Cut Out + Keep

Heart On My Sleeve

Update an old shirt

https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/heart-on-my-sleeve • Posted by charity_chic

How to use household bleach to create a printed pattern on a shirt.

You will need

Project Budget
Almost Nothing

Time

2 h 00

Difficulty

Nice & Simple
Medium p1130503

Description

How to use household bleach to create a printed pattern on a shirt.

Instructions

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    Start with an old shirt. The shirt should be a bright or dark colour for the best effect. Look for one in natural fibres like cotton. Mine was a polyester/rayon mix, so my prints came out lighter instead of white, but that's OK too.

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    Decide what kind of shape you want to print. I chose a heart, inspired by Burberry's infamous heart-print shirt. Take a rubber and draw the shape onto it.

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    Using a stanley knife or scalpel, carefully cut around the shape to make a stamp.

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    Make your own bleach 'stamp pad' by pouring a little bleach onto a few layers of kitchen roll in a container. I'm using ordinary household bleach, undiluted.

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    It's a good idea to do a test on the fabric on an area that won't show. This way you can work out how much bleach to use, and how long to leave the colours to develop. You'll also get an idea of what your final colour will be like.

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    Start printing! Just make sure to place a plastic bag between inside the shirt to stop bleach soaking through multiple layers of fabric. I cut my shirt into pieces and sewed it back together as I was adjusting the size, but if yours already fits you won't need to do that.

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    Same for the sleeves. You'll want to put a plastic bag inside these too.

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    When you're done, leave the bleach to work on the fabric. When you're satisfied with the colour, put the shirt in the washing machine on the rinse cycle.

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    Wear with pride!