I made up these cute shirts and wanted to share how to make them. With a little planning and a few common supplies you can make your own Bleach Pen Shirts.
Supplies needed:
T-shirt
Clorox Bleach Pen
Large sheet pan or t-shirt form
About the shirts:
Any cotton or cotton blend will work. Go to your local good will store and get some sample shirts to play around with if you are worried. At a couple of dollars a piece, if you ruin it, no harm done.
Some shirts pigment will fade differently. On my pink shirts, it bleached out white. On my chocolate brown, it bleached out a reddish copper tint.
About the bleach pens:
Clorox Bleach pens found in the laundry isle work the best. Bleach has a shelf life so old bleach will not do the trick. I tried some from the dollar store that were basically just water and had no bleaching effect.
Steps:
Make sure you and your work area are safe if splashed with bleach.
Place shirts on sheet pan, using the back as your working surface.
Sketch out pattern on a piece of paper. If you cannot free hand it, lightly chalk your design on your shirt using a chalk pencil found at the craft or fabric store. Don’t use pencil because it doesn’t wash out.
Shake up the bleach pen and start it on a paper towel.
Draw design using a “piping” technique, similar to piping icing on cookies. Basically don’t put the tip of the pen to the fabric; squeeze bleach out and “lay” it down on your fabric so that it doesn’t bunch up. Lifting it up as you go creates a smoother line. Shake bleach to the tip of the pen periodically to minimize bubbles. If bubbles form, gently pop them with a skewer. I found the best results with full pens.
Leave bleach on for anywhere from a couple of minutes to 10 depending on how well the bleach is taking. When you are ready to stop the bleaching process, place pan and shirt in the sink and rinse with cold water. Be careful not to smear bleach while you rinse. The bleach “lines” will dissolve or wash down the drain. Remove pan and rinse shirt thoroughly. Dry.
There are so many fun design possibilities. I got some ideas by searching for grunge art images. This could be a great activity for a birthday party or reunion. Good Luck!
Places I’ve linked up:
http://whipperberry.com/
What a fun summer time idea…I think I will also share this with the YW Presidency. An easy inexpensive group activity. Thank you for sharing!
Love this idea. I have a few old t-shirts that I am going to try this on.
This would be fun for our soccer girls to do!
It would be fun. On the orange shirts I did, the design turned yellow. Maybe try leaving it on longer:)
This looks so fun! I am sending a link to my sister in Iowa so she can do it, too.
This is such a creative idea. I have several shirts that have bleach spots on them. Now, I just to to invest in a bleach pen and turn that spot into a pretty design! I love the flowers.
Jenn, ta-da old shirts made new! Hope they turn out great.
I checked out your site–you had me at sugar cookies with pink frosting. I’ll have to give them a try.
Thanks for the comment!
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