Okay, so "ugly" is a bit too far. I actually think they turned out alright. They just weren't the color that I had in mind. But I want to make sure to share with you guys the things that don't always turn out exactly as planned. That's just part of life, right? And certainly a big part of being creative.
This was my very first time dying cloth so the project girl in me should have been eager to follow a proven method, but the art teacher and creative in me was more eager to create something new. I wanted to mix and play, and that's probably not what you should do on your very first run. That's my disclaimer for the project DON'Ts. (To find a full list of DO's and DON'Ts, see the bottom of this post.)
This was our master bedroom BEFORE.
We love where this room is headed. The $100 projects we've been adding to this space have been exciting and brought dramatic change. And the bleached drop cloth curtains have been here for years - a budget friendly option, for sure. It just turned out that we would enjoy a little more light control in the mornings. So as pretty as white is, it's not optimal for us in this particular room.
I actually have been looking for the perfect color curtains for months now and just haven't nailed it down, so I thought that it might be fun to try and dye my way to a solution. And seeing as how these bottles of dye are just a few dollars it was totally worth an experiment. Charcoal Grey: https://amzn.to/2Yv4ZLO
Taupe: https://amzn.to/2W53KoR
[Oh! And I wold love to try a dip dye curtain for the girls' bedroom with teal or maybe rose quartz. How cute would that be? Teal: https://amzn.to/2W1Cyri Rose Quartz: https://amzn.to/2Ywdiaa]
To see the result of my experimenting, have a look at this short video (click the image):
I will definitely try this again - it was really fun. But next time around I will be following the mixing chart. Here's a link to the Rit dye mixing chart, if you are interested in trying it out too.
Or, I may just go buy some fabric like I did for my husband's office. I tried his curtains in our bedroom to see if I liked the color (image below). What do you think - Spend a little more to get what I want or try to dye again?
To sum up my experience, here are some do's and don't's for your first try at dying fabric:
DO measure your amounts of dye - do the math!
DO use the mix chart available on the Rit Dye website
DO use super hot water - boiling if your mixing tub is safe
DO add salt
DO mix your solution before adding your fabric
DO agitate while dying
DO make one giant batch of dye if you are mixing for multiple matched pieces (like curtains or a slip cover)
DO test your color with a swatch of fabric or a paper towel
DON’T make up your own mix of color - it’s not like paint
DON’T do more than one piece at a time
DON’T use an unwashed or blotchy piece of fabric. The end result will be blotchy too
Have you dyed cloth before? I'd love to hear about it! Leave some of your do's and don'ts in the comments.
Until next time...
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