Thursday, August 02, 2012

Dyed, not dead

 I thought I'd try dyeing some capris. These started out a peculiar lavender.
 I used powdered Rit dye in fuschia.
 You dump the dye into your hot water and get it boiling.
 And you soak your capris before adding them. My helper thought they should be scrubbed also.
 Add salt according to the directions.
 Drop in the capris and stir them until they look pretty. I thought half an hour was good.
 Run hot tap water over them until it stops leaking pink. Dye something else in the pot if you like. Then put your newly gorgeous clothes through a washer and dryer cycle. Resist your frugal urge to fill the washer load; I would definitely not recommend adding anything else, unless, of course, you want it pinkish. On the other hand, pinkish underwear could be cute.

UPDATE: This is also true for subsequent washes. I feel silly.
 
 
This ombre progression shows how much the dye vat got depleted for each pair of capris. The ones on the left were lavender denim, the middle ones were lightweight khaki cotton, and the left were white knit leggings. Now it's ALL PINK. I would have dyed something of Meg's, but it all seems to be pink already.

I was pleased. They came out a little streaky, but not bad. I think I'll dye again sometime.

The hardest part of the whole process was clearing the stovetop, countertop, sink, washer, and dryer beforehand.

1 comment:

  1. I love RIT dye! It is the best. I've had success with dying items in the washer. (So long as you run another cycle with bleach right afterwards, there is no damage to the washer. At least, that's been my experience.)

    TNT

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