Love the new and refreshed look after the dyeing process.
Davina Dawn Sewing Specialties
http://www.davinadawnsewing.com

Sportin’ the refreshed look after the dyeing process.
Davina Dawn Sewing Specialties
http://www.davinadawnsewing.com

We can so easily toss an item, due to a stain, a rip, or any imperfection that could be fixed. Sometimes we find a second hand article of clothing or home decor that just needs a little TLC, or when we bring it home, we discover that that it needs more than a simple wash through the wash cycle.

Recently I picked up a blouse that I absolutely loved at a thrift store. It was white with some silver type threading that looked great when I picked it out. Of course, the lighting in any thrift store, is not necessarily the best in selecting used clothing, resulting in missed stains or markings  you otherwise would not see. Despite my efforts to select stain free items (I can usually fix things other people would not, such as a loss button, broken zipper, etc.) this blouse had some that did not become evident until I worked on them via 5 different methods of trying to remove them. But, I did not want to toss this blouse.

So, it hung out in the laundry area until I came up with a creative way to resolve my disappointment.

While out shopping for some Back-to-College, necessary laundry items with our youngest daughter, I spotted the Rit Dye in a variation of colors. I decided that I had nothing to lose since I could not wear the shirt “As Is”, so in my resolution, I chose the Denim color to work with.

Now, I have done reverse tied-dyed projects with our daughters when they were younger, but I have never taken on the task of dyeing an article of clothing before. As I read the directions, I can only assume the reason was that it I feared the lasting dye effect on my washer and dryer. Since it was only a lightweight cotton blouse, I made the decision to change the color of this blouse manually, using 1/2 the bottle, hot water and stirring for 30 minutes or more. Then to follow up with LOTS of rinsing and allowing it to dry overnight.

My husband saw that I was working on this, and asked if he could throw in one of his older white t-shirts that he did not enjoy wearing (and personally I never liked him wearing it either as white t-shirts do not look good on him). I was using a large pot, so to add another shirt would be no problem, other than my having to be more intense with my stirring as the two merged together as one.

I have to admit, this t-shirt looks much better with its refreshed look after the dyeing process.
Davina Dawn Sewing Specialties
http://www.davinadawnsewing.com

Even after 10 minutes of stirring, I was becoming quite excited over how things were changing. I was thrilled that the silver thread was still silver, complementing the blouse with character that was not as visible when white. As I completed the dyeing process, I started the rinse process, going through many cycles of rinsing until the water turned cleared.

Now those who are creative multi-taskers, understand how my mind started working while I was rinsing these two shirts. During my first rinse cycle, I noticed how blue the water still was and was trying to figure out if there was something else I could dye. Well, we all have white socks that have seen whiter days, or at least I do. So, I ran to the load of whites I previously brought up to put away, and took out six pairs of white athletic socks and tossed them in the pot of dye, stirring them off/on as I rinsed the shirts, then constantly after that process was done.

The results were great!! The white blouse I loved is perfect for me. Only one tiny white dot shows, but when dying cloth nothing is perfect, and I still love it!! My husband’s t-shirt looks 100 times better than before, and my socks? I love them! They are now a light denim blue that I think are fun to wear!!

Even the socks are more enjoyable to wear after the refreshed look after the dyeing process.
Davina Dawn Sewing Specialties
http://www.davinadawnsewing.com

NOTE: I did put the socks and my husbands t-shirt into the washer after, putting them through a small wash cycle, then a 2nd rinse cycle to make sure all the excess dye was rinsed out. Washer looks good, but I will do an empty bleach wash before putting another load through. As for the dryer, it has some blue on the inside, which I am not concerned with. This happens when I wash new clothing that is heavily dyed as well. The reason I did this is that I will more than likely wash his t-shirt and my socks with other items and wanted to be sure I did not get dye on those other items.

So, take a chance when you have something you really enjoy, but are okay with making a color change. Sure, it is a little extra work on your part, but if you planned on tossing it anyway, you might find that it is worth it.

Sportin’ the refreshed look after the dyeing process.
Davina Dawn Sewing Specialties
http://www.davinadawnsewing.com

Please feel free to share your comments below – Enjoy!

~ Putting Thread to Fabric ~

Laura
Seams To Me Blogger
Davina Dawn Sewing Specialties – Custom Seamstress, Consultant

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Laura D. Field
Reflective Tapestry of Life
Writer, Blogger, Proofreading, Editing, Freelance contributor

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