There is so much you can do with Sharpie permanent markers! For this project I wanted to see for myself what happens when you mix sharpies with a white tshirt and drops of rubbing alcohol. I was hoping for a vibrant a tie dye effect. It turned out pretty cool!
For this project, you need permanent markers (like Sharpie’s), a plain t-shirt, rubbing alcohol, a piece of cardboard or plastic to put between the layers of t-shirt so it doesn’t bleed through to the back side of the shirt. You will also need an eye dropper or baby medicine syringe (safety note-throw it out after using it for this project) for dropping rubbing alcohol onto the artwork you create.
Its harder to write on a t-shirt than you might think. Fortunately, I was just aiming for some funky designs that would look bright when the colours were all blurred together. This would be very cool on a cotton pillow cover or canvas running shoes!
The rubbing alcohol is really quite smelly and I drenched my shirt in it because I loved the process-it’s like watching fire works! When I made this shirt I was battling a cold and my nose was stuffed up…but when my family came home they said it was really strong. It might be better to do this when the windows can be open or even as an outdoor project.
The best thing about this wearable art is that every one will be an original!
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I love this idea!!!!
Thanks I have a feeling I will be trying this again soon!
Very fun! I’ll pin this for my 9 year old to try.
Super cute idea! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!
It’s a great idea, but a lot of the ink washes off when you launder it, so be careful washing it with other clothes. Also, due to this, it loses its vibrant colors, and becomes very faded looking. Is there a way to pre-treat it before it’s washed so this doesn’t happen??
I was looking in the dye aisle in Michaels and on the very bottom shelf was a bottle of Tulip Soda Ash. It’s a pre-treat for better dye absorption. That might work for this technique too.
I do a lot of tye dye and I use 100% cotton fabric soaked in soda ash/ water mixture for at least 30 minutes prior to dying. Leave dye on for 24-48 hours, then soak in cool water with salt and vinegar to help set the colors. Then wash in cold water.