Bleached Tie-Dye Shorts

Bleach TIE-DYED Shorts!

What you will need:
- A pair of jean shorts
- A bottle of bleach
- A "bleach bucket"
- Rubber bands

Step One
First thing is first... There's no "right" way to do the rubber-banding. More than likely whatever you do will end up looking cool! So grab your rubber bands and start making little nubs all over the shorts. This is where you will get what I call the "tie-dye bursts".

This doesn't look particularly pretty but just make sure that the rubber bands are wrapped tightly. Over-all, including the back, I used about 17 rubber bands to make the nubs.


Step Two
Next thing you will need to do is use a few more rubber bands to compact the shorts into some sort of ball. There isn't a method to this. Just rubber band off big sections of the shorts.

I used 4 rubber bands to finish up the process.


Step Three
Next you will make your bleach tie-dye solution, which is really simple:
1 part bleach & 1 part water
This is where you will also need your bleach bucket. I bought this big white tub at Five Below for $5. It comes in handy for a lot of different things so consider it a crafting investment!


Honestly, I just put some water in the bucket then dump the a whole thing of bleach in. When you're doing tie-dye you really only get one chance. So, that measuring cup is just there to set on top of the shorts to hold them under the solution but you can measure if you want.

I let them soak like this for about two hours. Occasionally, I would go in and swish them around a bit. 


Step Four
Once you have the desired color (they will lighten when you wash them) take them out and rinse them off BEFORE taking the rubber bands off. You don't want bleach to run where you were trying to keep it from! After you have completely rinsed them you can start pulling off the rubber bands.

So, here are my shorts before I put them through the washer! I'm pleasantly surprised with how the turned out! Next, I put them through the washer TWICE. Bleach sticks around and it smells so I like to get it all out of the fabric before I attempt to wear them.


The Finished Product

Bleach Dyed Shorts: 2

Bleach Dyed Shorts

Part 2

Okay, so hopefully you all read my previous post: Bleach Dyed Shorts

Above is how they turned out and I can't say I'm too disappointed! Obviously I folded them up and I think they're still a smidge long so for this post I am going to "fix them up".

Double The Fold & Sew

So basically I folded them over one more time and stitched them in place! I hate "roll-up" shorts that I always have to adjust. So I sewed the inside and outside of both legs then put a little stitch in the middle (front and back) to keep the fold up! The best part is that you don't have to make it look perfect.

Much better! 

Add A Little Lace

I wanted to bring the white up into the short a little more so I used this thick lace to enhance the pockets. This is just some lace I cut off the end of an old pillow case! It's a little off-white and I could have bleached it to match. But I decided not to because I like the off-white mixed with white look. I hand stitched the lace over the top of the pocket.

Lacey bleach dyed shorts. You could also use studs at the top of the pockets for a more rock 'n roll look. I think I might try that with my next pair... I'll let you know how it goes!

And Ta-Da! There you have it. Bleach dyed shorts with a little lace!

DIY Bleach Dyed Shorts

Bleach Dyed Denim Shorts

Hi all!  I haven't blogged in awhile... Although there a million projects I have underway. Life gets crazy, ya know? Well, I am back to blog all about the things I find interesting and cool.  And what's more interesting or cooler than DIY fashion pieces?? Here's what I love about DIY and fashion coming together; you really can't mess it up! As long you have the confidence to rock what you made then you made something brilliant.  I'm saying all this because in the midst of my typing I am waiting to see the outcome of my bleach dyed denim shorts... So here it goes ladies!

What You'll Need:

Step One: Pick Your Pair

I went with a pair of shorts that are too big on me and also are "roll-up" style so that I had a lot of length to work with.  (Remember I'm 5'10''.. You may not all have this issue with shorts.. LUCKY!) This also gives me a little more freedom with the scissors and what I could cut away. I also went with an inexpensive pair from Target so that if I did somehow ruin them I wouldn't be too heart broken. Don't have a pair of old shorts sitting around? Grab a pair of old jeans!  You're going to end up chopping off some of the fabric either way. 

Step Two: Snip Snip Snip!

So here is where your scissors and ruler come into play. You're going to want to cut off AT LEAST the bottom hem. This way you will get that frayed look that's "in" right now. Please ladies, do not cut off too much! You can always cut more if you think they're still too long but you can't really add back on easily... And there's not a lot of things less attractive then a girl wearing shorts that aren't flattering. 

Just because they zip... Anyways here are my snip tips:

1. Try the shorts (or jeans) on. Check yourself out and see where you could bare to spare some fabric.

2. Take the shorts off and turn them inside out. Now put them back on! 

3. Use the ruler and sharpie to mark your cutting point. I did about 1.5 inches but I also started with really long shorts. Make a few more marks on both legs so that you stay on the straight line. Now strip!

4. IF you're using jeans cut a little below your marks and try them on again before you commit to the full snip. If you're using shorts then snip across the line!

5. While you are cutting make sure that the hem is lined up. A lot of time this means that the top won't be lined up and that's OK. Just make sure the bottom hems on the legs match up.

6. Now that you've snipped turn them back right-side out and try them on one more time. Kind of decide now the "look" you want.

LOOK OPTIONS:

- Bleach from the bottom and leave the top dark (like mine!)

- Bleach from the top and leave the bottom dark

- Bleach for an ombre effect

- Bleach only the very tips at the bottom

- Bleach only the waist band

- Get crazy creative and only dye one leg

- Bleach the whole damn pair!

ANOTHER TIP:

If you want a more destroyed look you can use a nail file and rub some holes into the denim. I opted not to do this but when you wash them you will get a really great frayed look. Store quality even!

Step Three: Get Ready To Dye

Because there is someone standing right behind you..... Just kidding! A little play on words there for you girls.  Ok, so let's prepare where you are going to be doing this messy business. I've seen examples of people using their kitchen sink. This would work really well if you didn't use your kitchen sink as storage for your dirty dishes like myself. I opted for the tub and a bucket. Well, more like an old popcorn tin but a bucket non-the-less!

FYI this actually takes a lot of time. You just have to be patient while the bleach does its thing. And it WILL do its thing.

1. One part water and one part bleach. Fill your bucket/sink with your dye solution. 

(I found myself adding more and more as I went)

2. Get ready and dip! I submerged mine up until the point where I wanted to keep the original denim. Just let the shorts soak at this level for a little while. They will not go white immediately.  It took mine about an hour and a half+ to get them super light. (More dye will come off in the washer so just aim for light blue)

3. Keep shifting your shorts! Every now and then I would pop in and swish the shorts around in the bleach. Getting a little bit in unwanted areas isn't the end of the world. It takes a lot of bleach and soaking to dye dark denim. If you're going for the ombre look you can start adjusting the level at which you soak your shorts. Keep doing this!

4. Add some bleach and water. IF you think you need a deeper pool to dip in just add some more! There is no precise way to add the bleach and water. Just go for the effect that you are hoping for. As you can see in the above picture I used hair clips to hold up the shorts. I don't think I really needed them there so if you don't have them don't worry about it.

5. You're almost done! Once the shorts are really light or how you would like them it's time to move to the washing machine. Rinse the shorts off first before putting them into the machine. Add a smidge of detergent to help wash the bleach out and a little bit of oxi-pro or borax to help give it the destroyed look.

Before The Washer...

After The Dryer...

 You can see that the washing machine really helps get the extra dye out and give you the white look. If you aren't totally happy with the outcome, although I am pretty pleased, you can re-dye. You can also buy a bleach pen and do some touch ups! 

Next post I'll show you what I added to them to make them extra cool! I'll also show you how to pull these off out and about in the world. Thanks for reading :)