[5] [24] Cotton and wool
seem to respond best, and for really distressed clothing (such as
for Halloween or a spooky role play), add rotten pond water and
leave for a few months.[6] [25]

* Use the clothes in a tug of war with your dog.

* Lay clothes across the driveway for a few days.

* Roll around in a parking lot or other gritty or graveled surface
with soft items such as leather [26].

* Use rough repairs. If you break major or supporting
threads in the fabric when aging the clothing, tacking this
portion back together using a rough or homely repair can add to
the distressed look of the item.

!! Video !!

!! Tips !!

* With sandpaper, you can use heavier grade for the tougher areas
and finer grade for the finer areas of the fabric.[7] [27]

* For a slightly yellowed look you can dip clothes into a tea bath
(Several tea bags, hot water and enough water to cover clothes-add
more tea bags for darker color). This is also a great way to alter
the "wash" of a pair of jeans. Especially helpful if you think
they are too blue, you are sick of them, a friend has the same
style and wash, etc.

* When cutting with a razor blade, cut along the edge and not
against it. You can be more liberal with cuttings around the lower
legs where the jeans touch the floor. You can even cut those with
scissors making sure to cut only the slightest amount off and
never to cut above the hem unless you wish to remove it.

* If distressing clothing for a play or for role playing, judicious
use of paint can be very useful. Careless application of dye can
also have a useful impact.

* The heavier the fabric, the harder it is to age it. Denim and
t-shirts of heavy 100 percent cotton are the hardest but also
harder to over do.

* Try looking for shirts in thrift stores. You may be able to find
some well used items or items that you can practice on.

* Try buying jeans with a lighter colored wash. Those look more
natural when you age them than a dark (new) looking pair with
tears and rips.

* If you overdo it in a vital area, you can repair it with a fabric
patch. Don't bother trying to match it. Just sew or iron on the
most obnoxious patch you can find.

!! Warnings !!

* In all cases, test areas first. This can limit damage that is
unbecoming as opposed to damage that you'd really like to see!

* Only use weapons to damage clothes if you fully understand how to
operate the weapons and can do so safely within the law. (Ask a
hunter friend to take a few items out to target practice on.)

* Children should not be allowed to use sharp cutting instruments or
power tools.

* Don't try sanding on the kitchen table or any other delicate
surface. Always prefer surfaces where it doesn't matter what
damage, bleaching, or spills occur.

* Always be careful when using sharp tools of any kind.

* If in doubt, always test it out. Buy a thrift store version to
experiment on first rather than damaging something you treasure or
that cost a lot more. Once you feel confident on the cheaper item,
you can move on gradually to other items.

* If you don't tell your friends how you did it, they won't be able
to copy you.

* Do not try washing your clothes with poker chips, rocks, bb's,
etc. Doing so will ruin your washer and dryer.

!! Things You'll Need !!

* Razor, scissors, blade, etc.

* Sandpaper (and/or electric sander)

* Washing machine

* Dryer

* Laundry detergent

* Borax (optional for water softening)

* OxiClean (optional for water softening)

* Clothesline

* Clothes pins (pegs)

* Shotguns, chainsaws, powertools, etc., for the more extreme aging
methods

!! Related WikiHows !!

* How to Rip Your Own Jeans [28]

* How to Make Professional Looking Ripped Jeans [29]

* How to Make Jeans Look Ripped by Cutting Them [30]

* How to Distress a Denim Skirt [31]

* How to Make Dirty Denim Distressed Cut Off Shorts [32]

!! Sources And Citations !!

!! Article Tools !!

* Read on wikiHow

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Saturday 15 January 2011

How to Make Clothes Look Vintage and Worn

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