Thanks to all who entered our giveaway! Scroll down to find out who won....
This week, I show you how to dye this fun, two-toned ombré dress! Your doll will love this trendy addition to her back-to-school wardrobe....
My dress is made from the free Drawstring Dress pattern, from Heritage Doll Fashions -- but you could use this technique on almost any garment. Just make sure you are using a dyeable fiber -- 100% cotton fabric is a great way to start.
Gather up your dress, a few rag towels and old containers, and your dye. I usually use liquid dye; it's actually easier to use than the powdered kind! It's a lot less messy and stressful, and it's easier to mix colors.
Let the entire dress soak in plain water for about 20 minutes or so. This will help the dye molecules move around evenly within the dress.
While your dress is soaking, you can prep your work surface (either in a craft sink, or cover your craft table with rag towels) and make your dyebath. Follow the directions on the package, and test a scrap of fabric first to make sure you like the color. :)
Ready for round 1?
Start dipping your wet dress into the dyebath. The lightest portions of the dress should be in the dyebath for a grand total of perhaps 30 seconds or a minute, while the bottom could easily soak for 20-30 minutes, depending on how dark you wanted it. Try to time out the middle sections accordingly.
You don't have to spend the entire time holding the dress (you can lay the top over the side of the bucket, for example, while the bottom is soaking) but it's best not to walk away. To avoid uneven "stripes" in your color, make sure to keep things moving! You are aiming for a smooth, continuous color transition.
When you've got the color the way you want it, rinse the dress out until all the water runs clear. Then, prep the second color of dye...
...and dip the other side! I overlapped my two colors just ever so slightly -- but feel free to play around to see what you like.
When you're happy with the color, rinse the dress again, and give it a good bath with some detergent to carry off any extra remaining dye molecules.
Rinse out all the suds, wring the dress out in a towel, and dry it -- you can hang it to dry, run it through the dryer, or iron it dry. I like the last option, as it simultaneously dries the dress faster AND helps heat-set the last bits of color -- and you don't wind up with any of those pesky perma-wrinkles :)
Accessorize your dress, and you're all done!
Giveaway Closed!
Thanks to everybody who entered! You had so many fabulous ideas for color combos :) Our winner is Gale, who said,
I would use hot pink and orange. Then after it dried I would dip the center in yellow. Perfect for Julie!
Gotta love those bright colors :) We'll be in email contact with you soon!
Thanks for following along everyone, and have fun with technique!
For Pixie Faire,
Melinda
100 Comments
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Fran
July 25, 2016
Very cute idea. Might I suggest that you remove the draw string at the neckline (dye it separately) so the fabric is smooth (or stretch out the fabric) to get better coverage when dying the top of the dress.