Over Dyeing a Thrift Store Quilt with Rit Dye

 A couple years ago I found this sweet quilt at the thrift store for a few dollars.

It has been washed and worn so it is soft and just the right weight for summer.

I love the white color but am not a fan of peach.

I apologize to anyone who loves peach.

You may want to stop reading now, before it it too late.

I have been wanting to overdye it....Blue.

So I washed it, dried it and hung it here to take pictures for you.

Then I took this in and threw it in the washer and turned it on rinse to wet it.

I did a cold water dye bath right in the washer.

I chose cold water and the correct water level.  

Once the washer filled to that level, I added a cup of salt since the quilt is cotton.

Then I added one box of Royal Blue RIT powder dye.

I wanted a very pale blue.  

For a darker blue, I could add another box of dye.

I let the machine agitate for a few minutes to insure dye water was swished in everywhere.

Then I lifted the lid to stop the cycle and let it sit about 20 minutes.

I let it agitate again for a minute or two.

  I used an old butter knife to poke all the fabric down into the water when it was done agitating.

Then I let it sit another 30 minutes or so.

Then I closed the lid and let it finish agitating and rinsing.

I ran it through the washer with a little soap 2 times to remove all the extra dye.

I wanted a pale blue.

And I wanted to be sure there was no more dye anywhere in the washing machine.

Then I hung it on the clothesline to dry.

I love how it turned out.

The color is exactly what I hoped for.

It was easy peasy.

I think this would work great on a blanket with stains too.

  You could just over dye it a darker color.

Keep in mind when over dying that it will follow basic color mixing rules. 

This worked out since the quilt was white. 

 I tried it with a yellow blouse too and got a green I did not like.

The hardest part now is deciding where to use it.

Maybe in the back porch on my reading chair.

Maybe on the swing out front....

Thanks for stopping by...

Linking up with these great blogs.

Another Studio Victory!

I am celebrating each clean surface in the studio....

Here is a look at the latest.

My work table.....

Is clean!

Well, as clean as it gets for me....

I added my scrap ribbon/fiber basket and a bin of bracelets I am working on...

I love this little cupboard...

I finally have a place to store some things I am always using....

 My RIT Dyes which I use a lot for my  RIT Dyesigner Studio.

My larger punches which take up too much space in my card catalog drawers or just plain don't fit.

You can see these are the big ones.

  My home made Alcohol inks  sprays which I plan to do a tutorial on later....

If you look next to the alcohol ink sprays, you can see those little vintage tins from this post fit perfectly here.

Above the alcohol inks, there is some ribbon.

I have lots of ribbon.

And fibers.

And yarn.

I try to squeeze it in wherever I have space.

I love to slide the spools on tension curtain rods.

All in all, I think it is the perfect little storage solution and it takes up less than 6 inches on the table top.

The table itself has a quilt top I got at my favorite flea market a couple summers ago.  

I put it down on the table and then just covered it with a thick piece of clear vinyl. 

 Spills, paint, dust and glitter all just wipe right off.

One last look.

Yay!

Getting ready for Where Bloggers Create 2014...

Only a couple weeks away!

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