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DIY Bleach Tie-Dye Sweatshirt

by Nancy Reynolds May 7, 2020
24.9K

This Post: DIY Bleach Tie-Dye Sweatshirt

Tie-dye monochrome sweatshirts are all the rage! Rather than purchase one at the store for $50 (or more), why not make your own for a fraction of the cost?

My daughter has been wanting a monochrome sweatshirt for a while, so we decided to try our hand at making them ourselves. We were blown away by how fun they are to make (honestly, they can become slightly addictive) and how different each one turned out depending on the color sweatshirt we chose and the technique we used. 

They’re super easy and inexpensive to make (we made ours for $10 each) and they turn out just as awesome (and professional looking) as the ones in the stores.

Within the last couple of months, my daughter has made several sweatshirts (and t-shirts) and every single one turned out totally different. Plus, now that she’s mastered how to make them, she has given a few to friends as gifts and they flipped! 

Here are step-by-step instructions to make your very own DIY Bleach Tie-Dye Sweatshirt. 

 

Raising Teens Today may earn a small affiliate commission on some of the links included in this post. For more information, please visit our Privacy Page.

 

Supplies Needed:

  • Plain Crewneck Sweatshirt (we bought these sweatshirts from Amazon in black, maroon and grey. They’re inexpensive and they worked perfectly! (You can use t-shirts, too!)
  • Bleach (we used Clorox Bleach, but any bleach will work fine)
  • 6-10 Rubberbands
  • 16-ounce plastic squeeze condiment bottle

To get the monochromatic tie-dye sweatshirt look, (as opposed to the traditional rainbow tie-dye look) we used dark, earthy colored sweatshirts including black, maroon, grey, dark brown, navy, etc.

 

Directions to Make Tie-Dye Sweatshirt:

STEP 1:

Fill the 16-ounce plastic squeeze bottle with 3/4 bleach and 1/4 water. Holding your finger over the top of the bottle, gently shake to mix water and bleach. 

Depending on the look you’re going for, you can use 1/2 bleach and 1/2 water or fill the bottle entirely with bleach. The amount of bleach you use will impact the look of the sweatshirt. (When my daughter and I bleached a different black sweatshirt, we filled the entire bottle with bleach and the sweatshirt turned out black with brown splotches – it was super cool! )

* When working with bleach, adult supervision is suggested. Also, it’s best to use gloves to avoid getting bleach on your skin. 

STEP 2:

Lay the sweatshirt out on a flat surface. Using your fingers, slowly scrunch the sweatshirt together pulling the edges of the sweatshirt toward the center. 

How you scrunch the sweatshirt will determine the placement of the bleach and, in turn, the end result of the sweatshirt. Feel free to experiment to find the pattern you like best! (My daughter also swirled a few shirts (like a cinnamon bun) and they turned out great, too!)

STEP 3: 

Secure the scrunched sweatshirt in place by wrapping rubber bands in random places around the sweatshirt. 

(We used approximately 6 rubber bands.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4:

Take the sweatshirt outside in the grass (not on concrete) and, using the squirt bottle filled with bleach and water, generously squirt bleach in random spots on the sweatshirt. Be sure to bleach both sides of the sweatshirt. Wait 10-15 minutes. (If you didn’t wear gloves, wash hands well to remove any bleach.) 

After 10-15 minutes, remove rubber bands and lay the sweatshirt out flat to determine if there are any areas you feel should be bleached more.  This is all based on your preference! If you feel some areas need more bleach, feel free to give those areas a few more squirts of bleach. 

Remember, the sweatshirt will turn out completely different depending on how much and where you apply the bleach. 

Let dry for 15-20 minutes.

Step 5:

After 15-20 minutes, place the sweatshirt in the washing machine (alone) and wash with detergent in cold water. Dry in the dryer on low heat (or if you’re worried the sweatshirt might shrink, dry for 10 minutes to remove excess moisture and hang to dry).

Step 6:

Enjoy wearing your new monochrome tie-dye sweatshirt!

 

 

FRONT and BACK VIEW:

The awesome part about these sweatshirts is that each one is a work of art! No two will ever be the same depending on the color sweatshirt you choose, how you scrunch it, where you place the rubber bands, and how much (and where) you place the bleach. Plus, they’re super cheap to make and they make awesome gifts for friends!

(This sweatshirt is just like the Urban Outfitters Monochrome Tie-Dye Sweatshirts that sell for $59!)

