DIY Patterned Button Down Shirt

Happy November!

I'm so excited to show you guys how to make this DIY patterned button down! I don't know about everyone else but I love outfits with a fun and unexpected pattern. They can be dressed up or down and generally make an outfit look more fashionable and put together.

Unfortunately for me, most patterned button downs that I run across are either b̶u̶t̶t̶ ̶u̶g̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶o̶o̶ ̶e̶x̶p̶e̶n̶s̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶m̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶i̶f̶t̶y̶ ̶b̶e̶h̶i̶n̶d̶ not exactly my style or a little pricey.

Like this one from Neiman Marcus (www.neimanmarcus.com):

It's cute right? It's $590 lolololololol. So you know, it's cute but like...so is paying the rent. If you're like me and don't want to r̶i̶s̶k̶ ̶e̶v̶i̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ drop a few hundred dollars on one shirt, you can make a cute patterned one like I did!

What You'll Need

For this project you will need:

1) A Shirt
For a project with a real upcycle or refashion feel, you can find perfectly good button downs at the thrift store for dirt cheap-sometimes even brands like Express and the Limited.

Or, if you're not into the whole wearing-other-people's-clothes thing, you can definitely pick up a new one from H&M or Target. Use any color you like, I picked a plain white one.

2) A Stencil
I got lucky and found a wheel of beautiful feather stencils at Dollar Tree (of course). I thought a feather print would look soft and whimsical. Choose any stencil you like at a craft store or WalMart.

Alternately, you can DIY a stencil if you have a steady hand (I don't) and are patient (I'm not). Print or draw anything you like and use an Xacto knife or a very sharp blade to cut it out.

3) Craft or Fabric Paint
While fabric paint is probably a good option, you can use craft paint. Have you ever tried to get craft paint out of your clothes? IT DOESN'T COME OUT. (Trust me, I know. RIP to my favorite hoodie from high school.) So you can definitely use it for stenciling. I used the Apple Barrel craft paint that's fifty cents a bottle at WalMart because I had some laying around.

4) Sponge, Water, A Paper Plate and a Wet Wipe
You'll need a sponge to dab the paint over the stencils and a paper plate or a piece of cardboard to pour the paint on. I suggest a makeup or craft sponge. You'll also need water to rinse your sponge and a wet wipe or moist paper towel to wipe it down between stencils.

I won't do a full-fledged tutorial here because it's pretty self-explanatory and people have done it before but here are some tips from my project:

• Make sure to rotate your stencil for nice variations on the pattern, UNLESS you want to print in straight lines. That could be cool too!
  
• Rinse your sponge often if you're doing lots of different colors like I did, or your stencils will get muddy.
• Wipe the stencil down in between prints to make sure you don't smear your design. Also, keep your stencil as flat as you can, otherwise the paint will spread under the stencil and your design will come out all bloopy.
• Use a light hand when picking up the paint. Too much paint will make it cakey and weird looking and anyway, a little bit goes a long way! You just want to lightly stain for a printed look.
  
• Open your shirt up so that if the paint leaks through, it won't ruin the other side. For the sleeves, I folded up some paper and stuck it inside.
• Don't forget to stencil your sleeves and collar! I stenciled some feathers leading off the edge to mimic printed fabric as much as possible.

I used a ton of bright colors because that's just what I like but you can definitely use more neutral colors or even just one! Adding a pattern to existing clothing is a great way to upcycle or refashion an old clothing items you might have lying around.

I styled this shirt with a mini-skirt and one strap heels but more than likely, I'll wear it to the office with a cardigan and jeans. How would you wear it? Do you think you'll try this project?

Thanks for reading!