Altered Couture - Maternity Edition

Now that we've sold the place and inspectors are done tromping through, I'm free to break out my crafting goodies and get back to work!
Maternity clothes ate boring, unless you want to shell out serious money. As a result, my first pregnancy I spent a lot of time not only feeling like a swelling alien mothership, but also not able to dress as I did usually. It was doubly alienating. I felt like my identity was lost somewhere in the black hole of my uterus. I'm sure there's a while world of psychological fun in those sentiments, but we're here to focus on slapping some personality back in to boring stuff!
I ended up with a LOT of solid, boring colored tank tops and shirts and skirts. I put up with it because I worked at a conservative business and that was required. But now that we're freelance and homesteading, the creativity dam is opened!
The first item of clothing I wanted to work on was a rather bland, but comfy, navy blue jersey skirt I usually save for the beach. We're going to the beach this weekend to celebrate, so it seemed perfect timing to try some bleach painting.
I gathered my supplies: a bleach pen, a cardboard box to prevent the bleach from soaking through (unless you want the design on both sides of the garment) and the garment to be decorated! Note -While we highly enjoy Cinnamon Toast Crunch in this household, we do not solely advocate the use of its box for crafting. Any flattened cereal box or long cardboard will suffice.

Next, shake the heck out of the gel pen, uncap it, and get to work! I googled
some paisley designs and made the decision to put them across the hip so it was asymmetrical. Shown here, my sorta funky free-handed attempt.

Then I decided to add some elements around the outside to expand it. I would have done more but the bleach pen was only half full when I started using it, so I quickly ran out. Either way, it was looking pretty swanky!

I let it sit for a few minutes, noting the reddish tinge starting to show up around the edges of the bleach, then promptly ran the design under cold water, washing the bleach off.

After employing some soap to make sure the bleach didn't seep in to other parts of the skirt thanks to the water bath, I also gave it a splash of vinegar to try and kill the reaction, since it seemed to still be brightening even as I washed it. It seemed to work, but various forums online say that's a super bad idea, so don't follow my lead. Just wash the snot out of it with water and soap!
I loved the results. There was a purple-pinkish design across the hip that reminded me immediately of blueberries that had been smashed. In my head it has become my Blueberry Skirt.

Isn't it pretty??
This was very easy to do, the hardest parts being keeping the Girlchild from getting curious and pulling it down, letting the bleach sit too long that it might burn through, and not letting it seep through the clothing. Cardboard and care can safeguard against all of those things if you decide to try it. I'll be breaking out the new bleach gel pen to do other designs on two tank tops I have that are in need of sprucing up, as I love how this turned out! I'm excited for my new, more "me" maternity wardrobe! The other modifications I make will be shared here as well, so stay tuned!