DIY: Dip Dye Fringe

Happy Saturday everyone! If you have nothing to do today, why not try the next DIY? Now, I know dip dying fringe has been seriously overdone on different blogs, but what I kept seeing was dip dying done wrong. Not to say those other blogs don't know what they're doing, but they don't know what they're doing. What I kept seeing was fringe that didn't have that ombre light to dark effect. I kept seeing fringe that was half dyed. So I decided to tackle the subject myself. There are certain EXTREMELY important rules to get the ombre effect, so along the way, I will type them in bold.

First, get your materials together! Decide where you want to put the fringe (I chose a pair of shorts) and get at least 1 yard of fringe (I recommend at least 9 inches long) and get dye that SPECIFICALLY SAYS IT'S FOR SYNTHETIC/UNNATURAL FABRIC. This means DO NOT buy Rit dye. It won't work and your dye will just ruin your fringe. Also, fold your fringe and clip it to a pant hanger.

I chose the brand iDye and it does say Poly which works on synthetic fibers. Synthetic fibers are mainly polyester, nylon and rayon, and fringe is mainly rayon. The directions on most dye packets will tell you to add salt or vinegar, which is important (it makes your item washable).

Take a small tub or bucket (preferably metal, I sacrificed this plastic one) and fill it with EXTREMELY hot water. Boil it if you need to or put it in the microwave. The hotter your water is, the better the dye will stay. Pre-soak the fringe in the water, then remove it and add your dye along with the salt/vinegar. STIR WELL AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS DISSOLVED!

SLOWLY put your fringe in, but not all the way to the top, go about 2/3 of the way up and the dye will magically soak itself up to the top. Don't dunk your fringe in, unless you want completely purple fringe. Another step I took a picture of (and accidentally deleted), was to hang the fringe over the side of the tub for no longer than 15 minutes. This allows the dye to soak itself up slowly and give the ombre effect. Beware, if you leave the fringe hanging over the side for longer, you will end up with completely purple fringe.

After the 15 minutes, hang the fringe vertically, with about 2-3 inches of the bottom inside the dye. I used a bra strap hooked to a cabinet in my kitchen to leave the hanger vertical. It actually came in really handy because I could easily adjust how much of the fringe I wanted in the dye by adjusting the bra strap, so I would actually recommend doing that if you don't have anything else.

I left the fringe soaking for about 45 minutes. The next step I couldn't take a picture of, so pay attention. Using one hand, lift the fringe out of the dye and using the other hand (covered with a disposable rubber glove) wring out the excess dye from the bottom. DO NOT TOUCH THE TOP OF THE FRINGE WITH YOUR GLOVE! Otherwise you transfer the dye to the top and you will have spotted fringe. Then go to a metal sink or even use your backyard hose to RINSE ALL OF THE FRINGE FROM THE TOP UNTIL THE WATER RINSES CLEAR. Make sure to rinse the fringe from the top to add to the ombre effect.

 

Let your fringe hang dry overnight and your product should look like the picture above. 

And voila! There is your dip dye fringe!

Song of the Day: "Die By The Drop" by The Dead Weather