Remember I mentioned I had done a little dyeing recently?? I still had scraps of leftovers of pale grey marle cotton jersey from KnitWit: leftover now from this Pattern Magic top, this set of lingerie, and this hoodie for Tim… I had enough for another set of lingerie, but to have two sets the same colour?? boring!
So I checked out the dye supplies… previously, before I started to make all my own clothes, I owned a Tshirt that was grey over-dyed with orange in a splotchy random way. I always loved loved LOVED that Tshirt, and wanted to aim for something like…
And was thrilled to achieve a Galaxy! The dye settled in nebula-like swirls of purple, grey, apricot and chocolate; with surprising indigo streaks and “stars” … it was even better than I could have hoped for. I have no clue what caused those fantastic blue bits and sure didn’t expect it from an chestnut dye but whatever chemical reaction took place, it was serendipitous 🙂
I then soaked the dyed fabric in a strong salt solution to “set” it, and then held my breath and did a machine wash, and thankfully it remained just as gloriously galactic as when it first emerged from the dye-bath.
How did I achieve this little bit of outer space in fabric form?? I threw the dyeing rule-book out the window! 😀 I used 1/4 tspn of iDye in Chestnut, and with no pre-washing or pre-soaking, plunged my dry fabric within. (gasp) So my nebula was born from whatever sizing was still in the fabric, along with the dryness of the medium (ie. NOT pre-soaking the fabric)
btw, I would only recommend doing this with fabric you don’t particularly care about one way or another, obviously! My tute for how I usually dye to get an even colour, is here.
To make my lingerie set, I used again KwikSew 3300 for the bra, with my usual adaption to incorporate a moulded cup insert (my review of this pattern here); and McCalls 2772 for the two pairs of matching undies. I chose a lingerie elastic in a shade called “skin tone” but I like to think of it as “pale moon-yellow”. Going on with that outer-space theme there.
And just saying… using words like “skin tone” as colour-descriptive is problematic to me. “Nude” is another one I do not use. I mean, whose skin tone are they referring to?
But anyhoo, I just loved the contrast of pale yellow against the swirling purples and browns, and I made little pointy bows in a matching satin ribbon for the decoration. I think it turned out kinda punky and funky and fun.
I made a slight alteration in cutting out the bra this time; I cut the top piece and its facing on a fold. So they are one piece, thus eliminating a seam. Goodness knows why I didn’t think of this before, it made a much nicer and smoother finish.
Great dye job! Another great set.
oh how I love this set! ewww this set is good girly really good.
I over dye fabrics for quilting but I have never done it to fabrics for clothing! Grey is you know my favorite color for clothing on the planet… this is grey with bling… wtg great job! and as always the quality of your sewing is fantstic!
PS
OOPS on the typos lol
Carolyn, where do you buy your lingerie elastic? Have you used fold over elastic, and where have you bought it? Thanks, I'm hoping to sew my own underwear (not bras though).
Quite beautiful!
Jacinta; I bought the lingerie elastic in Spotlight. I haven't tried foldover elastic yet… I really like the look of the picot edge on the lingerie elastic
I've just gotten into dyeing and it can be quite nerve-wracking I find. It's good to know that you don't have to follow the instructions exactly to get good results. This has been a very helpful post. Thanks, Carolyn.
That looks awesome… How funny that it triggered some blue though!
Gloriously galactic indeed! 🙂
What a fabulous effect you got with your 'dry' dyeing. Another terrific set.
It looks SO ready to wear!
Beautiful set and you keep tempting me to try lingere!
Love the fabric! And you're really inspiring me to try sewing my own undies – the last pack I bought are already falling apart on me, so perhaps I'll have better luck with homemade.
Good idea to cut the top and facing together. I'll have to try that! Looks super comfy.
Very pretty. You are clever. I love the idea of making lingerie but am worried about how to get a good fit
I love your nebulosa dye. I envy your project well finished, when I dye something, it is usually a disaster!
The things we achieve when we don´t care much about the result, sometimes! Excellent lingery set! I wish I could find that show-able decorated elastic over here!
I love the dye. It looks GREAT!
Dyeing the fabric was the perfect colour choice. The set is so pretty. I like your elastic choice.
It's way fun to do the opposite of everything recommended for dyeing even colors, and getting some subtle tie-dye :-). I'm sure your set is even better in live colors.
Yes, it's a good idea to put a fold into the upper cup in order to eliminate a seam. As long as the fabric isn't too heavy and glompy. But consider that for larger cups stabilizing that top seam does have an important function, that the straps and those top seams together are what make a little "front sling" for frontal support (complements the band support from the back). So if in use you find this bra a bit less supportive, you can always add a bit of seam tape or something light but firm, to stabilize that top cup.
So lovely! I am in awe of your dyeing abilities.
That's such a cool, galactic lingerie set, and as usual really inspiring – on both the lingerie making and dying fronts!
thats so pretty and great idea dying to get the colour just right!
Very pretty set. Love the result of your dye.
Beautiful! The colour looks amazingly like the sandstone rock formation in your previous post.
Just recently discovered your blog and am enjoying your adventures in sewing. Thanks for the hard work.
I love fabric like this! How awesome your dye job turned out so cool, and the set is fantastic!
The fabric has a very cool retro vibe to it! I have yet to master bras and my own undies but it is on the list!
Lovely set. I am in awe of your dyeing and sewing skills. Well done.
Lovely! the galaxy effect is impressive, I quite like the fact that you could probably not reproduce the same dye: a unique piece!
Love it! I would buy one off you immediately!
For the record, everything you make impresses me, but this one blew my mind a little. What a delicious serendipitous dye job. Yum!