For the next few blogs, you will see various states of putting on and taking off the fundoshi. Basically, it is how I progressed through the photo shoots, one after another. Today, we have the original and and enhanced lavender crinkle gauze.
The enhanced version here was done in 2 passes. The first one created the horizontal stripes. After setting this into the fabric, I did a quick soak of the entire fundoshi in a bleach solution to lighten it, but not turn it completely white. This is where the pink color comes from. It is all in the timing.
I tend to use either a 1:3 or 1:5 bleach to water ratio for my discharge solution. It just depends on how quickly I feel comfortable in working. When working with bleach, it is important to completely remove it from the fabric. Rinsing in water will stop the discharge action, but bleach will actually stay in the fabric, causing it to disintegrate. We don’t want stray holes in our fundoshi, do we?
If you search for home methods of neutralizing the bleach, you may come across sites that suggest you use vinegar. DO NOT. This produces chlorine gas which attacks mucous membranes (eyes, throat, lungs) and can kill. At craft sites, acceptable chemicals are sold, but tend to be a little expensive. The same chemicals can be found at your local home supply center that has a section devoted to swimming pools. You can purchase a dechlorinate like sodium sulfite. It only takes about 2 teaspoons per 2-3 gallons for an effective solution to remove the chlorine from the fabric, so it is very cost-effective. 
The process is simple:
1. Perform the discharge. For this blog’s enhanced fundoshi, I simply used a brush to ‘paint’ the bleach solution onto the fabric as the first step. I then soaked it for about 20 seconds in the solution to change the lavender to pink.
2. Rinse with water.
3. Soak for 10-30 minutes in the dechlorinate solution.
4. Wash in a normal manner.
Fundoshi....
Lavender: original and enhanced. Don’t worry, we get to a completely new color next blog.
Fabric....
Crinkle gauze. Notice how some of the crinkle is gone in the enhanced fundoshi. The bleach and dechlorination relaxes the fabric a little.
Photography....
Still working with new lights and backdrop. For the posing shots, I did used a low flash from the camera to capture the fabric a little better. For the 'fundoshi as art' shots, I used lower light with long exposure times. You can tell the difference a light source makes on the color changes between the 2 shoots. The 'reality' is that the posed shots are more color correct. The other shots look better with the enhanced saturation caused by the long exposure and a different light temperature.
And now...the rest of the photos....
Next time on fundoshi fabric and photos, caution is thrown to the wind and I show the hunter green cheesecloth.
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