https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/diy-bleach-heart-shirt • Posted by Maryal M.
I was inspired by a garment-dyed denim-blue heart on the pocket of the Madewell chambray popover that I love. I wanted to recreate a fun hear pocket look with something a little bit lighter and easier to control in a DIY method, so I decided to use bleach to create my very own heart pocket on an otherwise plain chambray shirt from Nordstrom! Bleach pens are a great way to stencil just about any shape or letter on basically any cotton blend fabric you want, and chambray is certainly no exception - it made for a different look than the shirt I loved so much from Madewell, but I think I like this even better. I absolutely love the way this chambray heart pocket shirt turned out, so here's the step-by-step if you want to try this easy DIY at home on one of your beloved chambray shirts (this would also look awesome on the back pocket of a pair of denim shorts for summer). Enjoy!
I was inspired by a garment-dyed denim-blue heart on the pocket of the Madewell chambray popover that I love. I wanted to recreate a fun hear pocket look with something a little bit lighter and easier to control in a DIY method, so I decided to use bleach to create my very own heart pocket on an otherwise plain chambray shirt from Nordstrom! Bleach pens are a great way to stencil just about any shape or letter on basically any cotton blend fabric you want, and chambray is certainly no exception - it made for a different look than the shirt I loved so much from Madewell, but I think I like this even better. I absolutely love the way this chambray heart pocket shirt turned out, so here's the step-by-step if you want to try this easy DIY at home on one of your beloved chambray shirts (this would also look awesome on the back pocket of a pair of denim shorts for summer). Enjoy!
Find the right size heart cookie cutter for your pocket size.
Take the cap off of the bleach pen on the side with the smaller, fine-point tip.
Squeeze your bleach onto your shirt inside the cookie cutter walls, but do so conservatively. A little bleach goes a long way, and you don't want your bleach to bleed and create a "halo" around the heart. Make sure you cover the entire space of the heart, but don't overdo it. Spread each bleach line around with the tip of the pen and make sure to spread a clear outline along the cookie cutter walls so your heart shape has a clean, clear edge.
Set a timer for 40 minutes and let your cookie cutter sit on your shirt, with the bleach inside. Tip: The longer you leave your bleach sitting on your shirt, the more solid your bleach heart will be. But if you leave it there for too long, it may bleed. 40 minutes to an hour is just about perfect.
The bleach will begin to dry - check on your heart with about 5 minutes to go to make sure it is in fact drying.
When 40 minutes is up, check your heart to make sure it's mostly dry. Look, don't touch. If it does appear to be dry, remove the cookie cutter from the pocket.
Fill in any lighter or bare spots with your bleach pen, but again, do so carefully and conservatively.
Set timer for 20 minutes and let the remaining wet bleach dry.
When 20 minutes is up, place shirt pocket directly under cold water in your sink and rinse any excess bleach off of your heart.
Put your shirt through a wash cycle with like colors or alone on cold.