Make A Dip-Dyed Overdye, Tangerine Tango Style!

Oh, sun-shiny goodness! It's finally feeling like summer and time to grab a cute little dress and amp up the color. One of the easiest methods to get a hue-transfusion is dip-dyeing. Basically you do just that, dip a little here and dip a little there until you like it. Well, we transformed a rather plain printed dress into an overdyed dip-dye delight.  The pattern looks much more engaging with the different shades of Tangerine Tango. That's the overdye part, you're dyeing over a pattern or previous color.  It's interesting too that the three bands of dip-dye color almost look like a gradient ombre technique because the print is obsures the stripey dipped lines. It's sure to be a go-to dress this season!

Here's the tutorial:

SUPPLIES:

• Rit Liquid Dyes: Tangerine & Sunshine Orange
• White rayon or cotton printed dress 
• Measuring cup/spoons
• 2 Gallon plastic container
• Mixing spoon
• Rubber gloves
• Salt
• Plastic table cover

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prewash dress to remove any finishes that may prevent absorption of dyes.

2. Cover work surface with plastic and grab those rubber gloves.

3. Shake, measure, and mix ¼ cup Tangerine dye + ¼ cup Sunshine Orange in 1 gallon of very hot water. Add 1 cup of salt and stir to mix well. Note: If water is not hot enough (140º F), heat water in the microwave or a tea kettle.

4. Wet dress and squeeze out excess water. Immerse the very bottom of dress in dye bath for 5-10 minutes. This dress had a horizontal pattern, so I held it level with one section of the pattern to create a distinct stripe. 

5. Then dip the middle section of dress in dye bath for about 2 minutes. Again, hold it steady at one level for the second stripe. 

6. Then, lower the dress in dye bath to about the chest, leaving it in the dye just long enough to achieve a very light shade across this top section. Remove fabric from dye bath and wring out excess dye.

Note: For an ombre gradient effect, you would would move the fabric in small dipping motions and gradually dip further and further. This will give you a nice gradient effect opposed to distinct lines of color blocking. 

7. Repeat dipping steps 4-6 on the sleeves. You can hold the sleeves together to both at the same time or each separately, whichever you feel most comfortable with. While dipping the sleeves, you can rest the body of the dress on plastic or a separate bowl if you have one handy.

7. Rinse fabric under cool running water until the water runs clear. Hold the dress at the top which is the lightest color. This allows the dye to flow through to the darkest area. Wash fabric in warm water with mild detergent and dry.

OK, now you're ready to take the world by storm with an adorable new dress.  Enjoy!