playing with dye

Have you ever used dye before? It was quite fun to drop it into the bucket of water and watch it disperse and dissolve. If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you might remember that I am equally fascinated with cream being dropped into a cup of tea. I wonder if I could ever replicate that effect on or with fabric? Like a billowy silk gown that flutters and swirls when the model walks?

Anyway, here’s my tunic tank top dipped in a stainless steel pot typically used by my hubby for making pasta or soup. Said pot was very excited to be included in a sewing project, as said pot sometimes dreams of exploring other careers.

I wanted an ombre effect on my tank. It didn’t quite turn out the way I had planned it, but when you’re making an Alabama Chanin project, you go with the flow and you let the garment do what it’s going to do. I think the same can be said for dye-jobs. You’re not completely in charge. The materials are going to have an opinion of their own, and you have to learn to respect that and work alongside the materials instead of trying to be the task-master.

That being said, when I first followed the instructions for dyeing (dip it for 30 seconds), the dye job was waaaaay too pale, especially after I cold-rinsed it. Barely visible, I mean. I dipped it again. Still too pale. After dipping it several times, I decided to jerry-rig a spot to hang the garment in the bucket overnight. After about 12 hours, the dye had reached a desirable shade (though still not as dark as I had originally envisioned).

It still doesn’t fade up quite like ombre. However, I’m completely happy with it, and will simply have to do more dye jobs in the future if I want to accomplish a true ombre effect. While I was at it, I also dyed a pillowcase and a scrap of fabric I had turned into an infinity scarf. The scarf had lain in the bottom of a drawer for a long time, because the fabric doesn’t have the right drape (just doesn’t look right when it’s on me), and because it was just boring white cheap cotton. I got a really nice ombre effect on the scarf, and decided to use it as a decoration when styling purse shots:

Nowadays, it’s a home-dec item tied onto the standard, boring chandelier in our dining room. Someday we’ll have a stunning fixture there, but for now I like how the scarf gave it just the right touch of personality.