Looking for other do-it-yourself projects? Check these out!

36 DIY Frugal Teen Room Decor Ideas for Girls

22 Adorable DIY Holiday Gifts

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14 comments

Kat August 3, 2020 - 6:32 am

Hi, I like your black and gray look! What ratio of bleach and water did you use to achieve that? I see you said you used all bleach for the black and brown look but have a few different ratios for the bleach/water.

Reply
Nancy Reynolds August 3, 2020 - 11:25 am

Hi Kat,

For the black and gray sweatshirt, my daughter and I used 1/4 water and 3/4 bleach. You can tweak this ratio as you like. She ended up giving the sweatshirt to her friend and her friend flipped! Let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂

Reply
Shanon Stellini August 7, 2020 - 1:23 am

So cute! How did you prevent it from turning orange from the bleach?

Reply
Nancy Reynolds August 7, 2020 - 12:20 pm

Hi Shanon! Did you try it and it turned orange?? My daughter and I have made dozens of these sweatshirts and, to date, we haven’t had any issues with them turning orange. If you are having difficulty, I would suggest using a regular (nice quality) sweatshirt along with a name brand bleach. Good luck!!

Reply
Bridget August 29, 2020 - 1:27 pm

Hello! These look great! I am wondering however why specifically place the project on the grass and not cement?

Reply
Nancy Reynolds August 29, 2020 - 9:42 pm

You certainly can put it on the cement! We chose not to simply because we were concerned the bleach might create a bleached spot on the cement (which also happens to be our driveway). If that’s not a concern of yours, feel free to put it on the cement. 🙂

Reply
Christen Barragan November 13, 2020 - 10:51 am

Hi sis…I am wanting to do sublimation on the front so I need it to be totally white. Is this possible? I just need a large white circle in the front.

Reply
Nancy Reynolds November 20, 2020 - 8:37 am

Hi Christen,
Gosh… I’m not certain how you could achieve that. The only suggestion I have is to tie a rubber band(s) around the section you want to keep white and avoid hitting it with the bleach. I’m not certain you’ll get the desired look you’re going for, but it’s worth a try! Good luck!

Reply
Megan November 20, 2020 - 1:58 pm

Hi! I have done a bunch of these recently but am only doing black and maroon for the first time today. They literally will NOT change color. AT ALL!! My navy ones lifted beautiful in about 30 minutes but these are going on like 2 hours now with mostly bleach and barely any water. Any thoughts on why? They’re all the same brand and material so I’m at such a loss!

Reply
Nancy Reynolds November 20, 2020 - 3:00 pm

Hi Megan,

My daughter and I talked about it and we “think” (just guessing here), that it might be the brand of sweatshirt you’re using. Perhaps the maroon and black colors have something in them that’s not allowing the color to lift from the bleach. My daughter and I used these sweatshirts on Amazon (seen link below) and they worked beautifully on black, grey, dark grey, maroon and navy. Overall, we’ve found the dark colors look better. I hope this helps! I’m so sorry you’re having difficulty. Keep us posted! 🙂
https://www.amazon.com/Hanes-Ecosmart-Fleece-Sweatshirt-Medium/dp/B01L8JJIXQ/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=ecosmart%2Bsweatshirt&qid=1605902122&sr=8-2&th=1

Reply
devona January 8, 2021 - 11:59 pm

Hello! I am wondering if any of your shirts had ‘eaten through’ with the amount of bleach being used? I want to try it with my own pullover, but the fabric falling apart, is my only concern. Thanks in advance!!

Reply
Nancy Reynolds January 11, 2021 - 1:49 pm

My daughter and I didn’t have any issues whatsoever with the fabric being “eaten through.” I understand your concern, however, because bleach can do that. We used heavy-duty sweatshirts which was likely a factor in our success. I’m really not certain if a more lightweight fabric would respond differently – you would have to try it to determine how the fabric handles the bleach. I hope this helps and good luck!

Reply
Lisa Clark January 3, 2023 - 8:31 pm

Did you wash the sweatshirt ahead of time? I’ve tried two other brands and they turned brown/orange. Just ordered the brand you suggested. Praying it works.

Reply
Nancy Reynolds January 4, 2023 - 10:59 am

Yes, my daughter and I washed the sweatshirt first. I hope this brand works for you! It worked beautifully for us!

Reply

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