My Favourites
Turn a drab dress into a fab one with a simple fabric dye. Jane Wrigglesworth explains how easy it is.
I found this dress in a thrift store (image top left). The dress has a gorgeous flow, but it’s a bit of a drab colour – at least, it is on my fair skin (that’s not me in the picture).
So I decided to dye it.
It’s so easy! It’s just a matter of purchasing a fabric dye in the colour of your choice and following the instructions.
BEFORE CHOOSING A DYE, make sure you determine what fabric your item is (wool, rayon, polyester, etc), as not all dyes work on all fabrics. Rit dyes, for example, work well on cotton, silk, wool and rayon, but not polyester or nylon. However, if you have a polyester blend, with less than 40 per cent polyester, you may be OK.
iDye will work on cotton, silk, wool and rayon too, but for 100% polyester or nylon, use iDye Poly. You can either dye it on the stovetop or in the washing machine, and they have a gorgeous turquoise colour among a range of colours. Simply follow the packet instructions for best results.
iDye is more expensive than Rit dye, and iDye Poly even more so, but if you are dyeing polyester, it’s the way to go. And if your item is light, like my dress, you can dye more than one item.
Have you dyed anything? How did it work out? Let me know in the comments below.
Hi, was your dress made out of polyester? and did you dye it in the washing machine? all the reviews I’ve read so far say to dye it on the stove and that’s why I haven’t done it yet, too much of a mess, but if it were possible in the washing machine I would do it for sure 🙂
Hi Marta. Yes, it’s polyester. And I prefer to do mine on the stovetop using an old pot.