Thursday, July 29, 2010

Bleach Dying

I used cloth from an old black futon cover to make an airship pirate themed tablecloth.

I started by masking the areas that I did not want to bleach, with tape. I used duct tape only because that's what I had on hand. Regular masking tape will work fine.

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DH says this looks like the beginnings of a poorly constructed Klingon costume:

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Using a 50% water to 50% bleach solution in a spritzer bottle, I sprayed all over the bare stripes in the center of the cloth. Then I placed the stencils I was using on one section of the cloth and sprayed all over them.

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As each section started to dry (which didn't take long in this heat), I moved on to the next section, reusing the same stencils.

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When the entire cloth was dry, I removed the tape.

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5 comments:

Crescent Moon said...

Warning! I forgot to mention, you will not know what color a piece of fabric will turn when bleached, unless you try a small spot. I dribbled bleach on the olive colored shorts I was wearing while doing this project and those spots are bright pink, not white. The black jeans I did this to, turned rusty brown in the bleached spots.

Tammy said...

This is way cool...lol!

I imagine your hubby wakes up each morning wondering what amazing ideas you will be working on throughout the day.

Melissa said...

Pretty nifty idea!

jhb said...

hi. i just love your blog. just wished i had more time to look through it!!!!!! I was wondering if the bleech stopped bleeching when dried or if it keeps going? also if the bleech is safe for clothes after it is dry or will it get on things if you rub against it. no need to answer if you are swamped..Many thanks

Crescent Moon said...

Bleach evaporates and becomes safe to touch. I did rinse the tablecloth out with clean water before putting it in the wash with other clothes, but I don't think that was necessary after the bleach had dried. I have seen some cute t-shirts done this way, just make sure there is something inside the t-shirt, blocking the bleach, so it doesn't bleed through to the back of the shirt.

Crafty Crow