How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

21 June

I have been working my way through repurposing some recent thrift store finds and today I have another thrift shop flip to share!


This project involves two vintage velvet pieces: a tablecloth and a dresser scarf.


I'm going to show you how to over-dye fabric with Rit Dye and repurpose it into a pillow cover.


How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths


Do you have some vintage fabric but you don't like the color? Learn how to over-dye it for a new look!


ow to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

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Supplies Needed to Over-Dye fabric:
Supplies Needed for Pillow:
  • Fabric
  • Sewing machine
  • Coordinating thread
  • Invisible zipper in a color that matches your fabric
  • Pillow form (if you want to have the popular karate chop pillow, you'll need a feather pillow)


I found this vintage tablecloth at the thrift store but I didn't realize that it had a large stain on it before I bought it. The bright, colorful design hid it well. 


ow to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

Since it was stained, I didn't want to sell it in my Etsy shop so I tried to wash it to see if I could get the stain out. Well, it removed almost all the color but not the stains! 😕


ow to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths


I also had a similar velvet table runner that was stained so, I washed it too!


ow to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

This is when I decided to try over-dyeing them.


How to Over-dye:


Over-dyeing is when you dye over another color or fabric that has a pattern. Since these still had hints of color after I washed them, I considered this over-dyeing.


Step 1: Choose a container large enough that your fabric pieces have plenty of room to move around freely.


Step 2: Prepare the dye bath. Rit recommends 4 oz. of the liquid dye to 1 gallon of hot water per pound of fabric.


Step 3: Add your fabric and let it sit for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how dark you want your fabric. Reposition and swirl it around every few minutes so that the dye penetrates evenly.


How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

Step 4: Wring out the pieces and use Rit Dye Fixative (optional). Wash and dry your pieces.


The stains on my pieces were still very visible after dyeing... grrr 😠


How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths


But not one to give up, I decided to repurpose the parts of the tablecloth that didn't have any stains and make a pillow! 


Make a Pillow Cover:


There was one section with no stains that was large enough for one side of a pillow cover, then I found enough areas to cut pieces that I will join together to make the other side.


How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths


Step 1: Pin the fabric pieces with the right sides together.

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths


Step 2: Sew the pieces together with a straight stitch and zig-zag stitch over the edges to prevent fraying (optional).

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

Step 3: Insert the invisible zipper. These are pretty simple and the zipper packaging will have directions for inserting it. 

Step 4: Sew around the remaining 3 sides of the pillow cover (TIP: Leave the zipper open so you can turn it all right-side-out when you are finished)

Alternatively, if you have enough fabric you can make an envelope-style pillow cover. See how here: Easy DIY Envelope Pillow Covers.

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

Here is how my pillow turned out, I think it's so pretty!

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

I didn't do anything with the dresser scarf, the stains were not as bad on it and it actually belongs to my daughter. For now, I draped it over the back of the chair with the new pillow.

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

I hope this project got you thinking about another way to refresh a damaged fabric vintage find by over-dyeing!


That checks another item off the thrift shop flip lineup!

How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths

You can see the past flips here:



Next up for a makeover is this doll!


Vintage Bradley Doll



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How to Over-Dye Fabric & Repurposed Vintage Velvet Tablecloths
Posted by: at 21 June Tag:

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  1. I was amazed that ALL the color went away when you washed that piece!! Frustrating that the stain didn't but i love the aqua and your pillow solution turned out great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, it was a little frustrating but I think it turned out nice in the end :)

      Delete
  2. You certainly made lemonade out of that lemon! I love the color you picked. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful pillows. The velvet looks so inviting.
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful project Tania! Your pillows are absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing and have a great day!

    ReplyDelete

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