DIY Bleach-Dye Scarf

I saw this tutorial for a DIY bleach-dye scarf over on Made By Andi, and thought...what the heck, why not? It might just turn into some really neat Christmas gifts.

Supply list:
Coloured scarf - make sure it's a natural fibre like linen, silk, rayon or cotton. My scarf was rayon/viscose
Bleach
Vinegar
Ribbon - I had some blue plastic raffia ribbon on hand, so that's what I used
Rubber gloves

Top l to r: all bunched up, getting bleached. Bottom l to r: vinegar soak, all done!

Edit: Before you get started, make sure that you open the windows, or better yet...do this outside or in your garage. Holy fumes, batman and those fumes can be dangerous for your breathing!!

1. Bunch and scrunch and roll your scarf, then tie it with the ribbon.

2. Place your bunched scarf/scarves in a basin. I did this project right in our laundry room, in the plastic wash tub. This made clean up a breeze!

3. Carefully pour bleach onto the scarf balls, first one side and then the other.

4. Let stand 20 minutes or so.

5. Repeat if necessary. I was happy with the first two, but not the chocolate brown one. Keep in mind that if you only pour a little bleach on your scarf ball, then only a little of it will lose its colour!

6. Pour vinegar into a seperate basin.

7. Dunk your scarf balls in, one at a time, and let stand 10 minutes.

8. Squeeze out the excess vinegar, and toss the scarves directly into the washing machine.

9. I washed my scarves on the delicate cycle for 45 minutes, and washed them twice before tossing them in the dryer.

Eggplant purple hand dyed scarf

Chocolate brown hand dyed scarf

Eggplant purple hand dyed scarf

I'm thrilled with the results, and what's even better is that they were really inexpensive to make. I picked up the scarves (two purple and one chocolate brown) at Walmart for $10 each. The bleach was $1.77 for the entire jug, and vinegar $1.98. Gloves to protect my precious hands were $3.00.

Each scarf $12.25

Have fun with bleach-dying! The impact is amazing, and I'm excited to see what people think of their custom made gifts!