The process
A leaf or a blade does the design. We hold the sprayer.
Every Dyeing By Design shirt is reverse-bleach art: instead of adding ink to the fabric, we take color away from everything around the design. It starts one of two ways. For the botanical line, a walk in the Maine woods — we gather real leaves, staghorn sumac, northern white cedar, ostrich fern, whatever the season drops, and carry them back while they still lie flat. For the graphic and stencil line, a clean vector design, cut into a stencil by hand.
Everything gets arranged on a heavyweight cotton tee. Stencils are held flat so the edges stay sharp; leaves are laid flat so their shadows come out soft and organic. Then comes the part you can't fake: a slow, even mist of bleach over the whole layout. The exposed fabric lightens — every blank burns to its own tone, black to gold, red to peach, blue to pale. Underneath the leaf or the stencil, the cotton keeps its color. When it lifts away, its shadow stays behind — every vein of pressure, every crisp cut edge, every stray fleck of spray.
We neutralize the bleach, wash and dry the shirt, and check the print. What ships to you is burned into the fibers — permanent, soft, and impossible to repeat. It will never crack, peel, or fade, because there is nothing on top of the fabric to come off. We could not make two identical shirts if we tried. We've tried.
Printed on
Hanes Beefy-T
- Weight
- 6.1 oz
- Fabric
- 100% ring spun cotton
- Fit
- Soft, relaxed fit
A heavyweight classic since 1975. Pure cotton takes the bleach evenly, so the burn reads clean and the shirt comes through the process without going thin.
Good to know
What's DBD?
Us. DBD is short for Dyeing By Design — it's the mark on the shirts and how most people around Brunswick, Maine say it. If you're searching, "DBD shirts Maine" or "Dyeing By Design" both land here: dyeingbydesign.com, or @dyeingbydesign on Instagram.
Will mine look exactly like the photo?
No, and that's the point. Leaf placement, spray density, and how far the burn goes vary from shirt to shirt — even two shirts cut from the same stencil come out with their own contrast and tone. Yours is the only one like it.
Why bleach instead of screen printing?
Zero feel — the design is burned into the fibers, so there's no stiff plastic layer on your chest. It's indestructible — nothing sits on top of the fabric to crack, peel, or wash out. And it's 100% unique — even with the same stencil, the bleach reacts a little differently every time.
Can you do my logo?
Yes. Send us a clean, high-contrast version (vector — SVG or PDF — is ideal) through the custom request page. We cut the stencil by hand and quote each piece individually.
How do I wash it?
Cold water, inside out, gentle cycle. Hang dry or tumble low. The bleach is fully neutralized and rinsed before your shirt ships, so the design is permanent and won't spread.
What shirts do you print on?
Heavyweight ring spun cotton tees — soft, with a relaxed fit — in seventeen blank colors: Black Spruce, Granite, Deep Harbor, Blueberry, Sea Smoke, Tide Pool, Sea Glass, Balsam, Sapling, Lichen, Goldenrod, Sunflower, Ember, Rosehip, Cranberry, Chokecherry, and Lupine. The bleach burns each color differently — black goes gold, reds go peach, greens go tan, blues go pale, and the lighter blanks go softer still — so the same design reads differently on every shirt. They run roomy, so if you like a closer fit, take your usual size rather than sizing up.
Do you make anything besides shirts?
Bandanas. Same bleach, same designs, about 22 inches square — one size that folds down for a small dog's collar, a big dog's neck, your hair, or your back pocket. Pick any design in the lineup. $10.00 on its own, or $55.00 for a bandana and a shirt together — the cart takes that off for you.
How do I pay?
Add what you want to your cart. Shirts we have counted and ready go straight to a secure card checkout (card, Apple Pay, Google Pay). Made to order shirts and custom pieces go in as an order request — send it with your shipping address and we reply within a day with a secure payment link and a ship date. Nothing is charged until you pay.
How long until it ships?
Each shirt is made after your order is paid. Allow 1 to 2 weeks of making time depending on how many orders are ahead of you, then US shipping with tracking. $7 flat rate per order.
Returns?
Every piece is bleached by hand for one person, so nothing comes back for a refund. What you get instead is a swap: one free exchange per piece for a different size or color, within 14 days of it landing. Ask for one at dyeingbydesign.com/swap — you cover postage back, we make the new one and ship it free.
Do you ship outside the US?
Not yet. If you're international and really want one, send a custom request and we'll figure something out.