Do you have that one piece of clothing that you absolutely adore, but the color just doesn’t work on you? I ordered a gorgeous, cream-colored dress from Hope’s boutique- which I thought was going to look fabulous on. Once it arrived, I tried and on and definitely realized the model had a bit more of a tan than I did. It just wasn’t working- therefore, preceding the dress to hang in my closet for over a month with no wear. Here is the original dress.
Then one day, I was rifling through the dresses in my closet and thought to myself “This would be so cute if it were a dark, forest green.” So it hit me- why not dye it? Contrary to popular belief, the new Rit Dye liquid colors are ridiculously easy to use! It only took me an hour (plus washing/drying) to turn this cream lace fabric, into a vibrant green dress perfect for fall!
Here is how I did it!
Step 1: Pick out the fabric you are going to dye and the liquid dye you are going to use. I used two bottles (apple green and kelly green)- for extra vibrancy. Make sure your fabric is wet before placing it into the bucket of dye. I recommend throwing it in the wash (with no detergent) for a few minutes to soak the fabric.
Step 2: Fill a large bucket with hot water and pour in all the dye. Once it is mixed completely, add your wet fabric into the bucket.
Step 3: Continuously stir fabric (I used a plastic mixing spoon) for at least 30 minutes. This is the tedious part of the project- but it pays off.
Step 4: Once you’ve achieved your acquired color, remove the fabric from the bucket and throw it in the washer alone for a normal cycle. It will most likely fade a bit, but overall the color will not drastically change.
A few tips and tricks!
- Wear a ratty t-shirt for this.. It is fabric dye, so don’t be surprised when the color doesn’t come out of your cute shirt!
- The hotter the water, the better. It will definitely help to soak in the color and amp up the vibrancy a notch or two.
- Fabrics such as polyester (as you can see above), aren’t going to soak up as much of the dye as the cotton fabric will- don’t be surprised when the lining is a lighter shade.
Be sure to give it a try to recycle your wardrobe!
xoxo-Megan
Awesomesauce !!!!!
I love how this turned out! The lace dyed really great! It is awesome to breath new life into something that might have just sat in the closet.
Thank you so much!
What percentage of cotton/polyester was your dress, the lace part specifically? I’m needing to dye a dress for a wedding I’m in, and I’m trying to find a white/ivory lace dress that will hold the dye well. I’m actually needing a similar shade of green to your dress, so I may have to copy your “recipe!”