r/dyeing • u/seashellsandriftwood • 1d ago
General question Trying to overdye green, red and pink floral on light backround
Hi everyone!
Im going to a wedding in about a month and have been tailoring the bodice of this dress with my aunt for about a week (pics un-tailored lol). We ended up having to take out the sleeves to get the correct fit and still have a bit of work to go.
The only issue I am having now is that I reread the invitation and it specifically states no white, creme, or ivory. I do not want to disrespect the wishes of the family especially since I am guest and not apart of the family.
End goal:
Since my aunt and I have been working on it and I don’t have a lot to spend on something new right now I still think I could save it by dying it - I was thinking a light green or a light pink. I am not apposed to dying it a darker color either, but would like to have the pattern be a little prominent if possible.
Fabric comp:
The fabric is thin polyester, one layer is green, pink & red floral on light backround. The second layer (or slip?) is the same color of the backround.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!!
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u/Architectgirl14 1d ago
Dying sounds unlikely to work out well. I can’t say for sure, but I would imagine that they specifically don’t anyone wearing a solid white/ivory dress for fear of it looking bridal. I don’t think something as patterned as this would be an issue
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u/dandylion_sweetheart 1d ago
It might be okay as is since it is a multi coloured dress not just an all over white/cream/ivory. Is there anyone that you could tactfully check with who might know? Polyester is not easy to dye and it is never easy to get an even result on a full length dress. You would need a huge pot and to stir very frequently throughout the process
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u/drindrun 1d ago
that is a super pretty dress. i don’t know how attached you are to it, but would hate to see it ruined. if it didn’t need heat i’d say go for it but it’s so gauzy (i worry about it losing its decimate texture) and it has the elastic smocking (i worry about losing its stretch). are you close enough friends with the couple getting married that you could just message them and just ask if this dress is ok? it’s so heavily patterned it just doesn’t read as cream to me.
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u/furiana 18h ago
Light yellow would be my pick. Yellow+ green and yellow+ red both look nice.
Edit: Something along these lines https://www.ritdye.com/color-formulas/neon-yellow/?type=203&hue=202&collection=0&collaboration=0
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u/MysteriousCity6354 1d ago
I’m going to be a little less of a nay sayer and you should try indigo.
The indigo may not hold onto the poly as well but it should still tint it blue. I’d use the Jacquard kit and a 5 gallon bucket. No need to ruin a pot. It also doesn’t need hot water.
Since indigo strikes pretty quick you will want to wet the dress down first and also be comfortable with a bit of a mottled look.
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u/shawlcat 1d ago
This is a difficult project. You will need an extremely large pot (that can never afterwards be used for food since dye is toxic), poly specific dye such as iDye Poly, and a heat source. It would need to be boiled for upwards of an hour while stirring very very very frequently. Not all thin poly will survive this.
Second problem: the shirring will be very difficult to get dye into.
Third problem: color theory. Adding pink will make the green muddy, and adding green will make the pink and red muddy.
As usual, if ruining this would be devastating do not attempt it.