Making galaxy shirts

I really like making galaxy shirts, they are fun pretty easy and a great way to get kids to  learn about negative space (with out imposing a lesson on them).

My kids had a few friends over and we made galaxy shirts.

the basics:
start with a cotton shirt
lay out random circle objects-we used taped, lids and a frizbee
using a spray bottle spray a 50/50 mix of water and bleach
let it "develop" rinse
we then tossed the shirts into the drier on low
once dry we put in details like rings and dots of stars using a bleach gel pen
after the next round of bleach is rinsed off we washed and dried the shirts
once dry add the paint
I found a great bottle of spray white fabric paint, that really helps.
Once the paint dries remember to heat set.

These are great fun, and the kids had a terrific time. I really enjoyed watching their little customizations.  One painted in a mini Tardis- instant Doctor Who shirt; another kid made sure there were 9 planets, added a rainbow bridge  and labeled a few of the planets Asguard and Midguard--instant Thor shirt; one created cookie monster in space, and the last kid added arranged the planets for a solar system. None of these additions were guided or suggested. Its great to see how the took the concept of space and made them their own!

I plan on cutting them up to make mine into a deconstructed tank top.

Galaxy Print T-shirts

My hubby in his galaxy print t-shirt

 I want to Galaxy print ALL THE THINGS!

So apparently in the fashion world galaxy print is all the rage. Im not sure how I stumbled across a fashion trend while it was still going on, but I did. And I decided I really needed to make so galaxy print t-shirts for Christmas gifts this past year.

I Googled a few DIY galaxy print how-tos, and so, Im adding another one to the list of DIYs out there. Why? Because I am infatuated with this process, and I cannot wait to galaxy print more things!

I found this works best with cotton t-shirts. I tried some bleach pen "prints" on polyester blend shirts and it really did not bleach well at all.


Supplies:
bleach in a spray bottle
Clorox bleach pen for white fabric
fabric paint
sponge
paint brush
card board panel
plastic garbage bags
a washing machine or tub
random sized round items that can be sprayed with bleach (round lids, roll of tape)
a dark (black or dark blue) cotton t-shirt

round items to make planets,
bleach in spray bottle, bleach pen 

The set up:

Cover your work area in plastic bags to protect it from the bleach

Line the inside of your shirt with a plastic bag and card board panel. This will help keep the shirt panel stiff, and prevent the bleach from bleaching through to the back. 

The how-to:

The bleaching process

Randomly place the round items to mask areas to create planets

Spritz with bleach

make dots (stars) with the bleach pen--I discovered you can shake the bleach pen lightly and it wil splatter dots around, you don't have to draw every dot

At this point you don't have to let the bleach sit long, it has already started to remove dye from the shirt.

Rinse your shirt in the washer or rinse it well in a tub.

A light spritz of bleach in front of the  planets adds to that nebula effect.

You can decide if the shirt needs more bleach or more stars at this point.

If you do a second beaching, remember to rinse a second time.

The painting process

The shirt will need to be dry before adding fabric paint

I have this interesting air brush fabric paint system I scored on clearance from Joann's. Its called Color Artz, and I do enjoy playing with it. The colors are pretty intense and it paints well. http://www.joann.com/color-artz-airbrush-starter-kit/zprd_02128668a/

I started with darker colors, purple and dark blue. I sprayed along the transition edges bleached areas to unbleached areas.

I next sprayed brighter colors pink, lime, yellow.

After I sprayed color areas, I used a sponge and white fabric paint to create the highlights.

I used a make up sponge and watered down the fabric paint just a touch.

I then touched up the edges of the white with brighter colors, magenta, and light blue.

I then touched all the star bleach spots with a paint brush and white paint.

Finishing up

Let the paint dry 24+ hours, then heat set with a pressing cloth and an iron. (Don't iron directly on the fabric paint, it might mess up your iron.)

 

Thats my DIY on galaxy print making. I am planning on trying this on a work shirt, and maybe some yardage so i can sew something up.