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DIY Hand Stamped Dip Dyed Maxi Dress 30 Days Of Sundresses

06/27/2014

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DIY Hand Stamped Dip Dyed Maxi DressToday I’m sharing my hand stamped, dip dyed organic cotton maxi dress tutorial for the 30 Days Of Sundresses Series at Melly Sews, a month long bonanza of sundress tutorials for those looking for summer sewing inspiration! sundressgraphic-copy-300x300You can visit Melissa’s blog to enter her  fabric giveaway and see all of the month’s sundress projects.

DIY Hand Stamped Dip Dyed Maxi Dress

A couple of years ago, I bought some wooden stamps at The Rose Bowl Flea Market. Recently, I was sent a few yards of beautiful natural colored organic cotton with lycra from Organic Cotton Plus. It was an undyed, organic cotton jersey with just a hint of lycra, in a perfect weight for dresses.  I absolutely love the quality. Being organic, as well as cotton, it was a perfect canvas to hand dye and stamp. Polyester blends don’t take dye very well. This was the perfect opportunity to finally try out my Indian fabric stamp! DIY Hand Stamped Dip Dyed Maxi DressTo make the pattern, I simple traced a store bought maxidress I already had.stampeddress1I ironed the cotton lycra and then pinned the red dress to it. I traced around it and added 1 inch seam allowances.stampeddress2

Whenever I copy store bought clothes little things surprise me. For instance, this dress was quite expensive for a simple cotton/ poly ruffle fabric maxi dress. I can buy this exact same fabric in downtown LA at Micheal Levine’s for 5 dollars a yard, yet the dress retailed originally for around 150 dollars.  I bought it at the outlet for more than half off in a moment of weakness. Yes, I love to shop sometimes, too!

 But, I was surprised that this Max Studio dress had serged necklines and armholes, a sign of shoddy in my book. Maybe that’s OK for a Forever 21 throwaway dress but this higher end dress? Back in my day…yadda yadda yadda…stampeddress3

When copying store bought clothes to make patterns, it’s a good idea to add extra ease. Not all knits stretch equally and some need a bit more room than others to be comfortable and look good.

stampeddress4

Once I got the fit down on my dress, I finished it off with a self faced neckline and armholes and got busy with the fun part. Stamping!

After a bit of experimenting, I found that rolling fabric paint onto the stamp with a sponge roller worked well. A fresh coat had to be rolled on after each stamp, making it a bit time consuming to do the whole dress.stampeddress5 stampeddress6

Once the stamps were dry, I used Coca brown RIT Dye and added some to a pot with hot water, until it was about 8 inches high. I got the whole dress wet with plain water, then I dipped the bottom of the dress in about 1 foot deep , then took it out.  I poured out most of the dye and then added more water so the dye  was really diluted.  I quickly dipped the dress back in a bit deeper. I used pins to pin across the dress so I would have a guide to dip evenly across the hem .

DIY Hand Stamped Dip Dyed Maxi DressI love my new dress!

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Related posts:

Watermelon sundress pattern and tutorial- 30 days of sundresses New Look 6774 : A red embroidered maxi dress for me Hi / Lo Strapless Dress Pattern Making Tutorial : Melly Sews’ 30 Days Of Sundresses Series Tube Scarf and Merlot dying tutorialDyed Merlot Pom Pom TUBE Scarf Tutorial – Nope, It’s not an infinity scarf.
-McKenzie

Filed Under: My designs, Printing, Sewing for myself

About Justine

You made it to the end of the post! Please stop by often for a variety of sewing projects, clothes making tips , and stylish handmade living. Feel free to email me at justine @ sewcountrychick.com if you have questions.

Comments

  1. Melissa says

    06/28/2014 at 11:26 am

    This is so great – the fit is perfect on you and I love that you created your own textile. Thanks for sewing along again!

  2. Pam @Threading My Way says

    06/28/2014 at 1:39 pm

    Love the hand stamped fabric, Justine.

  3. Shirley says

    06/28/2014 at 7:50 pm

    Love this! What a gorgeous dress. I have started tracing a lot of RTW clothing and making duplicates, only better! This dress would bring high dollar in a boutique for sure. You make me want to buy stamps to do this!

  4. Ashley says

    06/28/2014 at 7:50 pm

    You seriously did an AMAZING job!!

  5. Merche says

    06/28/2014 at 10:41 pm

    Gorgeus! That stamp is really useful! It is a fresh, summery maxi dress and a great idea!!

  6. Jess Abbott says

    06/29/2014 at 4:47 am

    This dress was simply beautiful on you!!! I was truly impressed, and feel honored to have been able to see it in person!!! Gorgeous Justine!

  7. dixie says

    06/29/2014 at 6:23 am

    Beautiful! This is stunning – the stamp, the dye, everything. And I know what you mean about the shoddy construction. It seems like even higher end designer clothes are cutting corners lately – but luckily we can sew! If your dress was in a store it would cost WAAAY more than $150 because it’s that pretty *and* well made.

  8. Jenya says

    06/29/2014 at 12:18 pm

    Love the dress Justine! Stamping fabric sounds like a lot of fun!

  9. Brenda Gartman says

    06/29/2014 at 12:20 pm

    Fabulous job!

  10. Autumn says

    07/03/2014 at 6:35 pm

    It’s beautiful – I love it!

  11. Olga Becker says

    07/03/2014 at 10:12 pm

    This is amazing! I would have never guessed you made the whole stamping/dying thing yourself to make this gorgeous dress! Looks gorgeous on you!

  12. cindy coven says

    07/09/2014 at 1:42 am

    I love this dress. I am a stamper and can’t wait to stamp a dress. What a fantastic and easy idea. Thanks for sharing

  13. Angela Rosenthal says

    07/09/2014 at 4:38 am

    Just a tip for anyone dying fabric. Make sure fabric has been washed and NO form of fabric softener used. There will be less fading and spots. When fabrics are manufactured a oil gets on them and creates a barrier, making it hard to dye fabric. I love procion dyes.



I'm Justine! Welcome to my sewing blog! Here you'll find lots of handmade clothing for myself and other lucky folks! I'm a native Los Angeleno who moved to a small farm outside of LA with my family.

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