Bleach?

If y'all are tired of hearing about this silly bleaching project I've started, just let me know, but for those of you who care to know, I just had to tell you about the latest development.

I put the pieces of denim in to soak at 9 o'clock yesterday morning. Despite my misgivings about creating holes in the fabric, I left it in to soak overnight.

Now it's 6:49 the next evening, and the denim hasn't changed shades at all, so far as I can tell. It still looks like ti-dyed fabric; lovely blue and white streaks.

Mom picked up a package of dye remover for me today when she went shopping, and I am considering using that. She handed the package to me while I was making potato salad for supper, and I thanked her and remembered that I hadn't "visited" my project at all today. After supper, I prepared to check the progress.

First, though, I needed a bigger bucket. Maybe if the pieces aren't packed into the bottom of the mop bucket they won't be dyed only in streaks. I asked Dad if I could borrow one of his 5-gallon gardening buckets, and he kindly went out in the wet weather to fetch one for me.

I poured the bleach-water and fabric into the larger bucket, and went to fetch more water. It was only after pouring almost all the second bucketful of water into the larger bucket that I noticed a puddle at my feet.

There was a hole in the 5-gallon bucket.

My first reaction was to pour everything back into the safe smaller bucket - but then I realized that it wouldn't fit. I stood there watching bleach water go everywhere, flowing dangerously close to other clothing (I was doing this in our laundry room.)

I waved my hands frantically and did what every girl should do when in trouble:

"Daddy! Help!"

After being rescued by Dad, who dumped the water into our sump-pump (after I rescued my fabric), I decided to try the dye remover. I turned my eyes to the back of the little box;

"Do not use with any bleach products."

Great.

I looked at the bleach-soaked fabric, and then at Mom.

"Mother, if this says it's not to be used with bleach products, and I use it on bleach-soaked fabric, will that be a problem?"

I think Mom had trouble not laughing. "Yes, I would think so."

"I was afraid of that. I guess I'll have to wash the fabric first, huh?"

"Mmhmm." Mom nodded.

How many times can fabric be washed before it dissolves, anyway?

SOoooooo....after I de-bleach my fabric - AND find a bigger bucket without holes - I'm gonna try dye remover.

Oh yes - one last little detail. As I stood contemplating how much I want - or don't want - this skirt, I leaned closer to the bucket containing my fabric.

I should note here that our laundry room, being in the basement, doesn't have very good lighting, and I was working in an out-of-the-way corner under the stairs, which is even darker. This is why I hadn't noticed a certain problem earlier.

"....Uh, Mooooom......My fabric is.....green!"

It was - uh, is. Green. A very faint, olive-y, yellowish green. The bleach water is yellowish-green, too.

I hope dye remover can fix that too.