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Sloan Howard

Sloan Howard

Sloan Howard

Photo: Sloan Howard

Tips for Better Lace Painting

If you are using an expensive lace trim, buy a small amount of less costly lace trim in the same fiber to practice on. Test the dye-to-water ratio on a scrap first.

Some textile paints, such as Jacquard's Dye-Na-Flow, can work nicely as a dye when mixed with water.  

To achieve pastel shades, start with 20 drops of water. Then add a drop of color at a time, testing after each addition.  

There's no need to wash the brush when you switch colors in a wet application. But the brush should be cleaned between colors for a dry application, or use a different brush for each color.

While painting, the lace may appear darker than you wish. Allow it to dry most of the way to see the true color. The color will lighten as it dries.

To completely remove dye from lace trim: Fill a sink or basin with water, and add two to three tablespoons of bleach. Immerse the lace, and agitate it in the solution-most, if not all, of the color will be removed. Rinse thoroughly, then wash the lace with a gentle detergent, such as hand dishwashing liquid. Let it dry before repainting. 

Dyed lace can be machine-washed in warm or cool water; place the lace-embellished garment in a mesh bag. It can also be machine-dried on medium heat or permanent press. Wash the lace-embellished garment alone to prevent abrasion and damage from contact with other garments and closures. 

From SewStylish Spring Fashion 2012

SewStylish Magazine, 
Posted on May 2nd, 2012 in design, how-to, fabric, embellishments, SewStylish, lace, sewstylish spring 2012

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Comments (3)

TheThreadLady writes: Since I dye and paint all kinds of fabric all the time I was happy to see the advice to practice on a less costly piece of lace of the same fabric type first. I learned my dyeing and painting practices from an expert and that was one of her first tips---always practice on something inexpensive before you do the real stuff. It has saved me many, many heartaches over the years.

Posted: 2:42 am on August 29th

Buttonscreates writes: I really like this idea as well. It looks like an ombre effect.
Posted: 5:46 pm on August 28th

buggalcrafts writes: Love this idea! Great way to get exacatlly what you want! I have "dyed" my natural raffia with a permenant marker when I needed just a little. This would prob work a treat on raffia too!
Posted: 7:47 am on May 5th

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