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| some of these will be for sale here when they are done |
When you were a kid did you love "Mr. Wizard" on TV? It was one of my favorite shows. Do cool things with stuff from the kitchen, just don't let your mother catch you. I learned some science and how to clean up a crime scene and make evidence disappear.
So here you have magic made from your common stash cloth, all those batik fat quarters that you bought to excess because you couldn't stop yourself, SoftScrub (who needs to clean the bathroom?) and Aquasafe which is sold in the pet department in the grocery store. (I'm sure there are other brands of both products)
Try starting with fabrics both wet and dry. I use a hair dye applicator (where ever could that have come from?)and sometimes dilute the SoftScrub with water, sometimes not. Experiment with timing. Add some elements, wait a few minutes and add some others..you will see the changes quickly so don't' walk away for a smoke or a nosh or you could come back to holes depending on the cloth. Remember, the magic is in the bleach so don't do this to anything other than cottons.
When you get to the stopping place (check the backsides of the cloth) take them out on a patch of lawn you don't care much about and blast them with the hose. Then let them soak in a bucket for a while with the Aquasafe to stop the chlorine action. Wash, dry, enjoy! (the large piece on the far right is hand dyed canvas the rest are all commercial batiks mostly from my patron St.A. )
8 comments:
These are great, and what a nice view from the window. Lovely fabrics
I'm thinking I could bleach some and then over dye. Thanks for the nudge to push me to do something with those fabrics that I bought when I was in the 'o-zone'. ann = designerann
Thank you for sharing...they are looking good. Appreciate the info about the products you used too.
What a visual feast!!!! I'm going to try too--but i'm intrigued by the (w)hole possibility :)
And i see you have my favourite summer basket plant, an orangey lemon lantana.
mmmm, discharge dying by any other name is just as sweet
great pictures -- thanks for the tip about the Aquasafe -- I hadn't thought of using that to counter the chlorine
I think we missed out on Mr Wizard here in the UK - but it sounds like fun. I like the idea of bleaching then over-dyeing. I imagine you could get some quite surprising results that way. Thanks for visiting today and making me smile.
I'm not familiar with Mr. Wizard, but your magic with cloth is fun to watch.
I'm not familiar with Aquasafe either...is it a pool thing?
Having kept fish for years, I can hardly believe I never thought to use their water conditioner/dechlorinater to neutralize chlorine bleach when I've used it before. Instead I've always just doused the fabrics in as much water as I could, put them through the washing machine, and added vinegar to the rinse cycle. Amazingly simpler than I've been making it all these years.
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