Tutorial - Hand Dying Rayon Seam Binding

Do you want to make shabby, crinkly seam binding ribbon that looks like mine?  I'm sharing my method of how I hand dye it.

Recently I have sold rayon seam binding to a number of crafters.  I've had a few inquiries about dying and crinkling it and was asked to do a tutorial on it.  When I first started using this product, I purchased it in a variety of colors already died and crinkled.  But I found that I never seemed to have the right shade and the ones that I did have, I hoarded because I love it so much.  Then I purchased some white non-crinkled seam binding and started to custom dye it to match my project.  I love being able to do that.  Any color of ink I am working with can be carried over to the seam binding.  Here's the process I follow.

Select an ink color to use for dying the seam binding.  You can use a pad or a reinker.

Smoosh your ink pad upside down on your craft sheet several times 

to leave ink on the craft sheet.  

An alternative is to drop several drops of reinker on the craft sheet.

Add water - I mist the sheet with a Mini Mister filled with water. 

 If you don't have a mister, just drip some water on to your craft sheet.

Mix the water and ink together to make puddles of dye.  

You may want to wear rubber gloves for the next several steps.

Add a length of seam binding.

Roll and smush the seam binding around in the dye puddles,
mixing more dye and water if needed.  

You can give it as much dye or as little as you want.  

Some people like to deliberately leave white or lighter spots for a variation.

Scrunch it up real tight.

Lay it back down on your craft sheet and blow with your heat tool - just not too close.  

You don't want to melt/burn it.

Toss it around to dry it, stopping to scrunch it up periodically as it dries.  Your heat tool will relax some of the crinkles out.  Depending on how scrunched you like it, you may want to scrunch it up really tight several times during the drying process.

And you're done.  It's ready to add to your current project and it only took a few minutes.  If you don't like the way it came out, wet it and dry it again, or add more dye for different effects.

This seam binding ribbon has become one of my most favored embellishments.  It's shabbiness just makes my heart happy!  If you need crinoline or 5 yard increments of plain rayon seam binding, I have it available here in the Funkie Junkie Boutique.  

Hope this tutorial was helpful to you.  Please feel free to ask ask any questions you may have!