Lace Dye Disaster

One of the first purchases I made for this project was some lace to use on both my bloomers and chemise. I was very pleased with what I had found because I felt like the motifs were lovely and they looked delicate and natural. One was a wide crocheted lace for the neckline of the chemise and the other was a netting and crocheted lace for the hem of the bloomers. These pieces of lace only came in cream and although the content of each wasn't listed in the shop I thought I'd be able to dye them. I was interested in dying them a dark grey to go with my designs. I bought a dylon dye in Antique Grey and planned on dying at home. I will be the first to admit that it wasn't rocket science, I followed the instructions and estimated the amount of dye and the time it needed to sit. I left it in for about an hour and forty-five minutes. Considering where it started it was definitely a noticeable change. In my room it looked like a nice dark grey however when I pulled it out of the bag at school it looked very green. I was shocked by the differences in the colour by the lighting. I tried to dye it again in a straight black dye and even though I left it overnight it didn't really take any of the dye. Unfortunately I had to just leave it and find an alternative. Since I wasn't sure on the content and since it wasn't taking any more dye I didn't want to spend too much time on something that might not turn out. I think this was a good lesson in knowing what you are buying before you purchase so if it needs to be dyed it can be.
Luckily not all is lost and I should be able to use the lace in some aspect of the top dresses.

Lace after first failed dye attempt.

Lace after second failed dye attempt