We received many an email requesting a little dress dyeing tutorial after I mentioned my wedding dress presto-change-o for my best friend’s wedding. Below is a quick overview, or you can read our more detailed clothes dyeing tutorial.
So without further ado, here’s how my very own wedding dress went from “I do” to “party on” in six easy steps:
Step 1- Purchase two bottles of liquid RIT dye in black (I had intentions of taking my dress from white to black). Doubling the content of dye will help a very light item of clothing turn darker in the dyeing process.
Step 2- Fill the sink with enough HOT AS YOU CAN GET IT water for the garment to move around freely. Then add two bottles of RIT liquid dye (without adding the garment just yet) and stir the water and dye mixture thoroughly.
Step 3- Note that the label of my dress says “dry clean only” and that the bottle of RIT clearly says “not for use on dry clean only fabrics”. Think about how I’ll probably never wear my dress again if it remains white and how I called countless local dress dyers (everyone turned me down saying it was “too risky”). Then think about how amazing it would be if this actually worked. Say a tiny prayer (or five) and wet the dress with HOT water before tossing it into the dye filled sink.
Step 4- Freak out a little but press on. Stir constantly (up and down, back and forth) for 25 minutes (you want the water to be piping hot when you start because it works best if the fabric remains in hot water so the hotter it is to start, the longer you can stir the garment in the dye bath and the longer it will soak up color).
Step 5- Remove item after 25 minutes of thorough stirring and rinse with warm water that gradually gets colder and colder (to seal in the color). Keep rinsing in ice cold water until the water runs clear. Then hang dress up to air dry (I hung mine in the sunroom with bucket underneath to catch any errant drips) after saying a few more prayers.
Step 6- Thoroughly clean sink to remove all traces of dye (this was actually more stressful than dyeing the dress as dye got everywhere and I was nervous about our stainless sink and our granite countertops but they all came clean with some good ol’ soapy scrubbing).
And sure as my dress dried in the sunroom it looked totally ruined (and not at all consistent in color). But once it was dry, the color was locked in (no black dye bleeding into my skin as I worried) and for $12 of dye I turned my once-in-a-lifetime gown into a cocktail dress that I can wear time and time again (and believe me, I’ll wear it as long as I can squeeze into it!).
I realize that this entire process could just as easily ended in disaster, so I guess the lesson is to only dye something that you might never wear again and remember to stir stir stir and use hot hot hot water. For other dyeing methods, click here to learn alternate ways to get a hopefully fabulous result. It’s like Russian Roulette, I tell ya…
Happy dyeing!!!
Melissa says
You are an inspiration, I’ll tell you that! I stumbled on your page a few days ago and can’t stop reading! I am so excited for your success and find myself thinking about ways to be more creative in my life. Your DIYs are so great that it is actually putting some motivation behind me! Thanks so much. Also, you look incredible in that dress!
So very inspired,
Melissa
RA says
Hm, I am really tempted to dye my dress now, but I am terrified. How did you find all of these local dress dyeing places? I can’t find one near me for anything. Is that a Richmond thing?
elizabeth says
I’m so glad you had a postive dyeing experience! We dyed some Restoration Hardware towels that had faded, and the results were not so good, and we had problems with the dye fading onto other stuff if we accidentally washed the towels with ANYTHING else. After accidentally staining lots of stuff, I finally threw them away this past weekend!
Amy says
Great idea and I love the result.
ErinEvelyn says
The gunmetal color was a happy accident, I think. It’s still classic and seasonless, and one-of-a-kind … and you look so great in THAT dress in THAT color! Bravo for taking the leap!
Kristy says
I must ask..are those the same shoes you are wearing? Also wanted to say the dress is beautiful in both colors. I would recommend someone purchase a 99 cent cheap bucket to dye things in. If the bucket get’s ruined you’re only out 99 cents.
Rowan says
i think that the suggestion of a large bucket is an excellent one.
also, as sherry explained in step 3, the water needs to be _hot_ in order to work best. it opens the fibers of the thread to allow the dye to deposit. a trick to try is place the wet article which is being dyed into a microwave for 10-15 seconds.
the second most important thing she talks about is the process of rinsing in steadily cooler water to close the fibers and lock in the colour. positively rinse until the water is running from the item perfectly clear. if not the result will be the fabric will continue to bleed every time it gets wet.
Fred says
Fantastic! For $12, you get a brand new dress that’s also fun because you can secretly wear your *wedding* dress to all sorts of events!
Jeni from Kansas says
This is a great idea. I would love to do this to an existing dress in my closet, but all of my dresses are already colored. But maybe playing with a colored dress would make the end result turn out really interesting…I might have to give it a go!!
julka says
i am from poland and i just tried dying in a washing machine . you simply but clothes and dying powder – or liquid inside and in the place u should put softener u put some cheap vinegar .( for the colour to stay longer). just turn on the machine on convenient programme for your clothes and wait for a great effect:D also i love this way as u can simply “renovate” all your black clothes ;)
ps. i love your blog !
