DIY - Tie Dye Dip Hem Skirt

Dont you guys just hate it when a magazine publishes a photo of a product and then you can't find it anywhere? This exact scenario recently happened with me and a tie dye dip hem skirt from Zara. There it was looking all grungepretty on the pages of August's Company magazine but was it online? No. Had the shop assistants even ever seen it? Heck no.

So of course being the stubborn impatient type that I am, I decided to make my own version. And freaking cute it is too.

Tie Dye Dip Hem Skirt - How To

You Will Need:

Dip Hem Jersey Skirt - £15 from boohoo.com
Marbles
Elastic Bands
Dylon Hand Dye - mine's Velvet Black
Dye Salt

Use your marbles to tie the elastic bands round your fabric really tightly. If your fingertips start to go numb, you're on the right track.

Mix up your techniques- working your way across the fabric, try using lots of elastic bands on the same section, or for the ring effect keep tieing it up through the same column like below

Vary the patterns that you use for your ties. I mixed it up with different thickness elastic bands, varied the space between each tie, had some bands with just one elastic tie and some with multiple like above.

It does take some patience to complete the whole skirt, so I suggest sitting outside with a cuppa one afternoon (or in front of the Eastenders omnibus like me above!) And now for the exciting bit - dyeing!

Marigolds at the ready, be sure to prep your area well - use a washing up bowl or stainless steel sink (your bathroom sink will probably get dyed) and newspaper the around area. Make sure you're wearing old clothes too.

Prep your dye as per the packet instructions. The salt is really important as it will set the dye - especially necessary when you're using a blend material like this skirt.

Carefully submerge the skirt into the dye. It needs to be in here for around an hour so keep manipulating it every 15 mins or so. When your hour is up, carefully remove the skirt from the dye and begin to rinse. Keep rinsing the skirt (still tied up) until the water is almost clear. This takes around 10 minutes so by patient :)

And now for the grand unveiling! If you've tied your elastic bands tight enough you'll have to cut them off the skirt - make sure you use blunt ended scissors so you don't accidentally catch the fabric and end up cutting that. Advocating wasting elastic bands after just one use is probably frowned upon, but tell that to the postman that keeps leaving piles of them at my door. I'll recycle those ones, promise.

After a quick machine wash (with other dark colours!) and dry, ta da! My new favourite skirt. I wore this at the weekend with a simple black vest, leather jacket and studded sandals - effortless!

Will you be tie dying your own dippy hem skirt?