How to age a t shirt 30 years in a week?

February 15, 2009 9:14 PM

How can you speed-up the process of a T-short becoming thin, worn, and soft? I don't care about discoloration.

Specifically I mean so worn that you can make out a person's chest through the shirt as if it's wet. I heard that the Japanese have method they use. Perhaps letting it soak in bleach for days? Sandpaper something?

posted by ilovehistory to clothing, beauty, & fashion (9 comments total)

http://ask.metafilter.com/16328/Tshirt-cotton-conundrum
posted by hpliferaft at 9:17 PM on February 15

That thread doesn't address the OP's question (it only addresses softness).
posted by ocherdraco at 9:28 PM on February 15

Leave it in the dryer until you receive the results you desire... But make sure the shirt is made of the right material...
posted by christhelongtimelurker at 9:55 PM on February 15

The process I heard involved soaking a 50/50 cotton-poly blend shirt in either bleach or lemon juice. The bleach and/or lemon juice eats the cotton, and leaves you with a super soft, semi-transparent shirt.
posted by biggity at 10:05 PM on February 15 [2 favorites]

I'd just throw it in the dryer until you get your desired result since the "lint" you catch in your dryers lint trap is just material striped off your clothes. Might take a while though. I have a shirt that gets the effect you speak of but it's about 30 years old. Maybe you should hit up a thrift store to cut out some of the time in the process?
posted by dead cousin ted at 10:20 PM on February 15

Cheat and buy only nice American Apparel teeshirts.
posted by floam at 2:03 AM on February 16

Soak the shirt in hot water.
Wring out the shirt and then sand with some fine grit sandpaper all over the shirt.
Soak the shirt in a solution of color safe bleach, salt, and water for a few days.
Wash the shirt in hot water.
Dry in the sun or in the dryer.
posted by zephyr_words at 8:55 AM on February 16

Within the last few weeks I´ve seen new ladies´ shirts that have this property already. Try target. They may have been called layering tshirts, not sure. I am absolutely sure that they were as thin as you describe, but made from very thin fabric rather than being worn out from some process.

If you have a specific shirt you want to do this to, I got nothing for ya. I´d try the previous posters suggestions on a less important shirt first.
posted by yohko at 9:04 AM on February 16

Use Fiber Etch on a cotton/poly blend t-shirt.
posted by healthytext at 12:39 PM on February 19