Custom Beach Cover-up

Custom Beach Cover-up

Posted by DecoArt on Jul 14th 2019

Summer is officially upon us, which means pool parties and endless hours at the beach. I’ve been rocking the same bathing suit cover-up for a few seasons now and thought it was time to give myself an upgrade. Instead of buying a brand new one, I thought it would be fun to upcycle one out of a men’s shirt!

I’ve seen collared shirt cover-ups, but I wanted to create a custom one. With a little snip here and a stitch there, I was able to take in my men’s shirt so the overall shirt fit was better and the sleeves were shorter.  To breathe some life into my very plain white men’s shirt, I used the DecoArt SoSoft paint. Since I plan on living in my new cover-up this summer, the SoSoft Paint is perfect since it’s washable and stays soft and flexible. Check out the video tutorial below to see how you can make your own DIY custom beach cover-up!

Written instructions below.


Items Needed:
DecoArt SoSoft Fabric Paint - Lamp Black 
Men's shirt
Paintbrush
Sewing machine (needle and coordinating thread) 
Straight pins
Scissors
Paper or cardboard (to place inside the shirt)

Step 1: Turn sleeves inside out.

Step 2: Cut sleeve 1 inch above the button sleeve opening.

Step 3: Lay a shirt that fits you so the arm is directly on top of the men’s shirt and draw a ling ¼ inch below the sleeve. This will help the sleeve fit better.

Step 4: Use the sleeve you just cut as a guide to cut the other sleeve.

Step 5: Then, repeat step 3 on the other arm.

Step 6: Use the middle piece of the arm you cut as a guide for the other arm.

Step 7: Sew over the line you drew on the arm and then sew down the side of the shirt about 2 inches.

Step 8: Trim the excess fabric under the stitches.

Step 9: Turn the cut sleeve right side out and place inside of the armhole. Position it so the button opening is in the back.

Step 10: Pin around the opening.

Step 11: Sew around the arm with ¼ inch seam allowance.

Step 12: Repeat steps 6-11 on the other arm.

Step 13: Place a piece of paper or cardboard inside your shirt.

Step 14: Begin adding lines to the front of the shirt with the DecoArt SoSoft paint in Lamp Black. Keep adding paint until you have a thick line. Add lines all over the front right side of the shirt.

Step 15: Move your paper over to the left side of your shirt and begin adding stripes all over.

Step 16: Fold your paper in half and place inside of the left arm. Begin adding lines all over the entire arm.

Step 17: Add lines to the right side. Let the paint dry overnight.

Step 18: Once the front is dry, flip your shirt over. Add the paper to the inside and begin adding lines all over.

Step 19: Fold your paper in half, place it inside the arm and begin adding lines. Repeat on the other arm.

I’m super pumped to head to the beach in my new and stylish DIY custom beach cover-up. Be sure to check out all of the other color options of DecoArt SoSoft paint. Even if you’re not in the market for a beach cover-up, you can still use this simple technique to create a cool custom top or pants!