Do you like quick easy projects? I do! And making Bleach T-shirts could not be any easier! I decided to do one with a sort of patriotic theme since I had a slightly too large red t-shirt for my toddler. Below you will find the directions on how to make one yourself!
You Will Need:
- A Spray Bottle
- Bleach
- A dark T-shirt (or jeans, tote whatever)
- Electrical or duck tape
STEP 1:
The darker the material that your bleaching the more contrast you will get. I started with a red t-shirt that was medium dark. I used electrical tape to cut out shapes and fasten them to the shirt. You could do your child’s name. Shapes. ANYTHING!
(Tip* If you have a cricut machine you could use card stock to cut intricate designs on card stock. Then just use spray adhesive to keep them on the fabric!)
STEP 2:
Put a piece of wax paper, or paper bag between the front and back of shirt. Above I used a plastic placemat. That will keep the bleach from bleeding through. Once your tape is secure spray bleach from the spray bottle up into the air above the shirt. Let it fall down on the shirt in a light mist. If you spray it directly it’s more likely to bleed and get white too fast. You may be able to see above that my t-shirt was just starting to get white spots on it at this stage. This was about 3 “mists” in.
(TIP* Give your shirt 30-60 seconds between mists to see the full color change. The bleach will take a moment to show you how light it will go.)
(I asked my daughter if I could take her pic in the shirt, and she insisted I take a pic of her doing “a snow angel” in the grass. So umm, thats what you see. Lol.)
STEP 3:
When your shirt has lightened as much as you want it to, let it dry. After its totally dry go ahead and peel your designs off to reveal the finished shirt! If you want to add less subtle designs feel free to use a bleach pen to add bold elements. Older children can decorate their own shirts using a bleach pen alone! Add rhinestones for bling. Or if your T is a bit too big as my daughters was – use some ribbon to cinch up the arms!
And there you go! Bleach shirts! You could do these for ANY holiday! They would be fun with a moms group! Or as a party activity at an older childs birthday! Your creativity can takes the shirt from subtle to over the top. The sky is the limit:)
About Shannon SchmidShannon traded in her sensible NYC TV producer shoes (they were best for taking the subway), for a pair of Texas Cowboy boots when she married her best friend! He's at fault for making this Yankee a Texan! Shannon writes about all things that make a house a home. Her chief blogging inspiration is being the proud & slightly neurotic mom of a preschool age daughter.
You can find Shannon on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and her new favorite place to hang out, Google+.
[…] go out of our way to keep kids’ clothes free of stains, but Everyday Bests has this terrific DIY patriotic bleach T-shirt craft that makes me see purposefully placed spots can be a glorious thing. Shannon uses just a few […]