Supplies
- Rit All-Purpose Liquid Dye (Rose Quartz, Sunshine Orange, Lemon Yellow, Pearl Grey Used Here)
- Cheesecloth (50-Grade Cheesecloth Used Here for a Sheer Look)
- Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative (Recommended)
- Plastic Container
- Measuring Cup
- Large Metal Spoon
- Plastic Table Cover
- Rubber Gloves
- Dishwashing Liquid
- Salt
Time
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Difficulty
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Instructions
- Gather supplies.
- Cover work area with plastic table cover and have paper towels handy to protect against any possible spills.
- Fill a plastic container or stainless steel sink with enough water for the fabric to move freely. We recommend using three gallons of water for every pound of fabric. The water should ideally be 140ºF. If tap water is not hot enough, heat water on the stove and add to the dyebath.
- Wearing rubber gloves, add 1 teaspoon of dish detergent to help promote level dyeing. Add 1 cup of salt.
- Pour well-shaken liquid dye into dyebath and mix well. Ruffled created three different dye baths for this backdrop. The first color formula was for Apricot, the second color formula was for Champagne, and the third color was a combination of the Apricot color formula with 1/2 cup of Pearl Grey added to the dyebath.
Apricots1⁄4 Cup Sunshine Orange2 Tablespoons Rose Quartz2 Tablespoons Lemon Yellow3 GallonsChampagne1 Tablespoon Rose Quartz1 1⁄2 Teaspoons Lemon Yellow3 Gallons
- Test the colors by dipping a paper towel into the dyebath. If the color is too light, add more dye. If the color is too dark, add more water.
- Wet the cheesecloth you are going to be dyeing and add it to the dyebath.
- Stir slowly and continuously. The first 10 minutes are the most critical. Stirring helps to ensure an even color with no splotches.
- You can leave the cheesecloth in the dye bath between 10-60 minutes. Once you get a glimpse of the color you are looking for, remove it from the dyebath. Keep in them in mind that fabric will look darker when wet and will dry lighter.
- When desired color is achieved, remove from dyebath. Squeeze out excess dye.
- To enhance the color and reduce color bleeding, use Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative immediately after dyeing and before washing, following these instructions. This is to be done in a separate container.
- Rinse in cool water until rinse water begins to run clear.
- Wash in warm water with a mild detergent, rinse and dry.
- Ruffled used a bamboo rod and thick twine to achieve the desired look. They simply draped the cheesecloth over the rod, pinching and pulling at different points so it looked perfectly imperfect. Some dimension was added to the backdrop with silk flowers and lanterns.
- The dyed cheesecloth can be used as a table runner as well.
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