Em here, so a super huge thanks to Marquette for taking over this weekend while I had STREP! Boo, it always seems we alternate between being sick or out of town, we must stop this so more epic Pinterest testing can happen! Anyways, Meredith sent us this pin worth testing, and I thought it was genius, and well she did the work of figuring out why certain things just don't work, everyone say "Thank You Meredith". Here is tonight's Pinstrosity!
The Original
Super cute right! Well, I am not much of a pink person, however I love the idea of a non-traditional jean color, the tutorial on the sight is fairly simple, and yet if you try to improvise on this one it WILL come back and bite you in the butt, here is what Meredith got...
The Pinstrosity
The Break Down:
The tutorial says to use bleach in a large Rubbermaid bin, and has specific measurements for the bleach (3 cups for 3-4 gallons of water, but I suggest if you are going to do this project go to the original tutorial and read the directions). Meredith didn't have a Rubbermaid bin, so she used her bath tub, but that wasn't working so she switched to a large metal bin, trouble proceeds. Then the cap on her bleach wasn't coming off, so she chopped it off and used WAY too much, more trouble proceeds. Next the metal bin caused rust stains (Are we surprised? Using metal for things like this will almost always result in rust :( sad day.) and so she washed the jeans to try to get the rust stains out. You guessed it, more trouble. The bleach combined with the washer completely thrashed the jeans. The blog says to use quality jeans because the bleach will totally trash lower quality jeans to threads (that results in what we see above!).
How to fix it:
1. Use a Rubbermaid bin, preferably a large one that you might use for storage.
*The original blogger said that the jeans need room to move freely*
2. Follow the measurements of water/bleach ratio.
3.Use quality jeans.
*If you are following the directions from the original blog, you will bleach them three times, not all jeans can handle this process, hence the reason to use good jeans*
4.Follow the directions of the blog, the writer also mentions to soak them in warm water before you begin the process, then she later uses Rit Dye to make them pink, read her directions and then follow them for this one to work out best. her directions were easy, and she seems like she has had trial and error for this one, so she (and Meredith) have done the work for you!!
We would love to hear from you guys, have you done this project? How did it turn out, more trouble? Or did you end up with some totally-awesome-super-trendy-DIY pastel jeans?! Let us know!
Happy Tuesday!
-Emilee
Well...they're KINDA pink. ^_^
ReplyDeleteThe original pics don't appear to be the same pair of jeans or even the same pair of legs for that matter. Blue ones are flared and pink are tight at ankle. Second girl seems shorter too
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the exact same thing!! Shady....
DeleteIf you look on the original site, she mentions that she refashioned them to be skinny jeans first, taking out the flare. She also takes a picture of the bleached jeans where the thread is not bleached. Which explains the accentuated pockets. As far as the pair of legs goes, I'm not sure, but the jeans could very easily be the same.
DeleteSecond pair might look shorter for a couple reasons
Delete1. In first picture she's standing straight in the second she's posing with a bent leg
2. In the first picture the jeans go all the way down in the second they're rolled a bit giving the illusion that the legs are shorter
They're the same legs, same figure of the body. They are rolled and made to skinny jeans. On an unrelated note, who on EARTH designed the captcha for posting? I can't even tell what the picture is in almost all of the refreshes I've tried.
DeleteShe sewed the flares, so that they weren't there. She didn't change the pants, that would be decieving, right?
DeleteBuy white jeans to start with, and use rit dye as directed, and you'll have a whole host of colors to begin with. Rodeo Queen 101
ReplyDeleteOr, find a pair of white jeans and skip the bleach all together. You'd still be DIY! :)
ReplyDeleteBecky-In the original blog she explains that she brought in the legs to make them skinny jeans, she is quite the fashionista-DIY-er her blog was fun to read, you can check it out here, http://www.thelittlegiggler.com/2012/05/pink-skinny-jeans-re-fashion.html Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteReally? All this work for those jeans, $25 Old Navy and you're set almost any color of the rainbow.
ReplyDeleteI've followed this tutorial and my jeans came out perfectly, but I followed the directions exactly. I used an old pair I had and the supplies cost me less than $10. I know you can buy colored jeans all over, but when you make your own you can choose the fit of the jeans. Most colored jeans for sale are skinny jeans and I prefer my jeans to be a different fit.
ReplyDeleteHoly wow. Nailed it, indeed.
ReplyDeleteI tried the same pin and I also ended up with ruined jeans. I used GAP jeans so they were good quality but it still was a disaster. The jeans did not bleach well and by the time I finally got them all white there was a whole in the butt area. Fail!
ReplyDeleteOmg. I laughed so hard when I saw the results. although, I bet that it would be cute to do to a jean skirt!
ReplyDeleteI tried this pin too!! I used a whole bottle of bleach on American Eagle jeans. I did it several different times and let them sit for several hours. NOT ONE THREAD of the jeans were bleached, they were somehow, insanely resistant to the bleach. Definite fail.
ReplyDeleteI tried this DIY project and the jeans turned out perfectly! I even used old crappy jeans that were worn out and paint stained...maybe I just have good luck? It did take a while to bleach the jeans, I had to try several different methods including spraying them on my back porch, painting them with bleach, an eventually dunking them in a bucket of pure bleach. Definitely a "go" for me!
