Stunning Hand Dyed Scarf

I have been so excited to share this post with all you fabulous ladies! Let’s just say I have a slight HUGE obsession with scarves. My collection grows and grows… and I don’t think I can ever have enough.

This is my very favorite scarf material ever; more like, this is my favorite fabric ever. I seriously buy yards and yards of this stuff and I keep going back for more. It is so soft and breathable. It is perfect for swaddling blankets, newborn photography props, scarves.. I could go on and on. I want to show you all how easy it is to create the beautiful hand dyed scarf that I love so much.

The supplies you will need:

Cotton Bubble Gauze Fabric
Rit Dye – there are lots of colors to choose from
Salt (non-iodized)
Rubber Gloves
Plastic Container
Water

This amazing bubble gauze fabric can be purchased online at dharmatrading.com, and it ships super fast!

Start off by washing and drying your fabric, this will remove any finishes or fragrance. You will need to determine the size you would like your scarf. This fabric comes in 50 inches wide. I made 2 scarves at 25 inches wide from one piece of fabric. I decided on a little bit longer scarf and cut it at 90 inches. You can make it however big or small you would like. You could also make a square scarf measuring 50 x 50 inches, or smaller. I have one at that size and love it as well.

Next you will tear the selvage edge off each side of the fabric. I snipped the fabric about 1/2 inch away from the edge and tore it all the way up the length. Then clip at 25 inches and tear the fabric into 2 equal pieces. Clip and tear each of those pieces to your desired length.

I know dyes can seem scary, trust me.. It took me forever to finally try it. I was shocked to see how fast and easy it really was! There are lots of dying options available, so choose the one suited for you. I am going to show the basic “tub dye” method which is my favorite. I mixed 2 colors to create my favorite shade of Strawberry Peach. You can mix any of the Rit Dyes to create your perfect color. Check out their Color Formula Guide! I first dumped 1 packet of Tangerine and 1 packet of Petal Pink in a baggie and mixed them together. This is showing the instructions for 1/3 of the regular box dye recipe, since we aren’t dying very much fabric.

In your kitchen sink or tub fill a plastic container with 1 gallon of HOT water. Leave the container in the sink or tub and add 1/3 cup of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons dye (for lighter shades add less). Stir the dye and salt until it is dissolved.

Wet your fabric with hot water and wring it out. Unfold the fabric and drop it into the dye mixture. Move the fabric around and separate the wrinkles in the container. Continue for up to 30 minutes till you have reached your desired color. I dipped my fabric in the container for less than a minute and it was completely saturated and the exact color I wanted. Remove the fabric and rinse with warm water gradually turning it to cool until the water runs fairly clear.

Dump your dye down the drain, and clean any stained surfaces with a bleach formula immediately.

Throw your fabric in the washing machine and wash separately with warm water, then tumble dry. Your fabric will come out with the gorgeous bubble gauze texture.

If you plan to wash this scarf over and over you will want to set the dye with a product such as Retayne.This will prevent your dye from bleeding out and fading over time. Follow the instructions on the bottle for best results.

Your edges will look something like this picture below. If you like the way it looks, then you are finished! If you would like a fringe continue reading for those instructions.

On each side of the scarf you will pull a few threads from the edge. Gently tug the strings until you have removed them from the entire length of each side.

You will start to get a fringe as you remove strings. You can create as large or small of a fringe as you would like, just keep pulling threads until it looks right!

And you’re done! Throw that super soft flowing scarf around your neck, and enjoy!

This makes a perfect gift for a friend or yourself 😉

Check out Sydney’s great post on 50 ways to wear a scarf!

(We’re linking up to THESE parties!)