Stumble It!
Hi girls!
Something I’ve been playing with lately – BLEACH! Not for washing with, but for stamping. Yes, stamping.
Bleaching on fabric gives a washed out, Batik kind of look that is great to use as backgrounds for LO’s. The best part is that all of your stamps which were currently being used for normal ink based stamping can be used for this technique.
You Need:
A piece of dark coloured COTTON BASED material. Not too thin or thick.
A thick Bleach Gel – I have used White King bathroom gel, which is much thicker than normal bleach from the bottle.
Stamps (either rubber or acrylic)
old scuzzy paintbrush
container of water
shallow dish for the bleach gel
scrap card to lie the fabric on
NOTE BEFORE WE START:
Bleach is a toxic chemical and so therefore must be used VERY CAREFULLY. First, you must be in a well ventillated room. Second, wear gloves and eye goggles/ sunglasses to prevent splashing. Do NOT have the chemical near an open flame. Keep out of reach of children also.
Basically, all you need to so is to paint an even layer of the bleach gel onto your stamp.
Apply the stamp onto the fabric with even pressure, just like normal stamping. Re-paint the stamp with the gel after each application. I have even taken the paintbrush and drawn some shapes and flourishes with the gel on the fabric.
When you have finished stamping, put your brush in the water container and then place your fabric on it’s spare card out in the sun or in a well lit area. The sun will encourage more bleaching to happen.
When the fabric is dry you need to wash it to get rid of the excess bleach BEFORE you use it on a LO or other project.
FAQ’s:
1. Will the bleach wreck my stamps?
Short answer – No. In fact, it will clean any nooks and crannies of the stamps that have built up ink in them. Be careful to wash the bleach off at the end of use, though. Just warm soapy water will be fine.
2. Is bleach “acid free”?
No. If you use it straight on the page while dry without washing it, it MAY bleach the colours from your other papers too. So wash and iron it before use.
3. What do I do if I get Bleach on my clothes?
If you’re wearing white, cool bananas. If you’re wearing any other colour – say goodbye.
love,
Sares xx
Leonardo's Apprentice- the world of Sarah Gladman 
It is my understanding that bleach will not affect rubber stamps if cleaned; however, acrylic stamps can be destroyed by oil based or solvent based inks such as StazOn as well as acetone and bleach. Is this true?
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