Thread: To Dye Or Not To Dye HELP!!!

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Ok heres my question I went to the thift store looking for a wedding gown to dye black to go as lady death this yr as my dh will be going as death well I found 1 in my size but it was not worth the 30.00 they wanted for it I mean granted I am gonna use it for a costume but ...Anyway I have a friend who has offered me her old gown my problem is it is SOOOO pretty I almost hate to dye it so I need your honest opinon I am attaching a picture of the gown my question to all of you is to dye or not to dye if yes would you add a veil and if so on the veil a short one or a long one

You're right, that is so pretty I would kind of hate to turn it into a costume! But if your friend really doesn't care, why not? I would add a long, tattered veil for maximum effect.

One question: can you really DYE a wedding dress? I thought a lot of fabrics didn't dye well, except for cotton. And that's a lot of fabric, too! Maybe you should try spray paint, like a wash of black, blue and/or purple.

Good question I hadnt thought of the material not taking the dye I haven't ever tried and I ask her several times if she was sure she had no problem with it being dyed black she said go for it I am so torn though thankyou for replying I will have to read up on fabric and dye thanks

ok I did a search and found a cpl sites that say as long as the gown is not made of synthetic materials it can be dyed so I will have to check the materials thanks again for bringing it to my attention

I would say dye it unless it has sentimental value. Try a Goodwill/Thrift Store for something similar.

ok so far 2 for dye I made sure there was no sentiment to it someone gave her the dress and her marriage has ended in a bitter divorce (her hubby was a wife beater) so she says she wants no reminders she has given her blessing to dye it so I think if the material will take the dye I'm gonna go for it you guys are great now how to accessorize

I say dye away baby!! I love dying old gowns. Now granted it will not come out exactly as you wish because of the fabric but you can deifnately get a great spooky look. Here is a dress I found in a thrift store that has a long train and all, it was white, well off white because it was old. I dyed it black and to my surprise it came out gun metal grey. I loved that even better than if it were black. I used it for my Glamour ghoul costume.





Now below is a gown I bought as fuscia...I took black dye to it to see what Id get and I got a fabulous plum I also cut it up and shredded it to use as my zombie costume this year






Again Do as you wish but I love dying gowns, thats if your friend doesnt mind

WOW those look awesome I just talked to her again shes all for dying it and has even offered to help but I have ran into a snag that maybe you can help with since you have experience in this area just found out the dress is 100 % Polyester which from everything I have read online is almost impossible to dye :'(

OK heres the thing, the wedding dress I dyed had no cotton at all. Neither does the fuscia dress....thats why the wedding dress came out grey and not black and the fuscia dress came out plum. So your dress should take color, my guess is it will come out like mine.

It looks like there is some sort of lace or embroidery on top of the dress, that should take more of the color like mine. I say go ahead and try it. As long as your friend is ok with it. However do it with the understanding that the color may not be exactly what you are expecting, could be a darker or lighter grey and will not be black. I always go into dying my garments with the understanding that it may not be exactly what I think. Good luck and kee us posted with how it comes out

I'd say go for it! It sounds like the person who gave it to you has no attachment to it, so it's the perfect subject for an experiment, and it was free so if it doesn't come out right it's not a big loss. It might not take the color very well, or it is possible one layer may absorb better or the stitching/thread might absorb better than the fabric, which could give a cool effect like the dresses posted by Spookilicious.