DIY Holiday Tea Towel with Reindeer Embroidery Trim

My Mummu loves a good yard sale.  She loves going to them, she loves having them - she's even convinced my Mom and I to help schlep boxes of stuff to indoor community sales in the off season.  At our last yard sale, I noticed my Mummu was downsizing some craft supplies and I scooped up a ton of cute stuff: some beautiful lace appliques, a vintage clutch I have a plan for, and this gold embroidered reindeer trim, which I used to embellish a DIY linen tea towel for the holidays.

Supplies:

• Turquoise linen (this shade of linen is really pretty)
• Embroidered trim (not similar, but just as sparkly)
• Liquid stitch 

Because our local Fabricland was moving, they had some great deals on fabric and I bought some pale turquoise linen for 50% off.  Using our own tutorial for how to sew a mitered corner, my Mom and I quickly hemmed a simple rectangle tea towel - but you can always buy a plain tea towel to embellish.

I didn't want to fuss with sewing on the embroidered reindeer, so I decided to try Liquid Stitch instead.  

I had already washed and dried my linen, prior to sewing, so I was able to quickly get to the fun (and scary) part: gluing on the embroidery!  I hand-stitched the two lengths of embellishment together so they would line up and be easier to manage, then I placed my linen on a flat surface.  I put a plastic cutting board underneath, to protect my kitchen counter from any glue, but this adhesive is water soluble until dry so any drips washed off easily.

Following the directions, I shook the tub of Liquid Stitch well.  I spread the glue on the back of the embellishment, being careful not to bring it too close to the edges because I didn't want it to squish out.  Once I had glued everything, I went over all of the edges and anywhere it didn't seem stuck, I added a smidge more (that's the technical term) glue using a toothpick to carefully apply it.  I quickly pressed the reindeer down with my fingers and let it dry, undisturbed, for 30 minutes.  You can launder this fabric after 24 hours.  I will keep you posted on how well the glue holds over time - I am very curious about this Liquid Stitch.

I love how this turned DIY tea towel out! 

You know I'm not super festive over here, favoring "wintry" to "Christmassy" decor, but I do love the look of this glitzy tea towel in my turquoise kitchen.

If this seems like a heck of a lot of work (I hear ya), here are some cute BIY (buy-it-yourself) holiday tea towels that caught my eye: Black + White Deer Tea Towel | Gin Christmas Teal Towel | Illustrated Holiday Teal Towel  

I actually bought enough linen to make two tea towels - any ideas for the second one?

DIY Gun Metal Dyed Table Cloth (Rit Dye vs. iDye)

I absolutely love dyeing things because it's such an easy way to really update a garment or home decor staple.  Over the years, I've logged a bevy of DIY dye projects.  Some of my favorites include: dyeing a dress a deep shade of navy, dyeing a pair of jeans darker, and dyeing a set of crocheted lace doilies for a pretty tablescape.  I did some dip dyeing too!  For almost all of my DIY dye projects, I have used Rit Dye.

I have decided to expand my dyeing repertoire and not only do I have a couple of fancier dye projects planned, I've branched out and started experimenting with different brands of dye.  I had heard that iDye is a better quality fabric dye than Rit, so I recently used a couple of packs on an easy project to test out this new-to-me brand of fabric dye.

I started with this beautiful, cream coloured cotton and rayon damask table cloth, which I inherited:

I loved the table cloth but NO cream or white table linens would ever last a day in my home.  Plus it felt kind of bridal.  I knew its fate: sit in my cupboard for years, until I eventually get rid of my oval table, then sadly discover that no one else in my family has an oval table (it's why I inherited it in the first place), so I'll end up dejectedly donating this sentimental linen to the thrift shops in the hopes that someone else can use it.  I know this because many sentimental, "too good to use" things have met a similar fate so, these days, I'm all about using the good stuff!

I figured that if I dyed the table cloth a darker color, to hide the inevitable wine spills, I'll relax and just enjoy using it. In hindsight, maybe dyeing it burgundy would have been the best bet, but I kept envisioning a deep steel grey.

I ordered some iDye on Amazon, in Gun Metal (grey).  It comes in different formulations, this one was designed for natural fabrics (like cotton, silk, etc.).  There are also iDye formulations for synthetic materials as well (something Rit recently came out with too).

iDye comes in a little cardboard envelope with the instructions printed on the inside.  The dye is in a sort of puck, which is supposedly less messy than powders or bottles, but the outside of my dye packs were covered in powdery residue which immediately dyed my hands before I got the packets open, so I don't consider the packaging a selling feature.

Frankly, having watched too many episodes of Border Security, I'm just surprised that this didn't raise any red flags...