ReplyDeleteThis had me laughing so hard my husband thought I was crazy lol. Who knew jeans could totally dissolve like that.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Hemperley
I tried this pin except that I made cutoffs from old jeans, then bleached them, then dyed them... worked great! They didn't bleach totally white first, but got light enough to be dyed teal with liquid Rit.
ReplyDeleteI did this to some jeans when I was a teen in the 90's. We meant to soak the pants in bleach for just a little bit but, forgot about them for about 24hrs.... pulled them out and they were just shredded. so horrible! Another thing that I've done that's a lot easier.... buy white jeans and then use Rit dye on them. :)
ReplyDeleteI did this - but I bought $4 white jeans from the thrift store so I could skip the bleach. I took in the legs of the white jeans and dyed them pink. Worked perfectly! I would do it again! The ONLY problem I had was that they turned out a tiny bit splotchy from the dye. But for a total of $7, I was pretty happy.
ReplyDeleteYou need to have 100% cotton jeans for this to work. Stretch jeans are right out, since polyesters and spandex will dissolve in bleach.
ReplyDeleteDang it! This is a pin I actually was planning on doing! Think if you do it right it'll be fine. And if mine get screwed up, I don't wear those jeans anyway, sooo it's not that big of a deal.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome. I honestly did LOL...or maybe it was more of a cackle. Doesn't happen often!
ReplyDeleteA great save is to use a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in between bleaching and washing. It acts as a deactivator to the harsh and harmful chemicals that will shred the fabric. A whole bottle for a pair of jeans is a lot, but it's worth it!!
ReplyDeleteHydrogen peroxide is under a dollar a bottle.
DeleteI just bleached a denim skirt. It took a while, I think I put it through three beach baths in a bucket. It turned out not completely white, but still has a blue tint. I liked them so much I didn't even dye them!
ReplyDeleteOH!!! I am laughing out LOUD because this happened to me... I followed directions, used my best jeans (clearly not that great) and even got to the dyeing section, went to wring out the dye and the jeans just shredded in my hands...
ReplyDeleteI attempted this with jeans that I've had for a while and they turned out PERFECT! Every couple hours I took then out and put them in the wash on the rinse cycle only. Then I put them in the bleach again and so on until they were white. Some parts were still a little blue but the dye took it out. Then I used the rit pink dye and stood there until it was a dark pink (because they dry lighter) after I washed them with detergent and dried them and they are so cute. (I used a pickle bucket to bleach and dye them also I kept stirring the dye for about 20 minutes for a light pink pastel look)
ReplyDeletemy daughter attempted this project and they turned out beautiful. She did use a plastic bucket and moved the jeans around so the bleach could work. We dyed them in the kitchen sink and it was a snap!
ReplyDeleteI did this project using a plastic bucket and some thrift store jeans. I even converted them from flare to skinny. They turned out great!! I'm going to do a second pair this weekend!
ReplyDeleteThere is actually dye remover on the market - Look in the RIT display. Bleach damages cotton fibers (and does worse things to wool).
ReplyDeleteThem's some nice jeans! Great idea for a blog! Reminds me of Etsy's Regretsy!
ReplyDeleteMakes me laugh so hard I cry! Needed this after a long day at work!
Can't.. stop.. laughing!
ReplyDeleteDid this one.....was not happy when my jeans came out in strings haha
ReplyDeleteI would buy a color remover from rit or other discharge chemicals to lighten your cloths. Bleach is a horrible toxin for cloth and you. I am not supprized this happened. I am would love to know how long those bleached jeans lasted the original pinner.
ReplyDeleteI did this with a cheap pair of jeans from Charlotte Russe's clearance rack (I think they were $5). I'm not a good direction follower, so I threw the jeans into a five gallon bucket with some bleach and water. It took a few days (I went and stirred them every once in awhile), but they turned completely white. I dyed them teal instead of pink, and I wear them all the time. That was about five months ago, and they're still in great condition.
ReplyDeleteWhat I love most about this tutorial, is it allowed me to find jeans that actually fit, and then turn them into the colorful pants that are so popular right now, vs trying to find the perfect pair of colored pants.
I can tell you that even with good jeans this will screw up your clothes. Once you put clothing in strong enough bleach, it doesn't wash out in a regular wash. You have to wash whatever it is repeatedly until it thrashes the clothing item. If you want to bleach something like this you have to submerge it right away in a strong de-chlorinator to neutralize the bleach. Otherwise it will continue to attack the fibers of the clothes and weaken them.
ReplyDeleteI did this and it all worked out!
ReplyDeleteI wrote about the whole process on my blog
http://thelyricaldilettante.wordpress.com/2012/06/19/i-feel-so-crafty-diy-colored-jeans-and-ombre-shirt/
i tried this with a pin of mine and it also did not turn out at all. my pinnera directions were to let it soak then rinse and repeat. mine also ended up shredded. i used a rubbeaid storage container and American Eagle jeans i found at Goodwill.
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to use Rit dye, why not start with Rit color remover instead of bleach?
ReplyDeleteI am old enough to remember when they sold jeans in colors. Try vintage stores?
ReplyDeleteThey're actually very popular and can be found at a lot of stores at any mall :) I have bright red, pastel pink, and bright blue jeans (I wear colour more than regular blue/black)
Delete