Don't Hate Me Because I Dyed it

A SKIRT!

10 years ago I bid on a big box of trim on ebay.  There weren't any detailed photos of the individual pieces, but I saw a few that I had to have, so I put in my bid.

20 bones won me the box.

With a lot of lace in it.  It was someone's life long collection, some pieces I could tell had been removed from other projects in order to salvage, with remnants of the thread lovingly unpicked.  There are some pieces discernibly handmade.  I love to think of someone careful working with the delicate threads to create such intricate work.  I admit, I'm not really a lace kind of person, but when I was pregnant with Olive, and money was nonexistent tight, I decided to make myself a maternity skirt by sewing the widths of lace together.  I loved it and looked forward to wearing it every time I got pregnant.

So, I decided to make another one.  I envisioned a pale blue one this time and looked up ways to dye the lace naturally.  Cabbage was recommended.  But, alas, it didn't work.  It made my kitchen smell like sauerkraut, but that was it.  Beet juice was another attempt [we had beets 3 days in a row, which Azure will now eat because it was told to her by a very reliable source that eating beets makes your eyes sparkle] but it made for something WAY too pink.

[before]

I ended up using regular old RIT dye.

It was nerve wracking to put all that lace in a pot that would change it forever.  I knew that the varying contents of each piece would accept the dye differently and looked forward to the outcome, so I took the plunge.

It recommended using 1/2 the bottle.  I used 1/4.  It recommended leaving in for 30-60 minutes.  I left it in about 5 minutes and pulled it out, rinsed it and was pleased instantly with the results.  I also died the slip fabric that goes under the skirt.

It shrunk a bit in the hot bath, so it's tighter than I originally planned--thank goodness lace has some give.

This top piece of lace was hand made and stretches a lot.  I love the zig zag of it.

There were three pieces that are blatantly 100% synthetic and accepted none of the dye, but I'm really pleased with the overall affect. 

Ryan wondered if I could walk in it.  Yes.  Sitting down....I have a new appreciation for the give of lace.