Misadventure! Fun and games with a Clorox bleach pen
Bleach is great. A half-and-half mixture of bleach and water, when used in a spray bottle, is better than fabric paint for creating stencils on dark fabric, while a Clorox bleach pen is handy for adding detail work or lettering.
This shirt is a great example. I got a stencil blank (though you can also use any sheet of thin plastic like a transparency) and drew my design. Then I used a sharp X-acto knife to cut out the parts that I wanted to bleach. When you cut stencils, remember that the parts of plastic that you want to remain must all be connected. I half-filled an empty spray bottle that I had around the house and then topped it off with water. Then I went to town – well, really I went to the laundry room. The bleach works very quickly, so there is all sorts of instant gratification. A quick run through the washing machine and my shirt was ready to wear.
But I forgot the first rule of using bleach as an art supply. And the shirt I was wearing (one of my favorites) paid the price. That’s right, you guessed it, I got bleach on my favorite bright blue shirt. So remember, as you spritz your way to fantastic t-shirts and unique fabrics, wear appropriate clothing that you aren’t afraid to mess up.
And of course I have plans to salvage my shirt. I’m all about repurposing. I am definitely going to need a new bleach pen. [Marianne Kirby]
