Friday, January 23, 2009

Bleaching fabric

Have been playing around with bleaching fabric. Now don't send the quilt police to my house . . . I took fabric that I have 1 yard of and cut on the fold, bleached half and look at the results. I love the black that went to a chocolate brown, and the brown that went to orange. I have already cut some of these up and they are going in the 54/40 quilt. Even had some fabric that had no change what so ever, I'm making note of it - will be great in crib quilts. I think most mothers will like knowing that if necessary they can bleach a quilt. I have selected several more fabrics, those that I no longer care for and those that I just flat out dislike, and will be bleaching them. I have nothing to loose, if they turn out real ugly, I'll just cut them up and make string quilts, or small 4-patches. If you cut a piece of fabric small enough you don't notice the ugly anymore.

UPDATE: When I bleach a fabric I just toss it into a normal load of laundry, usually with my towels. Clip off the four corners of the fabric to reduce raveling. If I like to way a fabric comes out I have been known to bleach the rest of the yardage. I only use fabric that I don't worry about messing up. You know the kind, you get it as a gift, got in a swap, or its so old that you don't even remember getting it. I don't know if it weakens the fibers, but I don't make quilts that I expect to last 100 years. I want my quilts to be used and wear out, or as I like to call it, "Loved to pieces". So grab an ugly piece and toss it into your next bleach load, this might even make laundry fun. . . .well one can dream . . .

4 comments:

  1. Wow, who would think they would turn out so nice...
    I thought the bleach would turn them nearly white..
    Julia

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  2. This is wonderful. What concentration of bleach to water did you use?

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  3. Are you sure that the fabric isn't weakened? Or do you use a concentration like when you bleach your white batch of clothes, a cup or so in a tub of wash. I like the results! Carline

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  4. I've done that with a few pieces that were used in a quilt and I still love the effect it gave. The bleach toned down the colours to give it a 'gray' look to go along with my other fabrics. This way, no fabric screams out to look at me.

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