After copious amounts of exposure to galaxy prints on the web or on the high street I decided I couldn't ignore the trend any longer! I've already made a stab at
Galaxy Nails but I've been searching for a way to make my own galaxy print for clothing and was inspired by a few diy tutorials so I decided to give it a go and make one of my own too.
Ashley Gail from
wise-rabbit-says.blogspot.com posted a wonderful step by step guide to creating your own galaxy t-shirt. I mainly stuck to her rules but added a few of my own ideas too....
The Finished Result:
How To Create Your Own...
plain black t-shirt
bleach in a spray bottle
fabric paint or acrylic paint in white
an old toothbrush
an old paintbrush
hairdryer
small piece of sponge
gloves (optional)
plastic sheet to protect the carpet
plastic bag for inside your shirt
1. Lay out your t-shirt on a large bin bag or another plastic protective sheet. Place the plastic bag inside so any bleach does not seep through to the other side.
2. Start by spraying carefully but randomly with the bleach (you can also use baby sterilizing liquid like I did, almost the same thing.)
3. You will see rusty red/orange marks begin to appear as if by magic. Speed up this process with your hairdryer on a low setting.
4. Once you have achieved a nice pattern, you can twist the fabric in the middle of the shirt to create a galaxy or star cluster.
5. Spray the centre of the twist liberally with bleach until desired effect has been reached.
6. Keep spraying wherever you need to - don't over do it though, less is sometimes more.
*NEW TOP TIP - When your bleached out top is completley dry (30-40mins) give it a rinse in luke warm water and let it dry out. This stops the bleach from working into the fabric any further and means it wont eat holes through your tshirt. When dry - continue with these steps....
7. Using white paint (fabric paint will not wash out) flick 'stars' on to the shirt using a stiff paintbrush or old toothbrush. Be careful but firm with your flicking action - larger gloops of paint just look like planets!
8. Add bigger white star clusters with your paintbrush or drip blobs of bleach on to the shirt to form a lovely constellation effect.
9. You can sponge on other colours of paint if you like, adding a bit of purple gives depth to your galaxy.
10. Leave to dry in a flat area overnight. Rinse with cold water the next day to get rid of the bleach smell.
Wear your new handmade galaxy tee with pride. Worthy of Urban Outfitters or even Christopher Kane!
Notes:
Fabric Paints/Acrylic Paints may fade with time and through washing.
If working inside open ALL windows.
Try not to create perfection, a untidy splatter will look much more realistic.
Wear gloves if your bothered. Wash hands afterwards
I love how it turned out, and I already had all the items at home. I bought my t-shirts from Primark, in sizes too large for me so they would slightly loose. I also had a go using a navy blue tee, the bleach stained it a lovely pinky peach colour and I dabbed on purple paint with a sponge.
I also created this cross design using a stencil and being careful not to splatter the rest of the t-shirt. It's such a cheap and easy method to creating something unique and individual that no one else will own. You can try different colours of t-shirt to bleach to gain different effects, or different garments. This would work just as well on a pair of leggings or a little black dress (which is my next project!)
I'm thinking of making a few more galaxy print tees for selling if anyone would be interested in buying one? Let me know in the comments what you think...
