Various Techniques for Making T-Shirts/Clothes Look & Feel Vintage

[dramaqueen0487]

Hey, I am really into the vintage clothes look.  I want to make some of my jeans with a ripped knee and I also want to make some cute off-the-shoulder tees.  I would really appreciate some ideas of how to make off-the-shoulder tees, and jeans with a ripped knee that looks natural, but still old...  It sounds weird that I want to ruin a pair of jeans with holes, but I love the look!! If you have any other tips of making Vintage looking t-shirts (like t-shirts with restaurant logos on them... etc.) I would be glad to hear them.  Also, has anyone used those new bleach pens?  Do they work good on jeans and making designs?  Thanks! Thanks for reading.. looking forward to reading your posts!

[abricot]

First off let me just say that I feel it is a lot easier to rummage through thrift stores finding "vintage look" items that really are vintage, than it is to spend hours converting your modern clothes to look vintage. Nothing beats real vintage  

I don't know what you really mean by "off the shoulder", one shoulder? both shoulders? but there is a recent article on getcrafty to make an "80's style" off the shoulder sweater... I think the technique could work for t-shirts also..
http://www.getcrafty.com/read/craft/features/80ssweater/index.html

The other day I was watching tv and some fashion guy was saying to make a cotton-t soft and faded (like vintage ones), you soak the t-shirt in a mixture of water, salt, and bleach.. I can not remember the amounts for everything... So maybe a search on google is needed... Logos can be applied either through iron-on transfers, stenciling, silk screening etc. If you was a shirt in hot water quite often the design cracks, which could make the shirt look older...

For the jeans, I lucked out when I was a kid.. I had a dad that worked in construction, so I constantly stole his "perfectly" torn jeans. What my friends did though was use a razor blade to slice holes on the jeans.. The edges were frayed a bit with the razor.. Then the jeans were washed several times in the washing machine, until they reached the desired "natural" look... and last night I posted a link here under another post to another getcrafty article on getting the dirty jeans look... Just look around the crafster forums for something titled along the lines of "coffee dyed jeans"..

Well I hope I helped some people in their quest for the faux-vintage look...  

[dramaqueen0487]

Hey! Thanks for your post on my topic.  Thrift stores around my city are usually all out of vintage t-shirts, as it is a popular look.  It really is a bummer, because I like the real "vintage," but I will have to deal with what I have to work with.  Thanks again for your ideas.  I really appreciate the link on the 80's sweater.  Any more links would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!! [/size]

[Debzy]

when i thin of vintage, i think of the early 1900's up to the 50's, maybe the 60's...

it cracks me up that the 80's is being called vintage!! makes me feel old too lmao!!

[wizkid]

I was always totally confused about how people got the holes in the knees of jeans. I had one pair that was very nicely distressed in everyother place, so I decided to make 'natural' holes in the knees.

I used a nail file to distress the jeans. Just rub it over the area that you want a hole in, and it will wear away the fibers and look quite natural, if I do say so myself. You can also use a pumice stone or something.

I've also heard about that method of distressing tee shirts with bleach and salt, but I'm not sure how it works.

Hope that helps!

[purpleflies]

wow great ideas...I think that the distressing idea should look pretty hot...just a thought...using children's t-shirts and adding strips of fabric looks cute and could solve teh lack of vintage  shirts...Imean who wears out shirts faster... luck be with you!!!

[Endo23]

I was working on a movie recently and lameting that new t-shirts just don't feel the way old ones do... you know, the really well aged ones that are threadbare and fit like a second skin... Ah.

Anyway, one of the costumers on this film said, 'Oh yeah, I know somebody who can make a new shirt feel like that, I think it involves bleach and like, high dryer heat and...'

But I never got the full story.  Does anyone know how to do this?  I see new "vintage" t's in some of the stores here in LA, so somebody has obviously figured it out.  HELP!  Thanks.

[.feels.blind.]

wow, i have no idea how to do that, but i know that feeling and its great.  i have a few like that.  not sure how it works...i know if you bleach something for too long it disintigrates, not to mention changes color...maybe i will pratice this week and post any results back.

[munsters 2004]

There was a thing on the Style Network about it. They said somthing about using a t-shirt that is not 100% cotton b/c when you put it in bleach and salt water it eats away the cotton and makes a vintage style shirt. I don't know how much of each though. Sorry!

[Endo23]

Thanks for the replies.  The process definitely involves bleach, and salt water sounds promising as well.  And yes, you need a cotton-poly blend.  I discovered that when I looked at the tags of all my most comfy vintage tees--they're all 50/50 rather than 100% cotton.  So I've got a bunch of blank 50/50s, now I just need to figure out how to scorch/bleach the cotton fibers, I guess... I searched for the Style Network piece but their website is garbage...

Guess I'll just have to do some experimenting!