Which Wedding Dress Fabrics will Dye Best?
Gown dyeing is both an art and science. Like many things in life, the answer to this question is: it depends. As there is finesse involved, and an element of imperfection typical of hand work arises, we created this guideline for the curious.
There are a few considerations:
- What to shop for
- When to alter
- What to expect from each fabric
- The process
Don't worry. Our dye experts will guide you through identifying your fabric and sharing our expectations in your complimentary consult. We never promise a result without your swatch test.
Aiming for Black
Black is also our most popular request, but we schedule only one at a time. Please allow for a generous booking period so that we may give your gothic beauty the attention she deserves.
Where it takes 4 drops to achieve blush on an entire ballgown, it can take pounds of pigment to achieve black. Black dyed gowns among both the most challenging colors to dye. Any resistance from a fabric at all tends to make pushing from a charcoal to a satisfying black really challenging. We've had some tests top out at charcoal and others an eggplant shade (as black dye is just very saturated blue and red pigment).