There’s something about summer that makes you want to reinvent the simplest things - jeans turn to cutoffs, layers get lighter, and even your most basic tank starts to feel like a blank canvas. Enter: gemstone chips. Not as you know them, but reimagined, stitched into soft cotton and catching the light with every movement.
This DIY is equal parts effortless and elevated - a little texture, a little sparkle, and just enough personality to make your everyday feel one-of-a-kind. It’s the kind of project you start on a slow afternoon and end up wearing all season long. Consider this your sign to give your basics a glow-up, one tiny stone at a time.
You'll need:
- tank top
- gemstone chips
- 8/0 Mizuki pearlized seed beads
- thin sewing needle
- thread
- scissors
Start by sorting your gemstone chips - pulling out the colors you don't want and keeping the colors you do. Thread your need with a long piece of thread, double it up and tie it in double knot at the end.
Start anywhere on the outer edge of the tank top. I like using a ribbed tank so it's easy to keep the distance between the gemstones and beads consistent. Also, the thicker the tank top the better. Pierce the edge of the strap of the tank.
Wrap the thread around the edge of the strap 3 times.
On the 3rd time, thread a gemstone onto the needle. Point the needle back down into the strap but not all the way through - I like to do this one "rib" away.
Run the needle through the inside of the strap and back out about a 3 rib distance.
Pull the thread tight. Thread on a pearl seed bead.
Note: It's important to keep your thread tight and taut so the gemstones and beads stay secure during wear.
Push the needle back into the strap (but not all the way through) one rib away. Run the needle through the inside of the strap and back out about a 3 rib distance.
Pull tight and continue alternating, keeping the gemstones and pearl beads consistently along the outer edge of the strap.
Once both outer straps are done, complete the collar of the tank.
Once you get to the end, thread the needle underneath the starting gemstone or pearl bead. Wrap the thread around the strap, just like you did in the beginning.
Tie a double/triple knot on the inside of the strap. Trim the ends. Hand wash to clean!
