#over-dyeing garments

How Not to Look Like A Tablecloth, Or Dyeing Gingham

Gingham is a naturally cheerful form of check, often used in home decor and or in youthful garments--see Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz in a blue and white pinafore style gingham dress. I bought this all cotton spring green gingham on line during a sale intending to make a dress. When it arrived I realized it looked too much like a tablecloth or curtains for a kitchen. What to do? Try dye, I always think. Technically, this is over-dyeing as the threads of the green fabric were already dyed once.

Dress Doctor books from the early 20th century often discussed the pros and cons of dyeing finished dresses in their section on remaking and remodeling. I even found a Vogue Pattern magazine suggesting dyeing a wedding dress after the ceremony. Of course, with a finished dress, you are dealing with details and interfacing and the need to submit all of them to the rigors of dyeing. Which in the case of Rit Dye or IDye means a long agitation in as warm a water as the fabric will stand. Which is why I would much rather try dyeing yardage than a finished garment although I have had success dyeing all cotton jackets, shorts, and tops (the polyester thread they are sewn with stay the same).

I have Rit dyes on hand usually, but this time I tried IDye in royal blue. You can see the results. From a cheerful but kitcheny check, it went to a darker blue and teal check which is a much better look for a dress which is what I am working on now. Stay tuned to see the final results.

For lots of color formulas and dyeing instruction, go here: https://www.ritdye.com/

Over-Dyeing Fabric: Another Somehow Ancient Art

I know that dyes date back as far as we can find remnants of clothing, and dyeing and over-dyeing used to be considered part of a thrifty woman’s repertoire for remodeling. The Dress Doctors did caution that over-dyeing a complete garment would not always work, probably because the heat needed might mess with the construction of the details, the interfacing etc. I have over-dyed modern garments with some success, but I prefer to dye fabric where there are fewer worries.

Lately, the interest in DIY and the need to do something while sheltering at home has driven renewed interest in tie-dye and all kinds of dyeing. So much so that at some point last year, I was having trouble finding Rit dyes in local stores.

I give you a detail from a silk blouse I made after over-dyeing the fabric. The print’s original colors were black and white but I found the stark contrast too hard on the eyes. You cannot do much with commercially dyed black, but I knew that the white squares would become any color I liked. Silk fabric takes dye very well. So using some Rit dye, hot water, and my washing machine, I went at it. The results are a warmer dark gold that my picture indicates, and I can wear it with black and brown suits, or by itself with a black skirt.