Easy & Stylish Bleach-Dyed Sweatshirt Tutorial using Dollar Store Supplies

So whoever originally created this bleach-dying technique is simply a GENIUS!

This fashion look is definitely not for everyone, but I happen to think it is oh so cute……so if you want to give it a try, I’m sharing the steps I took to achieve it!

It took me no time at all to create this custom shirt & my daughter just LOVES how it came out!

It’s pretty hard to impress a 12yr old, so I’m feeling like SUPER MOM about this project!

FIRST– here’s a list of Supplies I used:

• Purple Sweatshirt came from Family Dollar…on clearance for $5!!! SCORE!!
• Hello Sign is from Dollar Tree
• Cardboard scrap
• Spray Bottle- Dollar Tree
• Bleach
• Old Towel/Rags
• Rubber Gloves

**Please note that not all fashion items will bleach the same.

Some might be a trial & error thing…….I tried this same technique on a red Comfort Color brand t-shirt & it didn’t even look like I sprayed bleach on it!….weird right?! I’ll try again, but just know that your RESULTS MAY VARY with the technique!!

–Comfort Color t-shirts & sweatshirts are my favorite brand–so I was bummed this didn’t take. I do love chalk-painting shirts though. If you’re interested in checking out those tutorials, CLICK HERE for tshirt OR CLICK HERE for another sweatshirt I did!!

I’ll update you if I can figure out what might have happened trying the bleach on the comfort color brand!

NOW…..the steps for Making this awesome sweatshirt!!!

STEP 1

Wash & Dry Before

You may be okay skipping this step, so it’s just a strong suggestion. I like to wash & dry my item before doing anything to it. Mostly because I want it to go ahead & shrink a little (which we all know that happens most of the time LOL…sometimes more than we want).

I DO NOT use fabric softener though. Just to be sure that the shirt fibers would not be resistant to the bleach.

STEP 2

Cut Cardboard

It’s helpful to cut a piece of scrap cardboard to layer between shirt. This will help prevent any major bleed-thru to the back of your shirt. If you’re not concerned with this, then totally skip this step too.

STEP 3

Lay out old towels

I chose to lay out some old towels to protect the grass from all the bleach being sprayed. You could lay out an old shower curtain liner, drop cloth etc. OR…..if you’re not worried about this, again you could skip this step.

STEP 4

Prepare & Place your Stencil

I chose to use a Dollar Tree Hello Sign as my stencil. I popped off the top layer of sign. It is made from MDF wood & it was so perfect for this! I found it near the photo frames section of my Dollar Tree.

You could use SOOOOO many different things as stencils for this technique though. If you’ve ever tried this bleach spray look, let me know what you used as a stencil!! 🙂

STEP 5

Pour Bleach into Spray Bottle

At this point you may need to put on rubber gloves….especially if your skin is easily irritated.

I opted to not dilute my bleach. Since I was working outdoors, diluting the odor was not a concern. But you can also do 1 part water/1 part bleach as an alternative. It should not affect the overall look.

STEP 6

Spray Bleach over Stencil

I used the SPRAY setting for most of the spraying time….concentrating over the stencil area. Hold bottle directly above the stencil to spray heavy versus holding it at an angle….that’ll prevent bleach going underneath the stencil in a major way.

I then used the STREAM setting to add more splatter drips here & there.

I knew my daughter would like more splatter, so I also was sure to spray the cuffs & bottom band of the shirt…..those extra splatters really made the look!!

Exactly how much splatter you add is UP TO YOU!!

STEP 7

Remove Stencil & Allow to Dry in Sun

I picked up stencil & then allowed the shirt to dry outside in the sun for about 30min.

I could already tell how cute it was going to turn out, but I waited patiently for the bleach to do its thing.

STEP 8

Wash & Dry AGAIN

After shirt is completely dry from the sun & you can see that fabric has bleached(about 30min), you can rinse with cold water first, then wash & dry

OR I skipped the rinsing part just to test what would happen. It didn’t affect my design at all. So I just threw my shirt in the wash without soap. & then dried it! TADA!!!

My sweet girl just LOVED her custom shirt & she made the perfect little model!

It has such a unique look & she says she wants to try this on some other clothing items too! Let me know if you’re INSPIRED to give it a try yourself!!

Y’all be sure to PIN this idea for later…..

just tap on any blog picture to save to your Pinterest boards!

If you do give this project a TRY, I’d just LOVE if you would show us how yours came out by posting in my FREE GROUP on Facebook!!

The Creative Sharing Group is such an inspirational & positive space for people who love all the pretty & crafty things!!!

Thanks so much for checking out the blog!! Have a SUPER BLESSED day! I appreciate you so much for being here! –Summer 🙂