Harmony Hand Dyes hand-dyed Fabric MX Procion Dye Shiva Paintstiks Tisdale SK Sask Saskatchewan Canada
| Discharging Dye From Fabric |
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Discharging Dye From Cotton Fabric
Discharging: the process of removing dye from natural fibres with chemicals or bleach. You can use
various methods – stamping, stencilling, tye-dye, spraying, shibori, etc.
Different fabrics give different results. Some dyes are difficult to discharge and some are very easy.
Discharging rarely results in the original white – it can vary depending on the dyes used and for
black, it can produce variations from light tan to deep rust to green.
Work in well-ventilated areas - discharging chemicals and bleach can give off chlorine fumes.
I usually work OUTSIDE or in the garage with the door open.
The two methods I work with are
• Bleach (try 1 part bleach to 2 parts water)
• Palmolive Gel Dishwasher Detergent
And sometimes, I combine the two… 1 part Palmolive, 1 part bleach, 1 part water.
Equipment:
Bleach and/or dishwasher gel; Bleach-Stop; spray bottle for bleach; fabric (start with solid colours -
black is great - in about 9" squares to end up with 8" finished blocks); bucket for Bleach-Stop and
large plastic spoon; bucket for rinse water; bucket of clean-up water (to wash backing, stamps and
stencils between uses); pressed leaves, stamps, stencils.... whatever theme you want.; pins. You will
need plastic or "plastic cardboard" to work on.
Bleach-Stop is a chemical – sodium thiosulfate crystals. Exercise Caution:
• Avoid contact with eyes or skin. Wear eye protection and a NIOSH mask. If eye
contact occurs flush with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes, then get medical
attention.
• Avoid fumes
• Wear rubber gloves
• Work in well ventilated area (I prefer outside)
• If swallowed, induce vomiting and call a physician.
• KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND PETS.
Prepare Bleach Stop:
1 oz Bleach Stop (1-1/2 Tablespoons) to 1 gallon hot water.
Dissolve slowly to avoid heat buildup.
Soak/agitate the bleached fabric for 15 minutes, then rinse in cold water.
Spraying Bleach:
TREAT BLEACH LIKE IT’S BLEACH – A CORROSIVE!!
Pin on shapes. If using pressed leaves, try to “hide” the pins so they don’t block the bleach.
Stand the board upright to spray then QUICKLY LAY THE BOARD DOWN SO THE BLEACH DOESN’T
RUN. ....you are probably thinking, "why can't I just lie the fabric flat and spray it"... when I have tried
this, the spray bottle often drips from the nozzle and you can get bigger "splashes" rather than
spray. Test your sprayer and if you are confident it won't drip, then you can spray it flat.
Let sit 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t leave longer than necessary. Once the dye has discharged, the bleach
will only eat the fabric so take it immediately and immerse and agitate/soak in the Bleach-Stop. Let
soak 15 minutes then rinse in cold water. Hang to dry.
For stamping, I apply the bleach or dishwasher gel to the stamp with a foam brush. It gives a more
even stamp and avoids dripping on fabric. You can see when the bleach has discharged but the
dishwasher gel hides the discharge so try some samples and time them to see how long it takes to
discharge - different fabrics can take different discharge times.
A new method I have tried is to paint the fabric with a "Resist" and let it dry then spray with bleach.
The area that has been covered with the resist keeps the colour intact and the surrounding area is
discharged.
Discharging: the process of removing dye from natural fibres with chemicals or bleach. You can use
various methods – stamping, stencilling, tye-dye, spraying, shibori, etc.
Different fabrics give different results. Some dyes are difficult to discharge and some are very easy.
Discharging rarely results in the original white – it can vary depending on the dyes used and for
black, it can produce variations from light tan to deep rust to green.
Work in well-ventilated areas - discharging chemicals and bleach can give off chlorine fumes.
I usually work OUTSIDE or in the garage with the door open.
The two methods I work with are
• Bleach (try 1 part bleach to 2 parts water)
• Palmolive Gel Dishwasher Detergent
And sometimes, I combine the two… 1 part Palmolive, 1 part bleach, 1 part water.
Equipment:
Bleach and/or dishwasher gel; Bleach-Stop; spray bottle for bleach; fabric (start with solid colours -
black is great - in about 9" squares to end up with 8" finished blocks); bucket for Bleach-Stop and
large plastic spoon; bucket for rinse water; bucket of clean-up water (to wash backing, stamps and
stencils between uses); pressed leaves, stamps, stencils.... whatever theme you want.; pins. You will
need plastic or "plastic cardboard" to work on.
Bleach-Stop is a chemical – sodium thiosulfate crystals. Exercise Caution:
• Avoid contact with eyes or skin. Wear eye protection and a NIOSH mask. If eye
contact occurs flush with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes, then get medical
attention.
• Avoid fumes
• Wear rubber gloves
• Work in well ventilated area (I prefer outside)
• If swallowed, induce vomiting and call a physician.
• KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND PETS.
Prepare Bleach Stop:
1 oz Bleach Stop (1-1/2 Tablespoons) to 1 gallon hot water.
Dissolve slowly to avoid heat buildup.
Soak/agitate the bleached fabric for 15 minutes, then rinse in cold water.
Spraying Bleach:
TREAT BLEACH LIKE IT’S BLEACH – A CORROSIVE!!
- Wear rubber gloves
- Old cloths – including shoes (gravity!)
- Mask and eye protection.
Pin on shapes. If using pressed leaves, try to “hide” the pins so they don’t block the bleach.
Stand the board upright to spray then QUICKLY LAY THE BOARD DOWN SO THE BLEACH DOESN’T
RUN. ....you are probably thinking, "why can't I just lie the fabric flat and spray it"... when I have tried
this, the spray bottle often drips from the nozzle and you can get bigger "splashes" rather than
spray. Test your sprayer and if you are confident it won't drip, then you can spray it flat.
Let sit 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t leave longer than necessary. Once the dye has discharged, the bleach
will only eat the fabric so take it immediately and immerse and agitate/soak in the Bleach-Stop. Let
soak 15 minutes then rinse in cold water. Hang to dry.
For stamping, I apply the bleach or dishwasher gel to the stamp with a foam brush. It gives a more
even stamp and avoids dripping on fabric. You can see when the bleach has discharged but the
dishwasher gel hides the discharge so try some samples and time them to see how long it takes to
discharge - different fabrics can take different discharge times.
A new method I have tried is to paint the fabric with a "Resist" and let it dry then spray with bleach.
The area that has been covered with the resist keeps the colour intact and the surrounding area is
discharged.
Bleach can be thickened with a Sodium Alginate paste. You can do great stencilling or
painting. The bleach does breakdown the paste so you have to use it fairly soon after
combining. It can't be stored.
painting. The bleach does breakdown the paste so you have to use it fairly soon after
combining. It can't be stored.