DI-Dye

I did a little dyeing project this week. It was really fun! I wanted to upcycle some vintage slips into colorful slip dresses. I have a few of these that I have bought from other Etsy sellers and I really love them. I know a lot of people wear them as dresses, but I also like to use them for layering under dresses to add color and prevent static cling! Dyeing synthetic fabrics is always a bit of a challenge but as long as you don't aim for an exact color, the results are always a fun result! For example, the first color I tried was blue but I ended up with a nice chartreuse. Oftentimes the stitching and embroidery also ended up a different color from the slip itself, which made for some interesting color combinations! Here is a step by step of what I did in case you want to try this out for yourself. Please note- I'm no expert! Trial and error is my modus operandi.



The raw materials were vintage slips that I thrifted (I started with a camisole in case I messed it up) and some direct dyes. Don't forget the instructions!


The next step was to boil a large pot of water with salt added. I also prepared the dye on the side in a jar- I mixed the red, blue, and yellow colors to get green and orange. For some reason I couldn't get the blue color to work very well, but the red and yellow shades came out great!


Next, I added the dye to the boiling water. This was the blue dye- which didn't work at all!


Next I added the slip to the dye mixture. I had to stir CONSTANTLY for 20 minutes as per the instructions, however I think that when dyeing synthetic fabrics like these slips the color either takes or doesn't take within the first 2-3 minutes. I tried some shades of orange and red after the blue was a total failure, which I think turned out beautifully!


About 10 minutes in, this slip had turned a lovely shade of peach. I used stainless steel accouterments and they were not affected by the dye at all. The dye mixture stayed at a simmer during the entire dyeing process.


Here are the slips hanging dry in the shower. I neglected to photograph the last few steps, but after they finished simmering to perfection I rinsed them out in cold water and then washed them all in the cold cycle in my washing machine to get out any excess dye and hung them up to dry. I love how the colors turned out! They are up for sale in the shop now, so if you want to see the finished project click here! I think I'll be making some more of these soon (if they sell) because they are so fun!