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DIY Bleached Landscape Pillow

by on Aug 20, 2014

Our little boy was born two weeks before we moved into the Curbly House, and for the last two years – with the exception of a few pictures on the wall, his bedroom has remained untouched. For the most part, this has been intentional, because we wanted to hold off creating a space for him until we knew more about him. And, frankly, we be tired, and adding another room to our makeover list was just not in our cards… until now.

We’re currently in the process of creating an inspiration board for his room, which alongside the final room reveal is my favorite part of the process. It’s full of potential and different outcomes, and I love dreaming up the possibilities.

"Wall painting designs in z's New room."

But, if history has taught me anything, it’s that the endless possibilities can run wild and become overwhelming, so I decided to play out one of my favorite themes for his room: Mountains – on a small scale.

Using pillow covers and Clorox Bleach, I decided to create a pillow that featured a geometric mountain design. After selecting my pillow cover (this light blue one), I got to work.

A bleach pen and blue tape is next to a sponge brush

  • Clorox Bleach Pen (or you can make your own using this recipe and Clorox Bleach)
  • Pillow Cover + Insert (Make sure your pillow cover is 100% cotton; ours was 100% cotton velvet)
  • Painter’s Tape + Foam Brush (We recommend using an extra adhesive tape, like an exterior one, so that your lines stay sharp)
  • Gloves (to protect your hands during the rinsing step)

How-To

  1. Create a template. I drew out some different designs on paper and then created a larger version of my favorite design using painter’s tape (I used the “exterior” version of this tape because it’s more adhesive).
    Creating a Mountain Template
    Painter's Tape Mountain Stencil
  2. Use bleach gel to trace the lines of the template. I wanted the design to have a hand drawn feel, so I used the tape lines as a guide, but didn’t worry much about the lines being perfectly straight. I first did a pass with the Bleach Pen and then used a foam brush to spread the bleach.
    Using Bleach Marker to Draw Design
    Brushing bleach design
  3. Allow bleach to set in. I let the bleach soak into the fabric for about 10 minutes. The longer it sits, the white your design becomes. You can see the beaching process, which allows you to preserve color in some areas and go white in others.
  4. Rinse with cold water. Once you’re happy with the look of your design, rinse your pillow covers in cold water to stop the beaching process. Wear those gloves for this step.
    Cold water rinse to stop bleaching
  5. Wash your pillow covers. You can wash them on the delicate cycle or by hand.

Let me digress for just a moment and suggest that if you have stained or damaged fabric (denim, cotton tablecloths, old tee-shirts) lying around, this is the perfect project for you. It’ll give your old cotton goods new life and you’ll stop cursing the stain that ruined your favorite tee-shirt.

Once the front of my pillow cover was designed and washed, I let it air dry and ironed it. Then I stuffed the pillow insert inside and called it a day. The end result was the perfect mountain scene for our tiny adventurer.

DIY Bleach Pillow Cover
"Neat surrounding with wall paint,bleached landscape pillow and coffee mug."

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Clorox. The opinions and text are all mine.