Show Off Your School Pride With These DIY Fashions

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It’s about that time to start preparing for the new school year. In less than a month, college students across the nation will pack up their bags and move back to their dorms and apartments.

Students are making schedules, talking to advisors, looking up pricey textbooks, and trying to coordinate with roommates about who brings the mini-fridge and who brings the coffee maker.

But if you’re like most college students, the course load and school supply lists are not the causes of your excitement for move-in day.

September means seeing friends again, living under your own roof, football tailgates, and rejoining clubs. Overall, you get to experience the wonderful campus that you bragged to your friends from home about all summer long.

Whether you are an incoming freshman or are returning to campus as an upperclassman, having pride for your school is definitely something to boast about.

With a few of these DIY ideas, you can show off the love you have for your school in your room, in the classroom, or at the next big game!

T-Shirts: The clothing at your university shops are usually pretty expensive and you can’t walk to class without seeing several people wearing the same, plain “[insert school's name here]” t-shirt that you own.

Looking to get a little more creative? Plan a DIY afternoon with a few of your friends and create some one-of-a-kind spirit wear.

The most colorful option is to tie-dye a shirt with your school colors. The top doesn’t have to be a plain white t-shirt to do this. Most likely, you’ve acquired quite a collection of t-shirts during your time at college. They could be from a club, a sporting event, the bookstore, or one of the dozens of information fairs set up on campus during the year.

Using a t-shirt with your school’s name, logo, or mascot already printed on the shirt will make your tie-dye (or whatever form of altercation) even more awesome. To tie-dye, just check out some of these tutorials. You can choose one of your school’s colors to make a bold statement or alternate between the different hues.

Another way to add an innovative streak to college t-shirts is to change up the design and shape of the shirt. All you need is a pair of scissors and some guidance to be ready for the next school event.

One no-sew way to add flair is to create a beaded fringe t-shirt. The name is pretty self-explanatory: simply cut the bottom of the shirt into small sections, or fringes, and cut off the sleeves and about an inch of the neckline to create a tank top shape.

From there, you can add beads in your school colors to the fringes and tie a knot so that they hold in place. Step-by-step instructions can be found here.

image via pinterest.com

For a touch of more feminine fashion, you can try turning your school pride t-shirt into a dress. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, follow these guidelines and attach fabric and elastic to your shirt to create a cinched dress.

You can get creative with this DIY by picking out a coordinated and patterned fabric to work with the shirt. The dressier structure of the outfit will also allow you to wear it to more events.

Hair Accessories: If you’re looking for a simpler way to show off your school pride, jazz up your ponytail with some colorful hair accessories.

Using a plain hair tie as a base, tie ribbons in your school colors all around the tie until the entire band is covered with knots and the ends of the ribbons hang.

If you are into headbands, you can cover an old, plastic band with the fabric of your choice. Using simple sewing or fabric glue, attach the ends of the fabric together on the underside of the headband.

If you aren’t one for waste, you can even use scraps from the DIY t-shirt you created to make a comfy school pride headband. The headband requires two rectangular pieces of fabric crossed together and attached on the ends, as seen in this simple tutorial.

image via likealady.net

Shoes: Proud of your school’s flag or mascot?

Show off your pride and your artistic talent by using paint or thin sharpies to recreate the image on a pair of plain canvas tennis shoes (such as white Keds).

Before adding the actual, permanent color, trace the design lightly in pencil. Need inspiration? Just take a look at these Michigan and Maryland school DIY shoes.

Well-decorated hand-made shoes can be expensive to buy online, but if you have the patience and steady hands for a do-it-yourself mission, the supplies you need for the project will be relatively cheap.

image via pinterest.com

Nails: Painting your nails is another fun and easy way to decorate yourself with your college’s colors or letters.

Paint your nails before the first day of classes and add an accent nail with your school’s abbreviation or attempt at a mascot painted on.

If you want more accuracy with your design, check out University Nail Pax and their custom-designed school logo nail wraps. The price for these adhesives is only $12 for 32 nail wraps.

The company doesn’t have every college’s logo available right now, but according to Nail It! magazine, around 100 different universities will be accessible within the next few months.

image via pinterest.com

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