How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths
I have been working my way through repurposing some recent thrift store finds and today I have another thrift shop flip to share!
This project involves two vintage velvet pieces: a tablecloth and a dresser scarf.
I'm going to show you how to over-dye fabric with Rit Dye and repurpose it into a pillow cover.
How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths
Do you have some vintage fabric but you don't like the color? Learn how to over-dye it for a new look!
- Fabric of your choice (I used a vintage velvet tablecloth and table runner)
- Rit Liquid Dye (I used teal)
- Large container for dying (I used something similar to THIS)
- Rit Dye Fixative (optional)
- Gloves (I used Nitrile Disposable Exam Gloves)
- Fabric
- Sewing machine
- Coordinating thread
- Invisible zipper in a color that matches your fabric
- Pillow form (if you want to have the popular karate chop pillow, you'll need a feather pillow)
I found this vintage tablecloth at the thrift store but I didn't realize that it had a large stain on it before I bought it. The bright, colorful design hid it well.
Since it was stained, I didn't want to sell it in my Etsy shop so I tried to wash it to see if I could get the stain out. Well, it removed almost all the color but not the stains! 😕
This is when I decided to try over-dyeing them.
How to Over-dye:
Over-dyeing is when you dye over another color or fabric that has a pattern. Since these still had hints of color after I washed them, I considered this over-dyeing.
Step 1: Choose a container large enough that your fabric pieces have plenty of room to move around freely.
Step 2: Prepare the dye bath. Rit recommends 4 oz. of the liquid dye to 1 gallon of hot water per pound of fabric.
Step 3: Add your fabric and let it sit for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how dark you want your fabric. Reposition and swirl it around every few minutes so that the dye penetrates evenly.
Step 4: Wring out the pieces and use Rit Dye Fixative (optional). Wash and dry your pieces.
The stains on my pieces were still very visible after dyeing... grrr 😠
But not one to give up, I decided to repurpose the parts of the tablecloth that didn't have any stains and make a pillow!
Make a Pillow Cover:
There was one section with no stains that was large enough for one side of a pillow cover, then I found enough areas to cut pieces that I will join together to make the other side.
I hope this project got you thinking about another way to refresh a damaged fabric vintage find by over-dyeing!
That checks another item off the thrift shop flip lineup!
I was amazed that ALL the color went away when you washed that piece!! Frustrating that the stain didn't but i love the aqua and your pillow solution turned out great!
ReplyDeleteI know, it was a little frustrating but I think it turned out nice in the end :)
DeleteYou certainly made lemonade out of that lemon! I love the color you picked. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteBeautiful pillows. The velvet looks so inviting.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Thank you :o)
DeleteWhat a wonderful project Tania! Your pillows are absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing and have a great day!
ReplyDeleteThank you Denise!
Delete