Discharge Dyeing
Discharge dyeing means that you remove colour from the fabric to see what the base colour is. You cannot always predict the base colour and some fabrics do not discharge at all.
Working methods:
- Draw using pen, bottle, brush, sponge, eye-dropper, stick, leaf or found object.
- Spray using a diluted bleach solution.
- Tie-dyeing techniques such as tie, fold, scrunch or pleat.
Work space:
Spread out newspaper or plastic over a pad of fabric (blanket or folded sheet). Lay your fabric over this and smooth it out.
Wear rubber or latex gloves and work in a well-ventilated area.
Diluted bleach solution:
Prepare a solution of one part bleach and three parts water.
I recommend that you do some early test strips at this point. Different fabrics will react differently. Cut a sample piece and apply the diluted bleach. Observe how long it takes to react and the colour changes it goes through. A black fabric may go through lovely rust shades to pink and finally beige. With a bit of practice, you will be able to judge your timing to take advantage of all these shades. With those fabrics which take more than five minutes to show any reaction, try strengthening the bleach solution to one part bleach to two parts water. Just keep in mind that some fabrics really are colour-fast and will not discharge any dye.