HOW TO DYE YOUR WEDDING SLIP (ie: PETTICOAT, CRINOLINE)

Modern brides are continually looking for creative, easy, and inexpensive ways to personalize their wedding day. They want to add a little funk to what has traditionally been a very formal affair. They want to show their guests their true personality; to have a little fun. An easy way for them to accomplish all this it to dye their wedding slips! It takes a few hours, so I recommend grabbing their best girlfriends, favorite eats and drinks, and hosting a Girls Night In!

RIT dye offers both liquid and powder dyes to help create the colors you desire, A color chart, found at their website, shows all the colors they have to offer. Below, step by step instructions are given.

FOR BEST COLOR RESULTS:
Whether you are wearing a new or previously worn slip, be sure to wash it the day before dyeing, letting it air dry overnight. This will remove any excess residue from the manufacturer's finishing process, or possible hidden stains.
The brightness of your slip will vary depending on how many "servings" of dye you use, RIT recommends, for a pound of dry fabric, you use one package of RIT powder or 1/2 bottle of RIT liquid in 3 gallons of water. Also, when dyeing dark or bright colors, double the amount of dye used.
EX: While slips look light and airy, they do have weight to them. A basic A-line slip weighs nearly two pounds. (All that fluff is deceiving, I know!) If dyeing it fuchsia, I'd recommend using a minimum of four "servings" in a mid-sized load setting. Add more "servings" for fuller slips. Not using enough dye per pound/per water level will result in a faded color.
The brightness of your slip will vary depending on how hot the water is. To retain maximum heat, refrain from running your dishwasher, shower, or hot water taps while dyeing your slip.
The brightness of your slip will vary depending on how long you agitate it in the dye bath. To extend the agitation, reset the wash cycle before the rinse cycle begins. Agitate your slip in the dye bath for a minimum of one half hour.

ITEMS NEEDED:
a friend or two (this process can get really messy, so the more hands - the merrier! plus, someone needs to take pics, right?!)
a set of clothes you won't mind getting stained
a large container you won't mind getting stained. (this will be used to catch drips when untwisting/uncrumpling your slip during the dyeing process)
a pair of thick rubber gloves (latex just won't do for this project!)
some wet rags or paper towels for wiping spills
your wedding slip
Rit dye (powder or liquid) in your choice of color
INSTRUCTIONS:
There are several techniques to use when dyeing garments. Because slips are rather large, and you're trying to maximize convenience, use the Washing Machine technique. Similar instructions may be found on RIT dye products, and at the RIT dye website. Here, your will find additional, more detailed instructions, as well as some helpful tips to make the process a little more efficient.

1. Take your beautiful ring off, put it in a safe place, and your rubber gloves on!
(If you are using liquid dye, shake very well, and skip to step 5.)
2. In a stainless steel pan on your stove top, bring 2 cups of water to nearly boiling. Use 4 cups if you are using multiple "servings" of dye. It'll dissolve more quickly.
3. Add powder dye, thoroughly dissolving it by consistent, slow stirring.
4. Leave the dye solution on a M to L stove top setting to retain the heat.
5. Fill your wash machine basin mid-way to completely full of hot water, depending on the fullness of your slip.
6. Carefully put your slip in the wash machine basin, thoroughly wetting it. This will allow the dye to absorb evenly. You may want to agitate it for a few minutes.
7. Remove your slip, wringing out any excess water to your large container, and untwist/uncrumple.
(If you are using powder dye, retrieve your dye solution from the stove top.)
8. Carefully lay your wet slip into the dye bath. It is best to avoid stuffing it in. This will save you time later.
9. Stir dissolved powder dye, or well-shaken liquid dye, into the wash machine basin until evenly dispersed. Never pour liquid, or powder, dye directly on fabric.
10. Set your washing machine for an extended wash cycle with a hot wash and warm rinse. Your slip should be in the dye bath for a minimum of 30 minutes before the rinse cycle begins. It can remain in the dye bath for up to one hour as long as the water remains hot.
11. After your slip has agitated, and before your rinse cycle begins, stop the washing machine.
This is the really messy part. Get your rags and camera handy!
12. Remove your slip, wringing out any excess dye solution, to your large container and unwind/uncrumple.
This is very important. Skipping this step could result in a tie dye effect.
13. Carefully lay your slip into the dye bath and begin the rinse cycle.
14. After the initial rinse cycle, but before the spin cycle begins, change you water setting to cold.
15. Keep resetting the rinse cycle until the water remains clear.
16. Before the spin cycle begins, stop your wash machine.
17. Remove your slip, wringing out any excess water, to your large container and unwind/uncrumple.
This is very important. Skipping this step could result in a tie dye effect.
18. Carefully lay your slip into the rinse water and begin the spin cycle.
19. Once the spin cycle has ended, remove your slip from the washing machine and unwind/uncrumple it.
20. Wash it again using a shortened wash cycle, S to M load (depending on the fullness of your slip) with cold wash and rinse cycles. Use a small amount of mild, non-bleach detergent.
21. Once the cycle has ended, remove your slip from the wash machine and unwind/uncrumple.
22. Hang to dry.

CLEAN UP:
Clean your wash machine by running a complete wash cycle. Use the largest load setting, hot water cycles, a usual amount of detergent, and 1 cup of chlorine bleach. If you used rags to wipe spills, this would be a good time to wash them. Plastic or rubber machine parts may be tinted, but will not stain your laundry in the future.
Clean your large container immediately by scrubbing with hot water and powdered cleanser or bleach.
If you dried your slip in the dryer, be sure to clean out the lint trap.

TO LAUNDER:
To launder your slip after your wedding day, wash your slip, by itself, in cool water with a small amount of non-bleach detergent. Then hang dry.