How do I distress cotton shirts to make them look vintage?

Question

How do I distress cotton shirts to make them look vintage? (I'm not talking about the print, but the cloth itself.) I want to achieve that "thin, faded vintage tee" look. Do I bleach, sandpaper, etc.? I wanna start designing my own shirts. Thanks!

Answer 1

My first thought, after being involved in Theater for so many years would be "Tea Staining" a very simple process. Bleach won't affect anything white in achieving an Aged look, and even in color fabrics the effect will just be faded, or worse colors running and varying in shades. Fading doesn't strictly relate to age. In fact many fabrics change color while not actually lightening up in their original color.

Terra Cotta dies also and washed out until the color no longer runs... Grout, crushed brick, Powdered spices,

Answer 2

Try putting the shirts in the dryer with something like pumas rocks or possibly pistachio shells added. I would use an old dryer though!