Non-accidental Bleaching

 
For those of us in the northeast, this last weekend was quite the blizzard, which meant a lot of time stuck inside. My friends and I kept busy, however. What better a way to pass the time than crafting? This week's adventure was bleaching a t-shirt. Everyone at some point or another has opened the washing machine and realized that they accidentally got bleach on their favorite outfit (Bummer!). We decided to try our hand at "ruining" a shirt on purpose instead, and it came out pretty great!

What you'll need:
- A t-shirt
- cardstock
- scissors 
- cardboard
- a spray bottle
- liquid bleach
- a place to rinse the shirt out

The first step: pick your victim. I got my shirt at Goodwill, but Michael's has a great selection too. Or, better yet, raid your closet for a t-shirt you never wear and turn it into a handmade outfit. One note about picking your t-shirt: consider colors. The darker the shirt, the better, and remember that black when bleached turns a weird rust-yellow color. This could look really cool, but if you're expecting grey, you'll be disappointed.

Next, pick your design. Keep in mind that you are going to use the outline of whatever design you choose as a stencil for your shirt. You could draw something yourself, or do what I did and find something off the internet. Can you guess what I chose? Yep, yet another Harry Potter reference: the deathly hallows symbol. (I also referenced my addiction to HP in my first blog post) I liked this one because it was easy to cut out and represented my inner geek. Draw/print your design on cardstock and cut it out.

Next, mix the bleach solution. I used 1 part bleach to 3 parts water. I know it sounds really watered down, but it works just fine. Pour it into a spray bottle and you're ready to go.

Put a piece of cardboard in between your shirt (where your body would go). This keeps the bleach from seeping through to the back. I forgot to cover the neck hole of my shirt, so it is slightly bleached on the inside too, but luckily it didn't get through to the back. I also spread some wax paper down (newspaper would work too) so that the spray didn't accidentally get on the table. Lay your stencil where you want it on the shirt and press it down firmly. I know it seems like you need something to stick it to the shirt, but you really don't. It works like a charm as is.

The next step is to spray the shirt. Make sure you are standing almost directly over it. This way none of it seeps under the stencil. Because we did ours on the table, we had to stand on a chair to spray it. Be sure to spray evenly, making sure the entire area you want to bleach is damp, but not soaked.

Now you have to stand there and watch it. You'll be able to see it start to change colors. (I removed the stencil so I could watch the contrast more closely.) It is kind of like playing chicken with yourself, because as soon as you like the way it looks you have to run the shirt to the sink and rinse it out. The longer you leave it, the greater the contrast. In retrospect, I probably would have left mine a little while longer, but I still like the way it turns out. If you chicken out too early, you can always dry the shirt and do it again. Just lay the stencil in the same spot and repeat the steps.

Once you've rinsed it out, hang it up to dry completely. I would recommend washing it separately from the rest of your clothes the first time, just in case there is any bleach residue hanging out in your awesome new outfit.

There you have it! People are definitely impressed that we did this ourselves, and it makes your average t-shirt so much more exciting for very little money. The possibilities are endless, so enjoy creating your own wardrobe. Happy crafting!!