Hate throwing out flowers? Use them to create natural dye for your fabric! This would be so cute to use for curtains, t-shirts, dresses, bedsheets, pillowcases, or just fabric- the sky’s the limit. In the above photo, lace was used. But it looks great on solid fabric, too. This recipe is so easy and has a very satisfying result!
Steps of Dyeing:
1. Take the petals off the flowers and chop into little pieces.
2. Put cut up petals in a pot of water that’s double the ratio. [For example, 1 cup of flowers = 2 cups of water]
3. Bring water to a boil and then turn flame down so that it simmers for about an hour.
4. While your roses are boiling, place your fabric in a bucket [or sink] of cold water. Add a splash of vinegar and let it soak until the dye is ready. If you are making an ombre effect, only soak half of the material, while the other half hangs off the side of the bucket/sink.
5. Once an hour passes, squeeze the excess water from the fabric and strain out the now-white petals from the dye and turn off the flame. Add a drop of lemon or lime to the dye.
6. Place the wet half of the fabric into the bowl of dye for about 10 minutes [or until you get a very light shade of color]. After 10 minutes, pull the fabric upwards so that a few inches are now lifted out of the dye. After 10 more minutes, repeat the process, until you are at the very end of the fabric. The tip of the fabric should soak for an hour or until it reaches the color desired.
7. Run the fabric under cold water and let it air dry [or you can throw it into the dryer].