Bleached Cloud Shirt
I have a thing for clouds and just the sky in general. Perhaps you’ve seen my resin cloud pendants. My love of clouds goes back to my childhood. This cloud shirt would have been a dream come true years ago!
I saw a shirt a while back online that reminded me of the Nick & Nora cloud pajamas I wanted decades ago. Sadly, it was only sold in kids’ sizes. I started thinking about how I could make a cloud shirt for myself. I didn’t want to use vinyl, because I was afraid that that much vinyl would make the shirt too stiff and uncomfortable to wear. Same with fabric paint. But then I had the thought to use bleach! I know bleach dyeing/painting has been popular for a while now, but I’ve never done it. This seemed like the perfect time to try it.
I did a lot of research about how best to paint with bleach, and there’s a lot of variety in the information out there. I’ll tell you what worked for me and what I used—which really wasn’t much.
** I apologize in advance for the variation in colors in my photos. They were all taken outside, but in varying degrees of sun.
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Here’s my supply list:
- Sweatshirt
- Bleach
- Foam brush
- Bowl
I should have worn gloves to do this, and I did wear clothes that I wouldn’t have minded getting bleach on.
The first thing that tripped me up a little was just deciding on a shirt. I initially read that you need 100% cotton for this to work, but then I read later that a cotton/poly blend would also work. My goal was at least 50% cotton, which worked out well because most of the sweatshirts I found on Amazon were 50/50 blends. I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on something I was basically experimenting on. When I did finally settle on a shirt, I went with the slightly darker version than the lightest blue in the hopes that I’d get better contrast. The color is “denim blue,” and I think it was a good choice!
Bleach is pretty straightforward, but how much and whether or not to dilute was another matter. Some people even use bathroom cleaner that contains bleach. Since I was “painting,” I didn’t want something that I’d spray. I ended up using the least expensive bleach I could find at Target, and I didn’t dilute it.
I even read conflicting information about what to use as a paintbrush. Synthetic? Real hair? What won’t dissolve in the bleach? Since I was painting freeform clouds, I used a round sponge brush, and it worked perfectly.
The hardest part of this project was waiting for a day to get started. I did not want to work with bleach indoors, so I had to wait for a nice day to do this outside. Of course we were hit by a cold spell as soon as I got the idea. Then the temperature warmed up, but it was really windy. Really, really windy. As soon as we got a warm-ish day with little to no wind, I was ready to go!
I intended to wash my shirt before I bleached it, but I forgot, and it doesn’t seem to have made a difference. That may not always be the case, but that’s how it was for me.
Even though I painted clouds on both sides of my shirt, I used cardboard to protect each side. I cut a piece of a box to fit inside the shirt, and it did a good job of keeping the clouds from soaking through.
In addition to putting the cardboard inside the shirt, I poured some bleach into a glass bowl and set everything outside on the patio.
I dipped the sponge into the bleach and dabbed some clouds on the shirt. I just kept painting clouds all over it wherever I felt they belonged. I even got my daughter in on the fun. She helped me know when it was time to stop.
Another place step that I kept reading conflicting advice about was how long to let the bleach sit on the shirt. I read that you should rinse it right away; that you should let the bleach dry; and everything in between. Because I was working on both sides of the shirt, I didn’t let the bleach dry completely before I flipped the shirt over and started working on the back. I let both sides sit in the sun, and then I started working on the sleeves.
To get the sleeves covered the way I wanted them, I folded long pieces of cardboard in half and stuffed them inside each sleeve. That opened up the sleeve and gave me a lot of room to paint.
Once the whole shirt was covered, I let it sit for a while longer. Longer than I’d planned, actually, because I started talking to a neighbor. Totally worth it, and the shirt seems just fine.
As soon as I brought the shirt in, I rinsed it out in our utility sink. I read that that’s how you stop the bleaching process. I also read conflicting info here. Some sites said you should hand wash your shirt, but I tossed mine in the washer with a tiny bit of detergent and ran it through a quick cycle. I had planned to hang it to dry, but I ended up drying it on low heat. When it came out, the inside of the shirt was just as fuzzy as it was before I started this whole process. I took that as a sign that I hadn’t done too much damage.
And now… I’m in love with my cloud shirt!
To summarize…
- Prepare your work space, preferably outdoors (or at least in a well-ventilated area). Put cardboard inside your shirt. Pour some bleach into a bowl.
- Start dabbing clouds onto the shirt with a foam brush.
- Let the bleach sit on the shirt until you’re happy with the way the clouds look.
- Rinse the shirt out in the sink.
- Wash and dry your shirt.
- Enjoy your new cloud shirt!
This definitely won’t be our last bleach project. For one thing, I made my sweatshirt just in time for warmer weather. I may have to make a t-shirt for this summer. Also, my daughter has big plans for some designs that will most likely involve stencils. I’ll be sure to share what we come up with.
In the meantime, let me know if you try bleach painting/dyeing—or if you already have! I’d love to see what you make. You can comment below, or find me on Instagram or Facebook.
