i forgot to update you on the progress of the t-shirts. i say progress, because in true kat-fashion, they are still not completed.
we paid very little for the shirts: manlyman's was on a rack at the pharmacy, & thehobbit's & mine were from the thrift shop. there were black t-shirts galore at the thrift shop, but few with no graphics - happily we eventually found what we needed.
so... first you'll need to tie rubber bands onto your shirts in your chosen pattern. we opted for stripes that stop a third of the way down. fill a container (that you do not use for cooking) with bleach & water; 50/50. you needn't use much bleach/water for this - perhaps 3 inches deep.
dip your shirts in; do only one at a time; as deep as you want the color to change. if you want the entire shirt altered, wear gloves so you can retrieve it. you should see the change from black to brownish quite quickly. when you do, pull it out, and immediately hose it down. oh. i forgot to say that you should do this outside, on concrete. i imagine that in the tub with the shower ready should work too.
that's my shirt on the right. i like the way it came out, but i had hoped for thicker stripes. next time i'll add more bands for each stripe. manlyman's didn't work at all. i think there was too much fabric, so the bleach water didn't get all the way through. i also accidentally tipped his upside down, causing the liquid to run into the black below. we all thought it looked cool regardless - by we i mean everyone else who saw it. i am still a tad bummed it wasn't what i'd planned.
this last shirt is thehobbit's, & it is by far the best one. i wish i'd taken photos of them dry & on, but at least these aren't from clipart!
i was surprised by the brown - was i the only person who thought it would lighten to gray? - but i like it. i definitely prefer this method to traditional tie dye; it was quick, & there is no risk of fading. i'm curious to see what other colors will bleach to.
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we wore them to homeschool day at disneyland, & received a great many compliments (i never managed to get the skulls on.) we shall need to wear them again on friday for the trip to the county fair, so i have a few more days to finish them.
go reverse-dye something you scurvy knave!
~peace.
2 comments:
I remember doing this with my brother, back at home. He wore the finished article for years. It's great fun and quite addictive, soon you'll have everything tie dyed!
i can see its addictive quality. i'm already thinking about free-handed designs using the bleach water.
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