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 . . .
Wow, who would think they would turn out so nice...
ReplyDeleteI thought the bleach would turn them nearly white..
Julia
This is wonderful. What concentration of bleach to water did you use?
ReplyDeleteAre 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
ReplyDeleteI'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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