Weekend DIY

So this weekend I decided to try my first tester at dip dyeing fabric. I bought some Jacquard Procion MX dyes and soda ash, so I was all set.

I chose a pair of super old Forever21 jeans that I think I bought for like $12 back in 2010. I never wear them because they look awful. I cut the jeans conservatively short so that later I could cut and fray appropriately. I stuck them in a tub of bleach for two hours and then rinsed them.

After rinsing them, I soaked them in the soda ash solution for 20 minutes. Somehow, after they soaked in the soda ash, a brown mark appeared. I’m fraying that area but I will have to figure out why that happened. 🙁 Wah. So then, I mixed the dye and water. I dipped most of the jean into the mixture and let it sit for ten minutes before dragging it up slowly and stirring the dye. I repeated this until I had dyed most of the jean.

I used the Procion MX dye in Aquamarine
I let them dry out overnight and for most of the next day. Once they weren’t damp, I slid them on and remeasured where to cut. I shortened the shorts about one inch and frayed the rim (slightly; I’ll let the dryer do the rest). Then, I stuck a sheet of cardboard through the pants leg of one side, taped on the outline of a cross, and filled it in with black dye. I cut a slit where the brown mark was and frayed the area. I even decided to add some studs to the pocket opposite of the cross. After the black cross fully finished drying, I flipped the shorts to the back. On the back pockets, I added studs. I’ll have pictures up soon! But, I didn’t like the way the black dye came out after I washed it (should have used a higher concentration), so I’m redoing it with fabric.
These are my first ever DIY shorts. I didn’t think these would be wearable, but I am so glad they turned out okay! I wanted to test the dyes out before I went out and purchased more clothes to work on. I’m actually very excited. I think I will do a video on my next project. 

More soon <3
Passion

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