Last week, my mom and I did some acid wash and tie dye! It was super easy and I can’t wait for you to see the results. If you’re looking to try it out, I used:
1. Gloves
2. Plastic bags
3. Bleach
4. Squirt bottles
5. Rubber bands
6. A metal tray
7. Bunch of cotton shirts
They’re are about to look so sick!
First, make sure your space is prepped. I recommend working outside because of the bleach. You’re going to grab some rubber bands and start bunching and rolling your shirts. I did three different designs to test it out. I used a black long sleeve, a yellow long sleeve and a black short sleeve.
You want make sure they are cotton and not synthetic fabrics so they dye properly. Also keep in mind that the tighter your shirts and more rubber bands you use, the more space you’ll have without bleach.
Try and find strong rubber bands, too because I broke a million of these and you want to make sure they’re properly holding your fabric in place.
Once everything is rubber banded up and secure, you’re ready to bleach!
I carefully poured on non-diluted bleach using a squirt bottle and rubbed it in on certain spots using the gloves.
I’ve never purposefully dyed fabric with bleach before - only by accident!
So I wanted to be conservative because I can always add more. I used a plastic bag behind it to catch any bleach but picked it up throughout so it wouldn’t pool at the bottom.
I also got into some of the creases to create a more splotchy look on the two black shirts. But I wanted more of a sunburst on the yellow long sleeve. They started changing color almost immediately! You can adjust the hues by diluting the bleach with water but I personally wanted a really washed out look.
I let them sit for about thirty minutes in the sun and then took them inside to rinse and remove all the rubber bands.
You want to try to rinse as much bleach as possible out with cold water. I used gloves for this, too because I hate the smell of bleach on my fingers. The patterns look so cool!
After they’re rinsed, it’s time to put them through the wash. Grab your shirt and a tide pod - don’t eat it! - and put on a cold small cycle. Then throw them in the dryer with some sheets to make them extra cozy. Personally love lavender.
And BOOM - you’re ready to go! I love the splotchy patterns going up the sleeves and check out the back! So cool! And there’s more! I’m obsessed with how these turned out! Stay tuned for part two to see the marble dyed shirts! Thanks for joining and tag me if you try it out for yourself! Perfect for recycling old tees. I can’t wait to see your acid wash designs.