Craft T shirt tutorial with Bleach and Vinyl

Do you ever get tired of seeing the same types of shirts… all using heat transfer vinyl?  Today I have a unique and easy shirt idea that you are going to love.  This craft t shirt tutorial is so simple and cute… you are going to love it!

Using adhesive vinyl as a stencil on a shirt, you’ll add bleach, which creates an adorable look.  This adhesive vinyl, bleach craft t shirt tutorial will help you create your own unique t shirt that will look a little bit different each time you create it.

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SUPPLIES

Blank Colored T-shirt

Cutting Machine (Silhouette or Cricut)

Adhesive Vinyl

Bleach in a spray bottle

Wax paper

Transfer Tape

SVG Design of your choice

Make sure that when using bleach of any kind you follow all pre-cautions on the label and are in a well ventilated space.

Step One

First, use your cutting machine to cut the design of your choice on your Adhesive Vinyl.  This look works best when using something solid and with thicker lines.  Small intricate designs are not recommended.  Do not mirror the image.  Also as a side note, it doesn’t matter the vinyl color or if you use permanent or removable vinyl because you will be peeling the vinyl off at the end.  Check out more details about the different types of vinyl here.

Step Two

After your design is cut, next you will want to weed it.  Curious about what I mean when I say weed?  Check out this post for a guide to all the crafter lingo.  Remove all the parts of your design that you DO NOT want to change colors on your shirt.  For our example we kept the heart (because we wanted that the color of the shirt) and removed everything else around and inside it.  Now it is time to apply the decal to the shirt. 

You may or may not need transfer tape for your adhesive vinyl design depending on the complexity of it.  If you decide to use transfer tape to move your design onto the shirt make sure it is one with a light grip like this paper kind otherwise it is going to be difficult to remove and release from the vinyl.

Make sure your design is placed on the shirt without any bubbles and is firmly attached.  You want the vinyl to create a seal so the bleach doesn’t seep and bleed.

Step Three

Now it’s time for the fun part.  The transformation is about to happen.  Before you spray anything though double check that you have put wax paper, poster board, card board (anything really) in the middle of your craft t shirt so the bleach doesn’t soak through the shirt to the back.  

Spray some bleach onto your stencil design while in a well-vented room.  It takes WAY less than you think it will and the color won’t change immediately so go slow.  Once the bleach is sprayed in a few spots, use a sponge to spread the liquid out over your design.

Spread the bleach in an even manner around the edges of the stencil so that it is able to fully change the color of your craft t shirt.  Spread it from the inside out to give the illusion of a splatter paint.  

(Pinterest Graphic)

Project Tips:

Use a paper towel to wipe off the excess bleach.  Too much on the shirt can cause damage to your finished product.

If you want the shirt to dry quicker can use a heat gun.  Remember to do this on low, as it may make the adhesive vinyl melt to the craft t shirt.  I recommend to allow the bleach to dry at a natural pace to avoid melting the adhesive vinyl used as the stencil to the shirt.

Step Four:

Once the bleach is completely dry, peel up the stencil.  Ta-Da!  Isn’t it a cool look?!  This vinyl bleach craft t shirt is a nice way to add a different shirt style to your tool belt of project ideas. 

Less is definitely more with this project and it will take a full 24 hours to really see the full effect of the bleach on the shirt.  The wait time is 100% worth it though.

Check out this video where we completed this project live:

I want to see what you end up making with this bleach style of craft t shirt designs.  Make sure to share them in our FB group or give us a tag on IG when posting.

Thanks for being here and ’til next time… happy crafting, cutting, and chaos.