DIY Sharpie "Tie Dye" Racer Back Tank

My fiance's mom gave my fiance him a plain white tee that was too small for him, but too big for me.  So, of course, I upcycled it into something I could wear.

First thing I did was draw a shape front and center on the tee with a permanent marker like a Sharpie or a Bic Mark It.  In this case, I drew a nautical star -- don't do that -- draw something abstract to start from because the sharp lines don't work well when the colors start to bleed.  Also -- I discovered later that the black permanent markers don't really bleed which is the goal so I wouldn't use black.  Once you color the entire tee, you're going to use rubbing alcohol to bleed the colors and make it look like it was tie dyed.

Then I started drawing straight lines out from the star in different colors to make a cool-looking effect.

Then I kept alternating colors...

And alternating more colors...

And continuing on...

And then I thought "Hey! If I cut the sleeves off now, I won't have to color them."  So I cut off the sleeves as well as the crew neck to make a scoop neck.

Then more coloring to wrap around to the back.

The next step is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT -- wherever you plan on spraying the shirt down with rubbing alcohol, make sure to lay down a tarp or a garbage bag or something to protect your floor, your table or your washer.  Also, put plastic bags or wax paper inside of the shirt so the colors from the front don't bleed to the back and vice versa.

Then pour rubbing alcohol -- I used 70% -- into a spray bottle.

Spray the rubbing alcohol all over the shirt -- front and back.

The colors will bleed together will create a tie-dye effect.

Let the shirt sit out overnight to dry.

If you don't cover your spraying/drying surface with plastic, this is what it will look like.  Personally, I think my washer looks better this way -- I just wish the whole thing were covered with color.

After it's dry, cut half moon shapes in the back to create a racer-back look and thinner, more tank top-like sleeves.

My shirt was still pretty loose and the front was a little too low cut for my tastes so I tied the straps together in the back to make them shorter.

On the back of your shirt, just fold the bottom of the straps at each side to make loops like bunny ears when you're learning to tie your shoes.  

Then tie the loops together and double-tie them to make sure it's secure.

Here's the front -- note that the star shape is still there and the black didn't bleed the way I wanted it to.

And here's the back which is my favorite part

My fiance said "you literally can't wear that anywhere" but I can wear it to work out and I can wear it to bed so :-P

It's super comfy and personally, I think it's super cute.