Friday, February 09, 2007

How to Discharge Instead of Washing Dishes and Other Important Shopping Events

Several of you've asked how I discharged the Bob Marley lyrics and it is very complicated but allow me to demonstrate:

First, you need these expensive supplies:
That's off-brand liquid dish gel with spot fighter (bleach) and a plastic bottle with a metal tip. Find the bottles in art supply stores where fabric, batik and dyeing supplies are sold or order online from Dharma Trading. Pour the liquid dish gel into the little bottle and write on your fabric. (Darker over-dyed fabrics work best or any dark commercially dyed fabrics work well too but only NATURAL fibers, ie cotton, silk)
Now for the fun part. Let it sit for a while flat and watch the chemical reaction! The dish gel will wick into the channels of the fabric. Leave it for as long or a little as you'd like and hold the fabric up to the light and check the bleaching from the backside to see your script or design materialize. I usually can't wait longer than 20 minutes or so. Rinse REAL good and wear GLOVES to maintain your dainty moisurized hands. Dry, press and Wahlaa!
NOT that you can really READ it but doesn't it look cool! And here are a few complicated designs I've played around with:(I can't stick to one topic or technique for long) Just LOOK what I found today while on my round of sales calls at The Hen House , a quilting, felting AND knitting shop! Combed dyed wool with flippin Angelina Fibers mixed in it! It Screamed my name so I bought 3 of the 6 hanks left:

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for that - can't wait to try it. and you sound like me - i love trying new techniques - just as well we don't live next door to each other there would be an ongoing frenzy of experimenting :)

Micki said...

Thanks for the info and demonstration. Will have to give it a try sometime.

jackie said...

Had to get back to let you know that I tried writing with bleach this afternoon, and it was great fun. I have the 'gutta' nib from years ago when I was into silk painting, and was pleased to make some use of it.
Thanks for the fun!

Dianne said...

That bleach writing looks great!

Shelina said...

This discharge looks like so much fun! I absolutely have to try it.