guest blogger: b2b valerie’s crinoline dyeing how to

my friend and fellow northeast ohio knot bride to be, valerie just finished dyeing her crinoline for her july wedding. she chronicled the process for other brides looking for a way to add a splash of color to their wedding day ensembles! i love this trend right now. it peeps just enough and is a fun alternative (or addition) to brides who choose to wear colored shoes.

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My slip was 100% nylon – David’s Bridal Brand.  However, I found it at my local St. Vincent DePaul Society Thrift Store for $15. 

Well here is what I have to say about the dying of the crinoline.  JUST DO IT.  I was so worried about dying it.  A pristine, white, fluffy mound of nylon, lace, and tulle can be pretty daunting – especially if you want to dye it a bright color – as did I – Fuschia.

It was easy to do.  You need a lot of patience, lots of salt, rubber gloves, and an extra set of hands doesn’t hurt.  I just followed the directions on the inside of the Rit dye boxes. 

You need to use 1 cup of salt per box of dye – so I needed 3 because my color required three boxes of Fuschia powder dye.  The salt helps the dye adhere to the fabric. 

The scariest part was actually putting the white slip into the washing machine full of dye!!   Once you put it in there’s no turning back!!!

I made sure that every five minutes of the cycle I stopped the cycle and pulled the slip most of the way out (yes while it is dripping with dye – this is where the extra set of hands might be nice)  un-crinkled it (because it will get tangled)  and then put it back in the washer a different way so that the slip would dye evenly.  You NEED to do this – if not you would get a striped or tie-dyed effect. 

 Also – try to dye it and dry it before you get your alterations done on your dress.  Especially hemming.  My crinoline got a little “volumized” in the drying process because we had to straighten out all the tulle on the underside of it.   It didn’t effect my hem at all, but it might on someone else.

It turned out perfect!  Exactly the color I had wanted.  The colors of our wedding are  Fuschia, Tangerine, and Lime.  So it fits perfectly. 

 I’ll be sure to send you some pictures of the slip with the dress after the wedding!!

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thanks for sharing valerie!!! can’t wait to see it with your dress!

for more information and photos of dyed crinoline check out these sites:

knottie bio – colored slip bio
wishpot wedding - notes & photos
that bride’s “adventures in crinoline dyeing”
rit dye official color chart