Mandy says
Honestly, I think the color looks much better than if it had turned black. Awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
Hooray for happy accidents!
xo,
s
Amanda says
I just ruined my husbands almost new, very expensive business shirt (the classic coloured sock situation) and was about to throw it out but discovered this post just in time. I would never have thought of dyeing it. It might not work but can’t hurt right! Your dress looked gorgeous Sherry!
Nichole says
love the color.
others, do not use rit dye, it does not have the staying power that other dyes do. it lacks saturation and will continue to wash out of your clothing. it’s a total waste of money (good for one wear and no washes) use dye brand names like procion, jacquard, or country classics. AND WEAR A MASK WHEN HANDLING ANY DYE!!!
enjoy.
Meredith says
What is your dress made out of? I’d love to know what the lable says. There must have been some natural fiber in there to actually soak up the dye!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Meredith,
I think it’s 80% synthetic and maybe 20% cotton which soaked up the dye for that smoky gray-metallic look. So glad it worked, whew.
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Charlotte says
For those of you who commented about things you dyed bleeding onto other fabrics…RIT dye makes a DYE REVERSER!!! Absolutely amazing. I made a t-shirt quilt out of a bunch of old shirts from college, and I had a red one that said “Ciao Ciao Firenze” like a Coca Cola logo. When I got the front sewn together I threw the whole thing in the wash before quilting it down to the back, but the red shirt bled onto the surrounding squares of tshirt. My mom saved the day with RIT dye remover!!
Elaine says
OMG, the dyed dress is HOT!! It looks like the shiny gray is intentional…and I think it has way more character than a plain black dress. And who needs a white dress when you are T-A-K-E-N??!?!
kelly says
i love gray dresses. every time i shop for a new dress, i end up liking a gray one the best. yours looks awesome. i use black rit dye to extend the life of my favorite black clothes after they start to fade. it’s fantastic. i am pretty sure the directions for the stove-top method are on the box; that has always worked perfectly for me.
Christina Nabors says
Wow I really love your dress, its amazing. But I’m trying to find a way to dye one. See I’m 16 and homecomming is around the corner. So my moms friend gave us her old wedding dress. This dress has never been worn because the wedding was boken off. But Its a long dress made of %100 polyester and i’m really nerves to try it on this dress. I would wear it white, but I dont want every once having their eyes on me thinking I’m crazy for wearing this dress. High School is crazy these days lol. But any way you could give me a few tips???
Christina
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I think you’ll be ok! Maybe you can test a small spot first? I say go for it since you won’t wear it white, right. Just be careful to follow all the directions. They also sell dye remover so maybe if it doesn’t work you can remove the dye or try again? Hope it helps!
xo,
s
sheila says
Christina,
Did you end up dying it? Did it work? (I know this post is from years ago!). I just cut up my wedding dress and made it tea length and was all set to dye it, then got nervous because my dress is also poly-satin. Looking for confirmation that I can actually do this!
Thanks,
Sheila
Leslie says
Very nice! My dress has a lot of detail though…
jac duerkop says
this is great! i’m actually getting a divorce and i want to dye my wedding dress black for the divorce party. thank you so much and they grey dress is hot!!
deborah says
I love the idea of dying my awful, faded curtains. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Okay, so where did you find the Rit Dye in Richmond? Ukrop’s no. WalMart no. Dollar Store no. CVS no.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Deborah,
We actually got our Rit at a Richmond CVS. It was in the back by the pharmacy almost, on the right hand side near the greeting cards. Other than that we don’t have any idea. Maybe Kroger? Or at the very least a Michael’s or a Ben Franklin? Hope it helps! Happy hunting…
xo,
Sherry
CMB says
Hi! I just found your blog because I had googled “dying a wedding dress” . . .I was so happy to read this! I got married in April and I got the bottom of my dress cut off so it makes a cute cocktail dress but- it’s still ivory! It’s 100% polyester and the dry cleaner told me dying wouldn’t work but I haven’t actually found a clothing dyer in Houston. I am so inspired by your experience but I wanted to know what material your dress is made out of? Was it more than 50% polyester- on the RIT website it says it’s not good for more than 50% polyester but I wondered if yours is. Thanks for your help! Also by any chance, how did you find the clothing dyers in your city?
I really appreciate your help! Your dress looks so cute! I’m hoping to have mine dyed by Christmas time for parties- I was hoping to do a dark purple . . .
