Orange Dye Disaster

 Hello Readers. I love to dye bland clothes into bright fun colors. Why be bland when fabric dye is so readily available and easy to use? It doesn't make sense. This post is about how I dyed a dress in my washer and it got messed up and then I fixed it.

Before and after some drama.

This dress was is perfect condition but the color just didn't do much for me. It was like plain oatmeal. It was way too long. I tried to refashion it a couple years ago. I decided to cut the skirt off and tie it in a knot at the waist to add some waist definition. I was not 100% happy with it so it's back. 

My first step was to dye the dress. I thought orange would be a good choice because... I like orange. So far, so good. But my washer went rogue, stopped, and the lid stayed locked for 12 hours or so. I don't know why it did that. Do I need a new washer? Maybe.

While it was in the dye I made the elastic waistband I wanted to use on this skirt. 

I used a zigzag stitch to connect the ends and make this waistband. 

 

I attached the elastic to the top of the skirt but you can see what the dye did to the skirt. It was uneven because the washer didn't run properly. I did not like the patchy orange color. I would have to order more dye to try and dye it again.

I turned the elastic under.

I turned the elastic under again so it was hidden.

I used a zigzag stitch to make this elastic waistband. 

I dyed the whole thing again. I really wanted to make the color even. 

I thought the skirt was a little too loose so I took 3-4 inches out of the skirt in the back. It made a seam down the back of the skirt but lots of skirts have a back seam like that so I thought it looked fine. 

My dress was evenly dyed a fun orange color and I liked it so much that I went out in it. I went to get a hair cut. If you are ever in Hagerstown Maryland, I recommend Jessica at Frayed Berry. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- This orange is so much better than the oatmeal mush color.