The Truth Is Out There

So I've been seeing a lot of bleach t-shirt refashions, and considering that I've been binge-watching The X-Files on Netflix lately, I decided that I needed a shirt to proclaim my newly-acquired love for all things Spooky.

One of the most well-known images from the series is Mulder's "I want to believe" poster:

I can't talk... my desk is a mess too.

I decided to do my own homage to it on a black t-shirt from the local charity thrift shop.

I spread it out on the floor of the living room with an episode of (what else) The X-Files on in the background.  I stuck a nice big towel under it, and my lovely great clipboard inside the shirt, and then set down my stencils.

I just cut them out of posterboard and taped them down to the shirt with painter's tape so they wouldn't shift around during the bleaching.  I read a couple of tutorials that recommended using adhesive vinyl, spray adhesive, or ironing down freezer paper for the stencil, but I found that to be completely unnecessary.  I loaded up a spray bottle with undiluted bleach and gently spritzed down the whole front of the shirt, then held my breath and peeled off the stencils...

Magnificent!  I added the lettering in with a fine-tipped paintbrush dipped in bleach, and then flipped it over, sprayed down the back, and added a little more detailing with my paintbrush.

Wait for it to dry, send it through the wash, and you have what my roommate calls "the coolest shirt".

The truth is out there... but so are the lies.  Stay spooky, y'all!