-Christina
CMD says
Wow I’m really silly! My dress is 65% cotton and 35% silk! The lining is 100% polyester but I don’t care how that turns out because no one will see it! Sorry about crowding up your comments section!
-Christina
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Christina,
No worries! It sounds like yours should definitely work! Good luck!
xo,
s
Clare says
Thank you so much for sharing! I got a few pieces that I had wanted to dye but didn’t know quite how, and I actually ruined some once-very-fabulous cotton laces. This time I’m going to try your techniques, which I believe will work! Your dyeing turned out to be a masterpiece!
Leila says
I might try this just for the fun of it. My dress is so out of style!
Tracy says
No guts, no glory! It looks great, thanks for posting about it!
Amanda says
Hi guys!
I’m finally trying to dye something after reading this so long ago. I know you said you “sealed” in the color by transitioning to cold water, but did you notice any bleeding when you washed it for the first time after the wedding you attended? One friend washed hers and kept seeing the color in loads to come.
YoungHouseLove says
Since the dress is actually dry clean only I haven’t gotten it wet since the dying process (and have had it dry cleaned once but nothing ran at all). But perhaps if the item you’re dying will be washed again and again afterwards, it’s just safest to wash it alone from then on. Washers are built to handle color bleed and as long as you allow the rinse cycle to complete the next load shouldn’t be affected by the dye that runs a bit when you wash. So just keep your item separate and it should be a-ok. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Annie says
You are so stunning!
elizabeth says
Ooh, you’ve inspired me to think about dying my silk wedding dress… I actually have two dresses (long story), and one is a classic J. Crew dress that would be awesome to wear to other peoples weddings if it weren’t white! The silk ought to absorb the dye. I hope! I guess I should do some more research first. The gunmetal grey looks so cute!
Gina says
I’m continually floored when I stumble upon more uncanny commonalities on our lives. I ordered a bridesmaid dress in white when I got married (btw, they actually charge $150 more for a bridesmaid dress in white because the wedding industry is such a racket.) I chopped it to knee length afterwards and died it an eggplant color, and I have a very similar photo of me in my “new” dress at a friend’s wedding. Hooray for wise frugality!
Caryn says
My son is getting married and I was given a McClintock “wedding” dress by a friend whose sister in law divorced and didn’t want it anymore. It looks more like a nice prom dress. My future daughter in-law wants to be the only one wearing off-white so I think I would like to dye the dress. The bodice is lace. Can I keep the lace off-white but dye the lower portion?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Caryn,
Eeks, dying definitely isn’t my specialty since I’ve only done it once (and truly believed I ruined my dress in the process) so when it comes to your question we think googling around or asking a tailor or another type of pro in the field would be the best advice. Good luck!
xo,
s
Liz says
Thanks so much for the post, I got married last labor day weekend and we have a wedding this labor day weekend as well… thought it would be soo fun to cut and dye my dress and where it again the same weekend a year later. I’m a little nervous cause my dress is a mainly tull. Any suggestions for that? I’m going to try no matter what, like you said its just collecting dust now anyway.
YoungHouseLove says
We’re definitely not experts in the dying arena (I just went for it and thank goodness it worked) but maybe you can google around for tulle dying tips. Good luck!
xo,
s
Indira says
Thanks for blogging your experience. I was googling around for how to dye a dress which I got at a bargain and it is bright orange…. I will be trying it out this weekend.
Janette Coleman says
Do you know anyone that can do alterations on wedding dresses, i need mine shortened first before dyeing it
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we just use local shops- so since you’re in the UK, maybe google around for someone nearby? Good luck!
xo,
s
Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Will Travel says
I recently stumbled upon this post – thanks for the how-to! I, too, wanted to dye my dress, but after calling dozens of dress shops with no success, I gave up.
I’m going to go out this weekend for dye. I was thinking chocolate brown instead of black, though – any thoughts on whether other colors will turn out as well as the black/gunmetal?
YoungHouseLove says
You might get something lighter like tan- and of course the whole thing could be a bust (it was risky but I just went for it). Here’s hoping it turns our perfect. Fingers crossed for you!
xo,
s
Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Will Travel says
Well, it took me five months to actually do this, but my ivory-turned-black dress is now drying in the sunroom! Nervous to see how it turns out…
YoungHouseLove says
OOooh good luck! Tell us how it goes!
xo,
s
Abby @ Have Dental Floss, Will Travel says
Well, the dress came out beautifully. It was 100% natural silk, so the color set well and it turned out to be a deep black with a slightly purplish hue. The only problem is that the dress itself seems to have shrunk some, while the polyester liner didn’t, so you can see a healthy portion of the underlayer peeking out from the bottom. I’m planning to wear it to a wedding tonight, and my mom’s going to help me try to pin up the liner beforehand for a quick fix. Then I’ll probably get it taken up. Thanks for the post – after our wedding I spent months looking for someone to dye it for me, but no one would. This was a great alternative!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad it worked out! Wahoo. Have fun tonight!
xo,
s
Holly says
I love your dress. Can you tell me who makes it?
