Discharging with deColourant

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered some deColourant color remover.  I couldn't wait to try it with the kitchen resists that I've been playing around with.  But I had cleaned up and put away the table in the middle of the family room (for some reason my family insists on hanging around in that room and the "laboratory" table took up most of the space).  So I had time to do just a few experiments until the outside-experiment weather happened.



 I was really excited about using this stuff.  I have long wanted to play around with discharging fabric -- I even purchased some stuff that stops the action of the bleach -- but because I like to breathe, I never found time to get bleach and use it.

So this stuff seemed heaven-sent.  No harmful fumes, no noxious odors, and it rinses out easily with just soap and water.  In fact, if you change your mind and don't like the design, you can rinse it out without it discharging!

Because it is activated with heat.  Specifically, steam from an iron.  Cool beans!

I had to do a winter block in brights (!), so I pieced together some brights, then, using a  trusty Stewart Gill stencil, I applied this stuff to my pieced block.


I let it dry, then hit it with the steam iron.

Wow!  It really does work!


And the smell is tolerable.  Not really pleasant, but didn't necessitate a run to the oxygen tanks (no, I don't really have any oxygen tanks, but if I did, I would have had them standing by -- just in case.)

 I went over the discharged tree with some pale grey thread to make the cream-colored discharged area look more wintery and cool.  And I was finished.  And the recipient really liked it.

I also tried out the deColourant Plus.  It has color mixed in with the remover.  I opted for the lime green/orange/purple group.  I really like the orange stripes on the turquoise fabric.  I was a little worried because before it dried, the edges had a bright purple color.  But it turned orange when I ironed it.

I liked that I could mix the colors with each other and with the plain deColourant.  The bottom stripes on the turquoise piece are orange mixed with plain.  I did the same thing with the purple at the bottom of the black piece on the right.  
I swirled together the green with some of the plain and got this piece.  Both of the black fabrics are Kona black.  I was really surprised and happy with how well it replaced the black.

But I really want to try it with resists.  That will have to wait for my next post.