i'm DYEING for new colors:)

When I worked at Anthropologie I dyed EVERYTHING!!! I never kept anything the color it was made by the manufacturer. Hand-dyeing things gives them these soft, warm undertones and wonderful antique qualities. Yesterday (on my third day off for Sukkot) I wanted to make some more "birds of a feather" headbands, but I was not loving the colors in my feather bag. I only had one color of dye, but I thought I would give it a try (now I'm a poet). After dyeing a few feathers, my old addiction came back. The next thing I knew there was ribbon, felt, silk, feathers, and satin leaves in the dye bucket! I really do love dye (I even dyed the top part of my wedding dress slate blue after my wedding, so I could wear it again).

Want to dye some things, but scared? Here are a few tips:
1. start with small things. get used to how things dye before you try a big project (and if you go big use the washing machine method on the box/bottle)

2. splurge on the liquid dye. unless you are doing a big project, you probably won't use all of it and the liquid dye has a cap. the powder stuff gets everywhere once you open it. and you get colored boogers from inhaling it!

3. to do a small project like ribbon, etc just put the dye in a large tupperware or small bucket.

4. make sure the water is very hot. if you can't get it hot enough in the faucet, microwave it!

5. the items should be completely immersed in the dye water. don't forget to stir.

6. once you are done dyeing the items rinse them in cold water until the water runs clear.

If you have anymore questions, let me know!

{dyed hands}

you all know how much I love dyeing things. I mean, I post about it EVERY time I do it!! by now, you're saying come on katie, please post about something else!!! haha. well, here I go again. only this time I am featuring my hands, instead of all the fabric.

I HATE using gloves to dye things. Back when I worked as a display artist/coordinator for Anthropologie, I was always dyeing all my fabrics to create new displays. I attempted the gloves a few times, but I always thought it was better when I had actual contact with the fabric. I felt sorta blind with that glove barrier between me and the fabric. My husband and I started dating while I was still working for Anthro, and I think he only saw my hands their natural color a few times in the yr and a half we knew each other:)

anyway, a week ago I had these blue-green hands pictured above. My husband kept making Avatar comments, and the ladies at JoAnn's kept asking me if I was cold:) luckily it all washes a away in a couple days!!

I'm dying and dyeing.

I am DYING over these new baby headbands and make-up bags... I also made adult versions of the headbands (on a regular headband)... I seriously freak out in joy when I put these on. Do you know what I mean? when you create something new that you just absolutely love? this doesn't happen all the time, but when it does its such a rush.


and I DYED all this wool felt over the weekend. for tips look back at this post. you KNOW how obsessed I am with dyeing things. and doing all these colors? it was a big ol' mess a fun.

ombre perfection

If these weren't $45 dollars I would've already bought them. oh my gosh. I may just have to attempt it myself one day, though I am not sure my dyeing skills are quite this advanced.

Baby Boys (and girls!): Newborn shirt re-do

When I get ready for a new baby, I make a lots of new clothes, blankets, and room decor. In order to get more bang for my buck (which is more about time than $$), I like to take existing (hand-me downs usually) clothes and just put a new twist on them. You can see this on the following girl and boy tutorials:
BOY PANTS, BOY'S Oxford shirt re-vamp, Girls herringbone leggings, French dotted baby shoes,  Tuxedo dress, and many more!!

Why? It takes less time, and I can still feel like their clothes have a special "Katie" touch to them! Then I can spend more time making special pieces later. And in that spirit, here is my latest "Preparing for baby BOY??!!" shirt re-vamp tutorial. Its easy! Its fast! DO IT!

 What did I do exactly? I added bias tape to the top of the shirt, and velcro for better coverage/ less weird bunching. (And I dyed the green one obviously!)

Materials:
-kimono tops from the hospital (I had these from my 2nd baby's birth) or I believe carters and gerber make them too...
-bias tape  (I used single fold, but just use whatever you have that will cover the original shirt trim.)
-sew-on velcro--about 1- 1.5 inches.
-RIT dye (if you want to dye it first)

(YOU CAN DYE IT FIRST IF YOU LIKE--see my tips for dyeing here)
1. pin the bias tape around the existing hem of the shirt, making sure to tuck under the raw edge of the bias tape at the ends.
2. Top stitch it to the shirt 2 times, as you can see in the above photo. Be careful as you go around any snaps you are covering!

3. I find these newborn kimonos to be frumpy and easily disheveled, so I added velcro for stability. Make sure you bring it in from the edge, so that now velcro edges will touch the baby's skin and irritate it!

And that's all folks! An easy newborn shirt for boys (or girls!)