Velvet for Dress

Our youngest son is getting married September 6. and for this I need a dress. I'm not at all a pastel kind of person and when I'm also a bit long from the waist and up, it's difficult to find something in the shops. And I want something special for the party. So I decided I would dye and sew it myself. The fabric is a rayon/silk velvet bought from Fabricdesigns.com (Marjorie McWilliams), a wonderful velvet that takes the dye perfect. I discovered the color and the pattern in her Shibori class.

This is the final result. A deep rust color with pattern in deep blue purple. The technique is called arashi shibori - you wrap and scrunch the fabric around a pole to get the pattern. It didn't go just as I wanted, but the result is fine. I'm only sorry you can't see the wonderful golden shine in the velvet when the light hit it!

Here is the velvet curing in a dye bath to get the rusty color. I had to use a tub to get all the fabric in. It's 5 yard of velvet.

The pole I have is about one yard and I didn't think it was long enough to get all the fabric on, so I scrunched it on my table. I also spun it to get out the water, I think that was a mistake. I applyed the dye for the pattern carefully, but the result got more blotchy than I liked.

Here the dye is applyed and I already saw that this wasn't going to be striped!

When the first attemped had cured and the fabric was rinsed, I gave the pole a try. And it was long enough. The velvet it scrunched very tight on the pole and new dye is applyed.

Here is a close up of the velvet. Since there was enough bloches on the velvet, I was a little bit too careful when I applyed the dye. I might have redone it once more, but I don't want to "kill" the rust color, so I'' say I'm pleased with it as it is. Now on to the sewing!