Bleach Dying Cotton

If you know me, you might have seen that I've gotten really into making thrifted clothing into something unique. I've always loved the idea of having an article of clothing that nobody else has, and I love giving that feeling to others when I sell the clothes I make. 

Lauren's birthday was last Saturday, and she has fallen in love with Netflix hit TV show, Outer Banks. I'm not going to lie, it is a very interesting show. Unlike most of my friends, I'm not quite finished watching it (I'm slow with TV shows), but it is an interesting plot with a lot of "16 year olds" who are actually in their late twenties -- ha! 

Anyways, when Lauren told me how much she loves Outer Banks, I remembered this dope t-shirt that I had thrifted my freshman year that said "Outer Banks North Carolina" on it. Of course, I HAD to give it to Lauren for her birthday, so I decided to spice it up a little bit, and here's how it went! 

Pretty dope, am I right?! If you want to know all the tips and tricks I learned along the way, keep reading!

Here's a picture of the shirt I started with! Kind of boring and just orange, but it served me well. It's oversized, which I like, but I told Lauren she could crop it if she would prefer that. I purchased this baby at Goodwill in the men's t-shirt section a few years ago, and here it is in all its glory.

I then contacted Andrew Kemp, thrifting and resale god, for a few tips on bleaching clothes. Most of what I learned is from him, so if you know him and try this, tell him thanks :).

First thing I did was I found a piece of cardboard on the street and put it inside the shirt so I could bleach both sides without the dye bleeding through. I would definitely suggest this if you're bleaching something on the ground. Also, stay out of the grass because the bleach will kill it. In my experience, the bleach does not harm concrete though, so I've used the sidewalk and my driveway in the past. 

Then, grab a small cup and pour some bleach into it. I used about two full cups of bleach. I was not going for the tie dye look, more of just a splatter, so I stood at a little bit of a distance and threw the cup of bleach onto my clothing. Then the waiting game started. 

When I started, I was very nervous that it was going to look really bad, but I tried to trust the process. Once the bleach set in, I flipped the shirt and did the same thing on the other side. I let the sun shine on the shirt for a few minutes, and then dunked the shirt into a tub of cold water. Andrew recommended this step because the water stops the bleaching and helps rinse the bleach smell out a little bit. Then I washed the shirt like normal after I let it soak for 20 minutes, and it came out looking FRESH.

10/10 would recommend bleaching a t-shirt. Definitely a fun thing to do, and it will probably look dope. Let me know if y'all decide to try this! 

As always, much love and hand sanitizer.

-The Three Quarantined Gals (Avery)