Skip to main content

DIY Tutorial: Dying Lace Trim

Sometimes at Fabric Mart we have a little time to experiment with our fabrics and trims. I spared a few minutes in between tasks to experiment with dying our Venice lace. After yesterday's post my mind was still on lace all morning and I couldn't wait to put our cotton lace to the test. We currently only have a few cotton laces online. But any cotton or rayon lace will do! 
I chose to make my lace trim pink. Because pink and lace is the best thing I could think of!
I first laid a piece of aluminum foil on the table to keep the dye from roaming the table top. I used a paper bowl to mix my color in. I little dye goes a long way! But the cotton will absorb it very quickly. 
I used a dye kit from Charlotte Anne. (The website for Charlotte Anne is apparently no longer available but another fabric dye kit would work just as well. Try your local fabric and craft store.) 
To make the lace pink I pour a small amount of water into my bowl and then added about 5 drops on red dye. I used a paint brush to apply the dye. Using a brush prevented making a big mess but it did cause the dye to be applied unevenly, but it still worked rather well. 
I was having so much fun with this process I then attempted to paint the lace with the dye. I chose to use blue and orange dye for this challenge, blue for the flowers, orange for the leaves and the background. While applying the orange dye the colors ran together and left me with a funky tie-dye look. 
I used these two laces from our online store:
SVE4157 Abstract Pansy Swirl and SVB4129 Floral Scallop Venice Lace SOLD OUT
They are both a cotton/rayon blend.
Now which project from all my inspiration should I pick to use my new lace?! -Kaitlin


Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Bold Aspen Dress for Spring

 As I write this in mid-April, central New Jersey weather is showing small signs of spring. My neighbor’s daffodils are blooming and our magnolia tree is trying to unfold its vibrant magenta petals. I am in the midst of preparing my wardrobe for the warmer months, even if we are still huddling against windy 30 degree days. For me, warm weather means linen. I love breathable, floaty linen sundresses and drapey, loose linen wide-leg pants. My vision for a spring piece was something bold and bright, inspired by the natural colors of blooming flowers, but also something that could transition well between the warmer and cooler months. When I saw Fabric Godmother’s Apsen Dress, I knew that it had the sensible transitional opportunities I was looking for while also providing a blank canvas for fun prints, patterns and colors. With the pattern in mind, I then turned to the stunning linen collection that Fabric Mart always has on hand to see what colors or patterns would best suit my visio...

Made By A Fabricista: Celebrating warm weather with Spring sewing!

Hi sewing friends! I don’t know about you but boy, was winter cold and dreary this year! The weather here in the Philadelphia area has been slowly improving, but Spring sure did take her sweet old time to arrive. So by April, I was definitely in the headspace of needing to sew up things that were either bright and cheery or meant for the warmer weather I am very much craving right now. I recently purchased a few SewBexx Patterns so I took them on a test run to create some Spring makes. First on my list was to make a top using this absolutely gorgeous ITY fabric I picked up last year. I had two yards which was enough for a long sleeve shirt. I chose the Olivia top, which is oversized with a drop shoulder, has multiple lengths and a split hem. I think the pattern is intended for heavier fabrics but I was envisioning how lovely this top would look with the drape of ITY knit fabric, and it did not disappoint. It came together for me quickly and was a straight forward sew…and I love the br...

Made By A Fabricista: Stripes For Spring

Hi everyone!   It’s finally warming up here in southeastern Pennsylvania and I wanted to make a light, flowy dress for springtime. I snagged a vintage Laura Ashley pattern from Joanns on one of my last trips there. I somehow didn’t have anything in my pattern stash with a sweetheart neckline, so I thought it would be a good addition. The pattern calls for a giant gathered skirt, so I knew I would need something lightweight and drapey for it.  Something like a pink striped cotton fine seersucker. The fabric is light and has a really nice drape, almost like a challis . I knew it would gather beautifully. I  got to work cutting everything out, with help from my assistant. When I say the skirt is massive I mean it.  I ran into an issue right away where my fabric isn't wide enough to cut the back panel without opening the fabric out. And my three yards of fabric wasn’t enough to cut two back panels. I ran into this issue last year when making my pinafore dress . In ...