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Black and Orange t-shirts with Halloween designs made with bleach
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4.67 from 3 votes

Halloween Bleach Dyed T-Shirts

Halloween Bleach Dyed T-Shirts are made using cute signs from Dollar Tree and turn out so cool you won't believe how easy they are to make!
Cook Time45 minutes

Ingredients

  • Wood Halloween Sign
  • T-Shirt
  • Washable Adhesive spray like Basting Spray or Glue Stick
  • Spray Bottle
  • Bleach
  • Water
  • Cardboard
  • Trash Bag or Plastic Tablecloth

Instructions

  • Spray the back of the wood sign with basting spray or other washable adhesive spray until it is slightly sticky to the touch. If you don't have basting spray, you can use a glue stick instead. See note.
    Hand spraying basting spray on the back of a wood Halloween sign
  • Place a piece of cardboard inside the t-shirt to protect the back of the shirt from the bleach spray. Ideally, the cardboard should be big enough to fill the entire shirt. Place the shirt down on a trash bag or something else that will protect the surface in a WELL VENTILATED area (outside is best as long as it isn't windy).
    Black t-shirt with cardboard inside it on a black trash bag
  • Place the sign sticky side down on the t-shirt and press well so it adheres.
    Hands sticking wood sign to t-shirt
  • Make sure the spray nozzle on your spray bottle is turned so you get a fine mist (test this with water). Mix 1 part water and 1 part bleach in the bottle and begin spraying it over the sign. I started by spraying inside the sign, then sprayed around the outside of the sign, trying to move around the sign in an even circle. You only need to get the fabric lightly wet, so DO NOT soak it with the bleach water. If you do you will ruin your shirt because the bleach will begin to leak under the sign.
    Spraying around the wood sign with bleach and water mixture
  • As you wait, you will begin to see the spray lightening up the fabric around the sign. Be patient and don't spray more immediately as it takes a few minutes to see where you have sprayed. After 5 minutes or so you can add more spray in any areas it seems like you have missed. Again, do not soak the fabric.
    Spraying around the wood sign with bleach and water mixture as bleach begins to lighten the fabric
  • Allow the bleach spray to dry for 20-30 minutes, then gently peel the wood sign off the shirt.
    Peeling the wood sign off the shirt to reveal the design
  • Immediately rinse the shirt in running water until the entire shirt is very wet, including all the parts that were bleached. Rinse and wring out the shirt a couple of times, then wash and dry it on a normal cycle in your machine before wearing.
    Black t-shirt with Halloween design created with bleach

Notes

I think using washable adhesive spray is the easiest way to do this craft - you can find basting spray or washable adhesive in the craft or sewing sections of most large stores. However, if you don't want to purchase that, you can use a glue stick instead. For best results, lightly rub the glue stick over the entire back of the wood sign to make sure it will stick to the shirt. I found it was easiest to use one of the purple glue sticks so you can see whether you've covered the entire area. Wipe off any little globs of glue that get stuck along the edges of the wood sign before placing the sign down on the shirt. Continue following the directions above.
This craft is pretty easy, but since you are using bleach to "dye" the shirt it's hard to predict *exactly* how it will turn out. If you have a particular result in mind, you may want to experiment on some old shirts first.