What is the technique?

Bleaching is chemical treatment employed for the removal of natural coloring matter from the substrate. The source of natural color is organic compounds with conjugated double bonds , by doing chemical bleaching the discoloration takes place by the breaking the chromophore , most likely destroying the one or more double bonds with in this conjugated system. The material appears whiter after the bleaching.

 

What are the materials needed?

• Dark coloured fabric (10% cotton, linen or rayon)
• Bleach
• Gloves
• Protection mask
• Safety goggles
• Patterned stencil (optional)

 

How to achieve the technique?

1. Prepare fabric before starting — use fabric manipulation techniques by folding, stitching or twisting.

2. Put on a pair of rubber gloves, mask and safety goggles.

3. Pour bleach in a spray bottle, until it is one-quarter full.

4. Fill the rest of the bottle with water, then shake it to thoroughly mix the bleach and water.

5. Mist the fabric with the bleach mixture.

6. Let the fabric dry in the shade for mild fading, or let the fabric dry in the sun for more fading.

7. Wash and dry the fabric immediately after it has faded to the colour you like.

 

What are the uses and applications of the technique?

• Wearable item (scarf, apparels, etc.)
• Cushion cover
• Bedsheets
• Curtains
• Tapestry

 

Photos of experimentation with technique

 

Own personal reflections

Bleaching fabrics is a simple technique that can be done home-based. Using fabric manipulation technique of foldings, twisting and stitching allows the outcome of different patterns.

I considered this techniques as one of the techniques that I can try for my final project. The experimentation of using a different dark-coloured fabric besides black to reveal the difference in the fading as compared on a black fabric. Thus, this will allow me to see the different colours that would be the outcome of the pattern.