Savin' Maven Monday: DIY Dip Dye

Happy Monday dolls.

How was every one's weekend? I hope it was jammed packed with fun and excitement. Though I spent most of my weekend studying for upcoming exams, I did manage to spend some quality time with family, friends, and the dude! I also tried to finish up some of my DIY projects. I have so many ideas lined up that it's a bit hard to keep track of whether I'm coming or going.

Anyhow, today's DIY was brought about by this inspiration board. I've always wanted to try my hand at dying fabric just to see how it would turn out but I never really had much time to do so up until now. So, I tried it and I loved it.

Here's what you will need:

* 1 multipurpose bucket-preferably one that you already use for housecleaning

* 1 gallon of Bleach-I used the scented kind to mask the smell a bit

* shears

* 1 package of fabric dye-I used the 'teal' color RIT brand (not pictured-whoopsie!!)

* old clothing that you don't mind upcycling

*1 pair of latex gloves (not pictured)

 That's it. You're ready to begin.

STEP 1: I began my project with the Old Navy jeans pictured above. I really wanted some cut off shorts so I decided to revamp these. I love the drawstring and the fact that Old Navy's jeans stretch with prolonged wear so I felt these would be perfect. I wanted the sides rounded so I folded the jeans laterally and cut them in a 'half-moon' formation. They turned out like this...

STEP 2: Pour your gallon of bleach into the multi-purpose bucket. YES, the whole gallon. We all know that bleach has a tendency to eat a hole right through the strongest of fabrics so I diluted mine with about two cups of water so the bleach wouldn't be so strong. Place your items one by one into the bucket making sure to only submerge the item as far as you want it to be bleached. I submerged all of my pieces halfway.

Then wait....and wait....and wait. At first glance it may seem as if the bleach is not working. But it will-very slowly. I let my pieces sit for approximately 3-4 hours. The timing will vary depending on the original wash of your item.

STEP 4: After I was happy with the bleached items, I hung them out to dry so that the bleach could settle. Once they were dry, I put all of the items in the washer to get rid of the smell and to make sure that all of the chemical was washed out before wear. Here are the items after they were washed.

(DIY to be continued in a later post)

(DIY to be continued in a later post)

STEP 5: To give the pieces an ombre effect, I used 'teal' dye. The steps for this method are the same as with the bleaching method. 

I wasn't particularly happy about how light the teal color turned out but I will work with it. I can't wait to style these pieces and try different colors.

There you have it-super easy and super cheap. Most of the materials were already located at my house so I only ended up spending a total of approximately $5 for the gloves and the dye.

What are your thoughts on dip-dyeing?

Will you try it-Yay or Nay?

Thanks for reading.

XOXOXOXOXO