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Discolorations on White T-Shirts? No Problem!

  • Writer: Alex Eaves
    Alex Eaves
  • Apr 29
  • 2 min read
A rack of indigo dyed and ice dyed T-Shirts that say REUSE next to shelves of gray coffee mugs in front of an ALF mask.
The recent launch of dyed STAY VOCAL shirts at Glaze Handmade in Stonington, CT.

Years ago, I acquired a lot of white T-Shirts from a company that went out of business. And as anyone who owns a white T-Shirt can guess, white tees are especially tough to keep clean in inventory. So, over the years, I've been setting aside numerous unworn STAY VOCAL shirts that were stained or discolored in a storage container marked, "To Be Tie Dyed." I didn't want the shirts to go to waste and I knew the dye would make all of those discolorations just blend in with the pattern.


The sleeve and collar of a white T-Shirt with discolorations on it.
Small discolorations are an eyesore on a white shirt, but become just part of a dyed shirt's pattern.

I knew the day would come when I would meet the right local(ish) person to dye the shirts. Well, recently my friend Lyndsay from Glaze Handmade connected me with two of the right people in Eastern Connecticut; both doing different styles of dyeing.


Indigo dyed T-Shirts that say REUSE and STAY VOCAL
Indigo Dyed STAY VOCAL Tees

These shirts are a collaboration with Loria Dziedzic of Fiber and Mud, a small batch indigo dyer in Pachaug, Connecticut. The designs were originally printed on blank white and light blue garments and the shirts were then dyed with indigo to hide discolorations. Indigo is a natural dye obtained from the leaves of some plants of the Indigofera genus.



Ice dyed T-Shirts that say STAY VOCAL, REUSE Because You Can't Recycle The Planet, Human and 2 Skinnee J's.
Ice Dyed STAY VOCAL Tees

These shirts are a collaboration with Casey Brennan of Hide Sustle in Stonington, Connecticut. The designs were originally printed on mostly white garments and the shirts were then ice dyed with various colors to hide discolorations. Ice dyeing is a process where powder dye is sprinkled on top of (or under) ice cubes with a shirt at the bottom.



I was definitely stoked when I picked all of the shirts up at Glaze last week. Before, these were shirts that looked ruined and I felt like I had wasted money and resources. Now, they look rad and I'm excited to see them on people. I'm already setting aside the next batch too.





 
 
 

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