- Supplies Needed
- Red Cotton Fabric
- Bleach
- Water
- Spray Bottle
- Sewing Supplies for Hem or Fusible Web
- Iron
- Hem the Fabric
Before you do anything else, hem the fabric to prevent raveling. You can do this by sewing a hem or by using fusible web to iron a hem. This is also a good time to add the hanging pocket if your background stand requires it. - Iron the Fabric
Iron the fabric if needed to remove wrinkles. Wrinkles can interfere with your design. - Mix the Bleach
In the spray bottle, mix 1/2 water and 1/2 bleach. Be careful not to spill or you risk ruining your clothes/carpet. Set the spray nozzle for about a 2" spray pattern. - Create the Heart
Spread the fabric out on a flat surface that will not be damaged by bleach. Due to the size requirements I suggest a garage floor or driveway. If you do not have a relatively clean area, use a sheet of painter's plastic to protect the cloth from the pavement. You can also use the plastic if you must work indoors (but you still risk spills this way). Begin spraying a heart outline on the fabric with your bleach solution. Spray lightly at first and then respray the heart until the pattern area is saturated. - Set the Design
Carefully move the heart indoors to the dryer. Dry on low heat. - Check Your Design
Once the heart is dry you will see it has faded the fabric considerably. If you want a lighter heart repeat steps 4 and 5 until the heart is the color you want. - Remove the Bleach
Once you have the desired color heart, wash the fabric to remove the bleach. Wash the fabric alone or with items that you do not mind being bleached! - Final Drying
You can now dry your fabric one last time. The background is now ready to use.
Additional Ideas
This technique is very easy to use with a variety of designs. You can make lots of small hearts scattered around the fabric instead of one large heart. You could also make a variety of other patterns such as the stencils Marion Boddy-Evans, the About.com Guide to Painting, has available.
