My kids seem to be growing especially fast these days, so when I find a cute tee or dress on sale for a great deal, I usually buy their current size plus the size I know they’ll soon be fitting into. I found some bright neon shirts at Target a while back and bought a few colors, knowing they would be perfect for school and play time for my 9 year old. But when it came time to size up, I thought I’d make the tees a little more unique, and use up some sequins from my hoarded stash supplies. That’s how this sequin tee DIY was born. 
You may recall I made some cute sequin bracelets a while back? Well, I still have several bags of sequins just hanging around, so inspired by the Crew Cuts catalog which offers a bunch of cute sequined embellished tees for a bajillion dollars, I decided to make my own. I ordered a bottle of glue especially made for this type of DIY, and got to work, creating a couple of cute tee options for my sweet little gal. I decided to start with an easy pattern, this Peter Pan version, and have since created a simple heart tee and next I want to try my hand at creating an ombre star burst pattern running along the tee from top to bottom. That may be a little ambitious, but nevertheless, this sequin tee is super easy to create and just takes a bit of patience and good lighting so your eyes don’t cross.
Supplies:
Gem-Tac glue
Plain tee or dress
Colored sequins, flat is ideal, available at a craft store or online
Optional template and disappearing fabric marker
If you prefer, cut out a template in the desired shape, and outline in a fabric marker that disappears after time. I personally tend to have a sloppy eye so the visual guide helped tremendously.
I found the easiest way to apply the glue to the sequins was to squeeze some out on a paper plate, and using a toothpick, gently dab on a tiny amount to the back of each sequin, and then carefully position in place. The glue dries clear so if some smooshes through the hole in the center of the sequins, it’s not a big deal, it will pretty much disappear when it dries.
Start with the outline of your design, and then fill in from there. It doesn’t have to be super perfect, as long as the general design is pretty obvious, a few sequins barely out of place won’t matter when you or your little one is actually wearing the item.
Continue filling in and then let dry for at least an hour before wearing. We’ve washed it once so far and the sequins have held up, but I would guess the glue will eventually wear off over many washes, which is fine if you’re making this shirt for young growing kids, but may mean it won’t last as long for us grown ups. 
My little fashionista loves her shirt, even though when I asked her outright if she liked it, she simply replied “Sure.” Actions speak louder than words though, as evidenced by running to put it on right after I made it. The design and color possibilities are endless here, and these are great for both little girls and grown up gals. Have fun with it and get creative.
Andrea Howe
Andrea is the founder of For The Love Of, a lifestyle blog dedicated to approachable, modern living. She writes about style, her love of DIY, and living a healthier life through wholesome, nutritious cooking. She is also a regular contributor at Babble. You can find Andrea on Instagram @andreavhowe and @gwynethmademedoit
