I wrote last week about the thin line between inspiration and discontentment, and how I can go from “ooh . . . that’s a cool look” to “my whole house needs a re-do” faster than a Kardashian marriage. (Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.)
However, I have recently been energized to attempt some fun home improvement/decor projects around my own house. Inspired by Young House Love, I decided to dye my Goodwill/Pottery Barn velvet pillow shams.
I actually really liked the color of the shams, as they perfectly matched the palette of our guest bedroom. However, our guest bedroom is currently occupied by a Japanese exchange student and I greedily wanted these pillows for myself. But when I brought them up to our terra cotta colored bedroom, they clashed something awful. Here’s the original color: (Sorry, but no picture were taken of the pillows in our bedroom.)
I had read about how John and Sherry dyed their dining room slipcovers from apple green to brown, and I was inspired to do the same. So with my friend Sasha in tow, we ventured out to the big tuchus fabric store in search of dye. Here’s what I bought:
I did run into a bit of a dilemma when I read that a 1/3 cup of vinegar should be added when dyeing silk, and a cup of salt should be added when dyeing natural fibers like this cotton velvet. And since the these shams included both materials, I added the two, crossing my fingers that there would not be an evil mad scientist-style result.
You vanted brown fabric? How about instead I blow up your house and steal your woman?! Bwah, ha, ha . . .
My hot water was not very hot, so I added a cauldron of boiling water to the wash, and set the machine to agitate. I then left it all to soak while I ran errands. How long did I let them soak? Umm . . . I don’t really remember.
The end result was that the velvet was dyed a lovely brown shade, while the silk, (and the most-likely synthetic thread) stayed green. But this was no catastrophe, as I like the effect. Here, see for yourself:
And here’s how the pillows look in our bedroom. Do you like how the velvet of the pillows pairs well with the velvet frames of our antique botanical prints? Cause I sure do. (If you click on the photos, they should enlarge.)
If I were to repeat this project, I would leave the shams in the dye solution to soak for longer, as I had actually wanting a more saturated color. This was my first attempt at dyeing anything since 1980’s college, (Hello, tie-dye!) I’m actually quite pleased with the result. And since the out of pocket cost of this decor project was a whopping $3.20, I say I definitely got my money’s worth!
Have you played with fabric dye to update your decor or clothing? Please share your stories in the comments section below.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve done it when my black pants started looking tired, to unmatched socks (allowing me to create new ‘pairs’). If you go to church rummage sales, there’s often die left at the end, when it’s fill-a-bag time. I like to keep a few colors on hand for when the desire hits. Die is easy enough to find, it’s not something I’d ever feel I need to buy at a store (not that I fault your purchase, mind you!). Estate sales always have it, too.
Yeah, I bought lots of new stuff yesterday at the fabric store.
Katy
Why yes I do like how the compliment your frames! Lovely!
I just did this too! Only it was a free jacket and it took me, uhm 2 attempts. Try numero uno was blotchy, I think from not enough stirring.
But, I persevered, and viola cute cheap jacket!
http://dogsordollars.com/2012/01/18/weekly-goals-grow-op/
I’m not a dyed in the wool (har!) dye-it-if-you-don’t-like-it convert! It’s opened up a world of Goodwill possibilities!
Very cute jacket. Great job!
Katy
Thanks! Neverminding all the typos in my first comment.
Why yes I do like how the compliment your frames! Lovely!
should be
Why yes I do like how theY compliment your frames! Lovely!
and
I’m not a dyed in the wool (har!) dye-it-if-you-don’t-like-it convert!
should be
I’m noW a dyed in the wool (har!) dye-it-if-you-don’t-like-it convert!
Sheesh!
Welcome to my typo-tastic world.
Katy
Can I ask one question — what do you do with the dye water when the project is finished? Is it okay to dump down the drain?
Since I dyed the pillows in the washing machine, it did go down the drain.
Katy
I dumped mine out in the side yard, in a place where I am not trying to grow anything (just in case!).
I haven’t dyed anything significant for a few years, but my most recent dye-job was this: Husband uses cloth hankerchiefs. I know that grosses some people out, but it certainly fits with the avoiding single use disposable stuff mentality. Truthfully, though, it’s mostly because he’s just very old fashioned. Anyway, I hate buying new bandanas which he prefers over white hankies and always look for them at the thrift shops. (They have their nerve wanting a dollar for them, though!) Last year I found several but they were in girly colors and I had some old brown dye in the house, so I bought them and dyed them. Caution: if you are not an experience dyer, though– he later washed them with his white t-shirts and shorts which is normally the load we put them with (when they aren’t new anymore) and had pinky undies as a result until I did some bleaching. He might not have done so, but I *didn’t tell him* I bought him pink bandanas and dyed them. Home dyed colors run much more than factory dyed stuff and for several washes, too. Just so you know.
I always re-dye my black cotton clothing when it fades instead of buying new. The results look like new and saves me tons of money. I just use RIT dye. I also dyed some fabric for a quilt I am making…needed light brown fabric for a tree and found some brown dye in my cabinet. So a piece of white fabric became a brown tree!
