Let me go ahead and apologize for the lack of instructional pictures, but this DIY is fast, fun, & easy so I'm sharing it anyway. Raise your hand if you've ever tie-dyed anything before? Okay, so everyone. Well, this is the same thing but with a black T-shirt & bleach. My goal was to create a grid pattern like this, and while my final result is less grid-like and more stripe, I still love how it turned out. You can create any tie-dye effect you want (here's a great tutorial on how to achieve different designs), but for the grid effect, read below.
SUPPLIES
• 100% Cotton Tee
• Bleach
• Rubber Bands
• 2 Pieces of Wood or Plexiglass
• Gloves
• Bucket
DIRECTIONS
1. Start with the t-shirt. To create the grid pattern, you need to fold the t-shirt like an accordion. This video is a perfect example of how you should fold your shirt. Wrap a couple rubber bands around the shirt to keep it folded.
2. Grab the wood and bind it around the t-shirt with rubber bands Use as many rubber bands as you need to make sure the wood is secure. This will prevent the bleach from reaching areas of the t-shirt that you do not want it to.
3. Put on your gloves and start mixing the bleach with water in a bucket. Use 1 cup of water for every 4 cups of bleach.
4. We are ready to start bleaching! Dip the shirt in the bleach for a few seconds (seriously, only a few seconds). As soon as you remove the shirt, take off the rubber bands (I cut mine away with a pair of scissors), unfold the shirt and rinse in water. You will notice the black starts to fade almost immediately into a rust color.
5. After rinsing, hang the shirt to dry. The color will continue to fade, and once it is dry, throw the shirt in the washing machine to remove any excess bleach.
NOTES
• Only use 100% cotton when bleaching otherwise the fabric will erode and holes will form.
• Make sure you wear gloves and are in a well-ventilated area (preferably outside) when bleaching.
XO – Courtney
