How to Make T-Shirts Look Worn In

The worn-in vintage look is a very popular style of dressing, and one that is not as easy as the signature frayed edges might suggest. To get a piece of new clothing to a proper level of worn-in appearanc, it requires either many years and lots of patience, or a careful plan and the proper equipment. To make a T-shirt look worn in after a couple of days instead of a couple of years, there are many helpful tips and tricks.

Things You'll Need

• T-shirt in any condition
• Sand paper
• Durable workspace (such as concrete)
• Tea bags
• Metal tub filled with hot water
• Washing machine
• Sunshine
• Razor blade or sharp scissors
• Bleach
• Towel

Instructions

1. First, find a T-shirt that fits properly and wash according to the directions on the tag. This will make sure that the colors of the T-shirt won't bleed and the size will be correct for the wearing-in process.

2. Decide how worn-in you would like the T-shirt to appear. There are many different levels of worn-in, from a natural worn look to a more drastic vintage style. Also, decide how dramatically you would like to change the color. There are very specific methods for fading, bleaching and tinting the color of shirts.

3. Begin distressing the shirt. One of the most standard ways of making a T-shirt look worn in is to rub it all over with sand paper, in order to loosen and soften the fabric. Another method for creating a more natural worn-in look is to take scissors and make small randomly placed cuts along the edges of the sleeves, neck and the bottom of the shirt. Depending on your desired end result, the process can be stopped here and you can proceed to the final step, or you can take the wearing in to a more significant level first.

4. For more drastic measures, the scissors or razor blade can be used to cut small holes on the body of the shirt. With further wear and washing, all of these cuts will begin to fray. To fade the T-shirt's color, it should be left out in the sun for a day or two. This will have even more of an impact if the shirt is wet and then allowed to dry in direct sunlight. To change the color of white T-shirts and make them look older, consider soaking them in a tea bath. Fill an appropriately sized metal tub with hot water, drop in a few tea bags, and allow the shirt to soak. Keep an eye on the progress and add more tea bags as needed. This will give white T-shirts a yellow, aged tint. For a more drastic color change, consider using bleach. A number of methods can be used to bleach a shirt, including dabbing a clean towel in bleach and then placing random bleach spots on the shirt.

5. The final step in making a t-shirt look worn in is to allow all of the aging processes to complete, and then fully wash and dry the shirt according to directions once more. Once the shirt is clean, examine the changes made and decide if any steps need to be repeated or exaggerated.

Tips & Warnings

• The safest thing to do is to start with smaller changes and then increase as needed. If you decide to use scissors or a razor blade to make cuts on the shirt, start with just a few, wash and dry the shirt, and then decide how much further to go. The same advice goes for bleaching, tea soaking, and sandpapering. It is always easier to go more drastic if needed than to have to start all over again.

• Be sure to have a proper workspace. Bleach and sandpaper especially can be harmful to most surfaces, even concrete, so be sure to pick a spot that can sustain this potential damage.