Bleach Resist 101

I taught a class, yesterday, on the bleach resist method. We had a great time and I really enjoyed working with these super ladies. I learned to bleach resist a couple years ago and made the above quilt. The ladies that I taught the method to were as different as night and day, but they both had some great results. Shirley was extremely adventurous and just flung things all over the place and her resists were very, very artsy and full of her peppy personality. Janice was more reserved and orderly and her resists showed her more structured personality. But they both did great and their combined results were awesome. Teaching is one of my most favorite things to do- especially when we get to actually put into practice what we are teaching and learning. It's not nebulous or abstract. It's concrete- and that's where we did most of our work- on concrete!

Directions (in a nutshell): Fill a spray bottle half full of bleach and the rest with water. Kona cottons work great and it is the only fabric I reccommend to stand up the the caustic nature of bleach. I work with 1/2 a fat quarter at a time. Lay your 18"x11" fabric on a solid surface-like a driveway. Place barrier objects on the fabric (think two deminsional here-cheerios, salt, leaves, grass, things with an interesting silhouette. Or you can fold your fabric.) Lightly spray with the bleach solution. It doesn't need to be saturated. Varying the density of spray makes things interesting. Wait a few seconds to maybe one minute-depends on the color you are using and the effect you are going for. Remove the barriers-fast- and dunk your fabric into a bucket of cold water in which one cup of vinegar has been added. Hold the fabric up and say ahhhh! ohhh! How simple is that!? Wash them soon so that you can be sure you got any residual bleach out. Have fun!