Using iDye is just as easy as Rit.  I opted for the washing machine method (as opposed to stove top):

• Wash the garment/fabric to be dyed to remove sizing
• Fill the washing machine with hot water
• Add the iDye dye packs (I used two) plus 1 cup of non-iodized salt
• Let agitate for a minute
• Add the fabric (make sure it's still wet)
• Let agitate in dye bath for 50-60 minutes (my table linens were in there about 70 minutes total)
• Let the machine finish the cycle
• Dry!

Easy peasy!  I turned on a timer so I knew when to keep re-setting my machine to ensure it was agitated for the hour or so.  In between timer chimes I puttered.  By the time my linens were dyed, I could check off a DIY project and "clean the house" from my to-do list.  Win!  This might be why I like dyeing things so much...

The table cloth (and matching napkins) turned out beautifully!

The colour is a really unusual grey - it's got purple undertones, but sometimes it reads really blue, other times a little more warm.  "Gun metal" is the perfect name for it!  It's one of those colours that really plays with the light, made more interesting by the damask pattern and subtle sheen of the cotton/rayon blend.

The only, tiny issue is that the dye seemed to grab the linens more where the fabric had been folded.  This table cloth has been sitting around, folded, since the 80s, so it might not be an issue with the fabric dye, but the item itself.  I did wash it thoroughly before dyeing, but sometimes there's only so much you can do when fabric starts to show it's age.  When I dyed a shirtdress awhile back, lingering residue from my antiperspirant caused an issue with the dye so I think the best contenders for DIY dye projects are new, freshly laundered items.  Having said that, you'll never notice the slightly darker areas on this table cloth - especially not once it's adorned with plates, flowers, and delicious food!

It's SO gorgeous!  I'm thrilled with the outcome: it looks more modern and the blue/grey hue is perfect in the lakehouse - it complements the teal tweed chairs beautifully and ties in the grey from the nearby plywood topped Ikea floating credenza and grey painted brick fireplace.

I feel emboldened to branch out and try new brands of dye because the colour choices for some of the more "professional" grade dyes are outstanding!

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DIY Dip Dyed Napkins Tutorial + Video

Yesterday I shared photos of the backyard oasis I created, plus the beautiful pictures from my Greek honeymoon that served as my inspiration.

Today I'm sharing the tutorial - with video! - for my DIY dip dyed napkins.  Read on for my "how to dip dye" tutorial - plus tips, tricks and troubleshooting advice.



Dip dyeing is really easy - the hardest part was finding a basic white linen napkin!  Most white napkins were "stain resistant," which I figured would resist the dye.  In a pinch, you could whip up some inexpensive ones using this cloth napkin tutorial, but I chose to drive around, wild-eyed, to every store in town instead.  Success!

Because I was dyeing six napkins, I tried a shortcut that I don't recommend!  I created a dye bath in a huge plastic tub and then hung each napkin on a pant hanger.  I placed all of the hangers on a long rod and my Mom helped my dip them all at once.  I thought this would create an even look, but dye rubbed off some onto others and there was unfortunate splattering - I definitely recommend just doing one at a time!  It really doesn't take long to dip dye a napkin.

To learn how to do it the right way, you can read the dip dyeing tutorial below, or check out my dip dyeing video!


Supplies:

• 2 Bottles of Rit Dye (I chose Royal Blue and Navy)
• Large plastic tub
• Hot, hot, hot water - I mixed a kettle of boiling water with super hot tap water
• Stir stick
• 1 cup of salt
• Rubber gloves 
• An apron to protect clothing
• White linen or cotton napkins (this set seems nice, as does this one)

Steps:

• Wash the napkins and set aside (do not dry)
• Cover your work surface with drop cloths and put on rubber gloves
• Create the dye bath, following the manufacturer's instructions (using only the Royal Blue)
• Add a cup of salt to the dye bath and stir
• Dip in the still-wet napkin to the highest point you'd like the dye
• Lift the napkin and dip again, to the same point
• Keep the napkin moving in and out of the dye bath, until the first "level" is as dark as you'd like it
• Keep dipping, but this time don't dip it so deep in the dye bath - dip, dip, dip
• Dip each "level" for about 3-5 minutes - remember, it will fade after the first rinse & wash
• Keep repeating this process, gradually raising the height of the napkin
• When you have only the very bottom left to dye, add the Navy
• Hold the bottom of the napkin in the darkened dye bath for 3-5 minutes
• When the dyeing is done, rinse the napkins in cold water - running the water away from the white
• Launder as usual, but beware the dye may tint the white a pale blue

The Best Tip for a Beautiful Dip Dyed Project:

Continually moving the napkin up and down helps the gradient to be more subtle - and also keeps the Rit dye from being splotchy (it likes to be agitated during the dyeing process).  Continually moving the fabric creates a softer look than just holding the napkin in the dye bath at various heights, but if you'd prefer harder lines (like Anu's gorgeous dip dyed curtains, below), you can just dip and hold:

I also have a tutorial for these beachy DIY beaded napkin rings! 

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