Nice shams, Katie.
I’ve always wondered about dyeing black clothes that have lightened over the years, so thanks for that comment Jinger.
I’ve aso wondered whether I need to worry about residual dye in the washing machine ruining subsequent loads of laundry. Does anyone have any words of wisdom on that topic?
I ran an empty load with detergent and bleach.
I have since run a couple loads without any problems.
Katy
I’ve dyed clothes in a big bucket in the backyard then rinsed them in the bathtub. Labor intensive but I wasn’t concerned with staining anything.
Also, check the setting instructions on the dye so that it doesn’t bleed as much during the first wash with other clothes. Or wash with clothes of the same colors or cleaning rags.
Can you not get fabric dye that goes in washing machines in the US? I’ve been dyeing since I went through a teenage-goth-angst phase back in the 1980s. Getting new clothes involved buying baggy stuff from Oxfam (like Goodwill, I guess) and chucking it all in the machine with a bunch of black Dylon. Cheap, if not cheerful. 🙂
Recently I have revived a batch of my husband’s faded navy linen shirts; dyed three second-hand cotton bedspreads to use as throws on our inherited sofas and armchairs; and turned a very stained set of kids’ pale blue pyjamas into an immaculate pair of navy pyjamas. It works well for reviving bedlinen and towels that have gone grey and tired as well – it can cover stains but only if you use quite a strong colour (depends a bit on how dark the stain is).
Using machine dye doesn’t ruin subsequent laundry loads; you run an empty hot wash with detergent after the dyeing and the next load will just run as normal. I’ve never had any problems — okay, I probably wouldn’t put a load of whites in straight after dyeing stuff black, but that’s just on the offchance. It’s the easiest thing in the world, and very satisfying. Only thing with washing machine dye is that if you’re doing tie-dye, don’t put stones or coins or anything hard into the ties, otherwise it will rub against the drum and make holes in the fabric. Tieing with rubber bands or string alone is fine.
I pick up natural fabric flat sheets from the thrift stores, they make great couch covers, curtains, table cloths, cloth napkins, painting aprons, etc with either a little cutting and sewing or some embellishment. You get a lot of fabric for a dollar or less. I lighten the dye or whiten them and then I can dye them to whatever color I want.
I also redye my black cloths along with anything light that has a stubborn stain. Faded jeans get a black and navy dye job and I get the nice dark denim color back.
I have two old bath mats that I love. I got them when I lived in Switzerland over a decade ago but they’re square and terry cloth and I like them. They have gotten a little discolored and no amount of bleach or soaking would bring them back. I am planning to dye them a nice rich brown color, which I hope will give me another decade of use.
I dye my old faded dark clothes, too, and I like the washing machine method best. I did have disastrous results once upon a time when I tried to dye some white satin shoes for a wedding. I think all of the other bridesmaids had theirs done professionally, but I was too cheap. I tried to pretend they looked okay, but in reality I’m pretty sure I ruined the wedding photos.
I had pale pink fabric shoes as a bridesmaid for one wedding (bought on clearance for $12). Soon after, I needed black fabric shoes for another wedding. I took them to a regular shoe repair place (not a shoe store) that dyed them for me for just a few dollars. I believe any shoe repair place can do this, as they traditionally use “shoe dye” rather than “shoe polish” when they perk up shoes that come in for repair. The shoes did become the slightest bit tighter. If purchasing a pair of shoes from Goodwill with this in mind, you might want to go a half size up.
I have dyed older lace curtains in tea, and really liked the result. It is not an exact science for sure–you take them out of the dye, made from a lot of tea and hot water–and you keep checking them until you like what you see. It’s a very satisfying project.
In the past I experimented with Rit dye but not any more, since I don’t use bleach at all and couldn’t clean out the washer afterward. Maybe it would work in a bucket…?
If you want real hot water and intense results, heat your water in a big stockpot on the stove and dye your item right in there. Of course it has to fit in the pot and results can be uneven if you don’t stir. LOVE LOVE LOVE the tip about redyeing jeans with blue and black. I’ll have to try that. Oh, and I suppose you all know polyester won’t take dye. Has to be a natural fabric. Katy is right. Have to clean the washer with detergent and maybe bleach too after you use dye in it.
I’ve been thinking about trying to dye some things, but we have a front-loading HE washer. Does anyone know if I can use it to dye things? If not, I guess I’ll have to start hunting for an extra-large stock pot!
Lauren,
Click on the Young House Love link above, and see how the author dyed her slipcovers in her front loading washer. They turned out great, so I think it’s a good tutorial.
Katy
being fair skinned I tend to avoid white clothing but finding styles I like in white at GW or other places uber cheap, I dye the items to match my wardrobe needs. I’m partial to natural fibers anyway so this has worked out well for me. I’ve also had to redye some cotton shirts that I spilled coffee onto 😛 In a darker color of course, lol. I stock up on my fave colors when I find them on sale 🙂
I was kind of killing me that there was sooo much more room in the washer to dye additional items, but I didn’t actually have anything else I wanted to dye.
Such a waste.
Katy