Denim Shirt Upcycle

I was so bummed out when I somehow got bleach on one of my favorite J Crew denim shirts! I decided to upcycle instead of throw it out because it had a lot of life left.  I first tried using bleach to see if it would make pattern.  It lightened it, but not enough so I decided to bring out the big guns- my favorite, Indigo.  I do think the first dip in the bleach water increased the contrast of the fabric and indigo, which was a good thing.  I used about one cup of bleach for a gallon and a half.  

I washed and dried the shirt after dipping in the bleach solution.  I wanted to make sure the bleach didn't keep eating at the fibers so I used soap.  Then I folded into a vertical rectangle and used multiple sets of blocks to bind it from collar to hem.  I like to use multiple blocks for a very crisp resist.  You could try using less, but it might be a bit more square looking.  I also was careful to not let any fabric stick out from the sides of the blocks.  I wanted the resist to be as much of a stripe as I could get.  Next I dipped it back into the indigo vat and let it dry.  I washed it with synthrapol and dried it.  Now I can wear it again, and it's a great shirt to wear when actually dyeing!

Synthrapol link:

https://www.dharmatrading.com/chemicals/synthrapol-detergent.html