Bleach Tie Dye
Bleach Tie Dye is the inverse of tie dye. Both make plain fabric a work of art. The difference is one adds color to white fabric and one subtracts color from dark fabric.
Bleach Dyeing
Bleach dyeing uses bleach to remove color from dark fabric. Beach breaks complex color molecules into smaller ones that can be removed by washing. The result is a minimalist two color effect. You can use any kind of bleach, but chlorine bleach is best. This is our Bleach Tie Dye Black and Copper Long Sleeve Shirt.
Like tie dye, you start by folding fabric to control how bleach will flow through it. Then you apply rubber bands to control where bleach will not flow. Then you apply liquid bleach with squirt bottles to control where the bleach flow starts.
The Final Product is the combined effect of how you folded the fabric, where and how tightly you applied the rubber bands, and how strong and how long the bleach sets before you wash the fabric.
How to Bleach Dye
You can find many websites with tutorials on how to bleach dye. Some are about hair dyeing, but the rules are the same.
Experiment until you get it right. Learn more about hand dyeing anything at Paula Burch's site All About Hand Dyeing It's an older site, but an amazing resource.
Bleach Dyeing basics
- Folds control how bleach will flow through the fabric.
- Rubber bands control where you don't want bleach to flow.
- Bleach concentration and exposure time affect bleached color.
- Fabric color affects bleached color.
