So I got out the bleach and experimented with some sample fabrics. Here’s what happened –
Then I decided to try creating some blocks from the fabrics – you can see that the fabrics work together, but how do they look when cut up and sewn back together?
I wasn’t particularly impressed with the green fabric, but the purple fabric works quite nicely combined with the new colour!
Want to try this yourself? It’s quite easy. Here’s what you need:
BLEACH DISCHARGE FABRICrubber kitchen gloves large, shallow metal or glass bowl 2 litres hot water 500 ml (2 cups) bleach metal spoon small pieces of fabric for bleaching
Warning! Wear old clothes so if you splash bleach on yourself, you won’t be too upset :)
Put on the gloves so the bleach will not harm your skin. Mix hot water and bleach in bowl, then place fabric in mixture. Leave fabric in bleach mixture for 5-10 minutes, depending on the amount of bleaching you would like to occur. ‘Stir’ gently so fabric bleaches evenly.
Remove fabric from bleach, rinse thoroughly and put through a regular washing machine cycle to completely remove bleach.
You may need to experiment yourself a little, as every fabric bleaches out at a different rate.
Smaller pieces of fabric are best for this project, as you want the fabric to move freely in the bleach so the liquid is distributed evenly. However, if you plan to do larger amounts of fabric, ensure you have a large enough bucket or bowl, and plenty of water. The ratio of bleach to hot water is 250ml to 1 litre.
Enjoy! ~ Heather