Dying to Dye

In recent weeks I’ve had some fun dying pieces of lace and various fabrics, along with some collected hand-tatted bits of frippery. The color is a mixture of tan and rose, making a nice dusky rose that I rather like. It was quite interesting to see how the different fabrics took the color in varying degrees.The left photo shows the fabrics after they have been dyed. Natural fabrics worked the best–cotton and silk. Rayon took the color fairly well. Polyester doesn’t take it at all. Slides off like water.

Then I sewed together the pieces in a collage-type layered way, making this exotic altered couture lacy jacket and a scarf. Part of the fun with this type of sewing (aside from the collecting and dying) is the puzzle of fitting everything together into something new and different. Sometimes I set it aside for a day or so and let it talk to me, leading me to the next thing to add and where and how to attach it. Very enjoyable process. I may embellish with some beads.

 

Photo credit: Janet Robison