Custom 'Quote' T-shirt

Quick and easy way to get a ‘new’ shirt!

I was curious what the end result would look like if I wrote on a shirt with bleach.  I used a navy t-shirt I in my closet, a little bowl of bleach and voila! -  New shirt!

Turns out, it was fun and easy, and I like the finished product!

What you’ll need:

·      Dark t-shirt

·      Bleach

·      Glass bowl (to put a small amount of bleach in)

·      Q-tips

·      Newspapers and/or towel (to put in between the front and back of shirt when bleaching)

 
I took a navy blue shirt I already had but didn’t wear much- so I wasn’t concerned if I ruined it.

I decided what design I wanted on the shirt.  After thinking about it for a while, I decided to write ‘love and laughter.’   I usually sign letters or emails ‘love and laughter’ so I figured that would be perfect for my shirt!

First, I laid newspapers all over the table. Just in case any bleach spilled.  I also changed into clothes I wouldn’t care if they ended up bleached.

Then I put a towel between the layers of shirt (cardboard or newspaper work too).  When I do this again, I will also put a thick piece of cardboard on top of the towel so I have a harder surface to draw/ write on.

Now, I was ready to start.  I just dipped one end of the Q-tip in bleach, then wrote- carefully- on the shirt using the Q-tip like a pencil.

It took a little while for the bleach to soak in and ‘bleach’ the shirt.   I re-traced the places I thought needed it.  I added the three hearts, and I was done!

I recommend washing the shirt immediately (and by itself) to wash out the bleach.

And, now you have a new shirt!  I think I’m going to make more!

T-shirt Refashion and Tutorial

Supplies Needed:

     * Cotton t-shirt

     * Extra shirt to use to cut up- I used a kids gray t-shirt that was a “my embroidery machine- ate-my-shirt” casualty

     * Scissors

     * Thread

     * Sewing machine

     I started with a plain gray long-sleeve shirt I had that I never wore.  It was in great shape (because it was never worn!) so I thought, why not?  I’ll see what I can do with it!  What do I have to lose (Besides a shirt that I never wore anyway)?  

-    I took the extra shirt and cut strips off the bottom (roughly an inch and a half).  The stripes were in a loop, so I cut one end making one long strip.

-    I sewed a seam down the middle of each strip using a basting stitch (wide stitch width) setting on my machine because I wanted to create a ‘ruffle’ look.  

    

-    Then I created the ‘ruffle’ by gathering the strips of fabric.  You do this by grabbing one thread and tugging gently on the thread and pushing the fabric in the opposite direction until the fabric is ‘gathered’ to the desired look.  Basically how ‘ruffly’ you want the strips to look.

      

-    Arrange the ‘ruffles’ on the shirt where you want them to go. You might have to loosen or tighten the gathering a bit to make the ruffle fit. The most time-consuming part for me was deciding where to put all the 'ruffles'.  Once you decide where you want the 'ruffles' to go, the shirt will be done super fast!

 -   Pin the ruffle strips onto the shirt where you’d like them to go so they will stay in place when you sew.  Because I used a toddler t-shirt to make the ruffles, my strips were short, so I had to use two strips to cover the length of the neckline.  

 

-    I wanted a somewhat ‘abstract’ look so I made each ‘layer’ slightly different. I tried the shirt on before I sewed the ruffles on to make sure I was happy with the way the shirt would look on.

-   Sew the ruffles onto the shirt.  

-    Now, just cut all the long threads left over from gathering the 'ruffles.'  Make sure you're happy with the way the 'ruffles' look- if not, you can add more!

-    And, done!  Now you have a fabulous new shirt to wear! 

The first time I wore mine I received a bunch of compliments!  

 LOVE when that happens!