YoungHouseLove says
It was from Arden B for around $180 about 3.5 years ago. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Debora says
You have done an amazing job there, I bet you were worried how it would come out. It looks better dyed than in white and it also seems to hang better when its darker.
Ive been doing a little dying myself and put together a plan of attack for dying a dress if you have not done it before it might be worth a look. I hope you dont mind me sharing!
Kate says
Beautiful! You took a risk that really worked out–so smart! Much better than putting your wedding dress in a box and never looking at it again.
Corrine O'Neill @ Buds and Blooms says
Your dress turned out fabulously.
If you’re interested in why your gown looked like it was splotchy while drying… it’s because of the synthetic fibers. The only reason your gown picked up the dye in any consistent way is due to the natural fibers in your dress.
I sew for a living, working in synthetics and they should not be dyed. Often synthetic fabric if, it picks up dye at all, it will be splotchy/uneven. However, natural fabrics will pick up dye.
YoungHouseLove says
Makes sense! Whew, so glad it worked out!
xo,
s
Sarah says
This is great! Imagine deep red for a dramatic look!
And you have all those incredible images of your dress to remember it, if it didn’t work!
Florida wedding videography says
I am one who LOVES re-using things with new purpose, I am soo happy that it turned out! Your a brave, brave women!!
karynjewels says
Is there NOTHING you can’t do? Great post!
Julie says
Thanks to your great idea and explanation, I just dyed a white sundress with a bottle of violet and a bottle of fuchsia for pretty “orchid” hue. Also dyed my nails orchid thanks to a hole in my glove :) thanks for the tips!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so pretty! Haha. Sorry about the glove hole.
xo,
s
Gaidig says
Wandered here from the link on the slipcover post. I thought I’d share some dyeing tips since people seem to keep asking about it. Rit dye is a blend of two different types of dye to cover both cellulose plant fibers (cotton, linen, rayon, bamboo, hemp…) and protein animal fibers (wool, mohair, cashmere, angora, silk…). Rit is not going to dye as well as a fiber specific dye, because dyes for plant fibers are set in an alkali solution (soda ash, usually) and animal dyes are set in an acid solution (vinegar or citric acid, usually). You can’t really do both at once. Also, animal fibers require hot water to open up the follicles, but plant fibers don’t need heat (doesn’t hurt, though). So, unless you have a wool/cotton blend, you should get fiber-specific dye, such as procion, which can typically be found at your local art supply store. They may also have the new synthetic-specific iDye packets, as well. Dharma Trading is a good online source that also has great tutorials.
Also, if you’re dyeing an animal fiber (such as a silk dress) and you want to keep it hot so that you get good color saturation, and you don’t want to use your washing machine or invest in special dye pots (never cook in pots after using non-food-safe dye in them), you can get a cheap aluminum disposable roasting pan from the grocery store and put it in the oven. Just be sure to move it around periodically to keep the color even.
A big plastic bucket is great for dying plant fibers, so you have plenty of room for the dye to move around your fabric as you stir it. If your item is too big to have extra room in a 5 gallon bucket like the ones you can buy at the hardware store, you gan get a big plastic ice bucket for about $10 .
Kristal says
Wow…absolutely gorgeous. I think the fact that it was metallic to start really helped. It made the dress!
Adele says
I just bought a cheesy wedding gown from the 80s, layers of cheap lace, and I’m going to dye it for Halloween. I am not sure if I want to do black or orange, but this should be hilarious.
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! Share pics!
xo,
s
michelle says
Thank you for the tip!!! I am going to attempt to dye a wedding dress RED for a holloween costume, can’t wait to do it now!!!!
Sara says
This is great! I want to dye my wedding dress to use as a Halloween Costume. I’m glad I found this before I gave it a try. I figure, what the heck, I’ll never wear it again.
deedee says
dyeing my wedding gown – which i LOVED – but divorced now- and going pink to be Glinda the good witch for halloween- thanks for your tips!!
Julie says
Me Too!! Big fat nasty Tulle wedding gown from a past marriage….Glinda here I come!! How did yours turn out?
Kellie says
I want to dye my wedding dress black. I am so scared but no one in maryland will do it. I just got my dress heimed to my knee. Do you all think it will work even with a wedding dress?
YoungHouseLove says
I’m not sure! When I did mine I was so nervous but it turned out well! Maybe look at what fabrics it’s made of and try to google to see if they’ll take dye well (natural fibers like cotton and silk take it really well). Good luck!
xo,
s