Category Archives: Sewing, DIY & Recipes

How To Sew An Edwardian Hip Pad

How To Sew An Edwardian Hip Pad Tutorial

My Edwardian hip pad is inspired by antique Edwardian hip pads, like the Scott Ventilated Hip Pad & Bustle. But for a better fit under Edwardian straight-front corsets, I actually used the bottom part of an antique corset to draw the pattern! So my Edwardian hip pad pattern might look different than the typical crescent-shaped Edwardian hip pad patterns that are sold today. But antique Edwardian bustle pads came in various forms like this or this antique hip pad. And I find that this shaped hip pad fits better under Edwardian straight-front (aka S-bend) corsets: It fills out the bum, creates the fashionable wide hips of the Edwardian era without destroying the fashionable straight-front of Edwardian corsets. Continue reading How To Sew An Edwardian Hip Pad

How To Dye Cotton Green With Red Hazelnut Leaves (No Mordant)

Dye cotton with red hazelnut leaves a beautiful lightfast and washfast green without mordant!

How To Dye Cotton Green With Red Hazelnut Leaves No Mordant Needed

I was so surprised when I found out that red hazelnut leaves dye cotton fabric green! 😀 Despite most plants being green, it’s difficult to dye fabric green with natural dyes. In the past, green fabric was usually first dyed yellow and then over-dyed with blue dye.

But red hazelnut leaves turn cotton fabric green in one step! Continue reading How To Dye Cotton Green With Red Hazelnut Leaves (No Mordant)

How To Dye Cotton With Black Beans (No Mordant)

How To Dye Cotton Blue With Black Beans No Mordant Needed

A couple of years ago I’ve already published a tutorial on how to dye cotton fabric blue with black beans using DIY iron mordant and a cold dyeing process. This is now a different method to dye cotton gray blue with black beans. You don’t need to mordant the fabric before dyeing it with black beans! 😀 And because it’s a hot dyeing method, it’s also a lot faster. Continue reading How To Dye Cotton With Black Beans (No Mordant)

9 FAQs About Dyeing Cotton Blue With Red Cabbage

Red cabbage dye sample

Red cabbage dye is my favorite natural blue dye for cotton fabric and cotton clothing! 😀 You can use red cabbage to dye cotton blue even without a mordant. Or you can make DIY iron mordant to make the color darker and to improve the wash fastness of red cabbage dyed fabric. Continue reading 9 FAQs About Dyeing Cotton Blue With Red Cabbage

14 FAQs About Eco-Friendly Natural Dyeing

If you’re just getting started with natural dyeing, here are some frequently asked questions & answers about eco-friendly and sustainable natural dyeing: The eco-friendly natural dyeing 101!

Homemade Natural Blue Food Coloring With Red Cabbage

Do you want to know how to dye your own clothes and fabric in an eco-friendly and sustainable way with natural dyes? Natural dyeing is a fun process but it’s also good for the environment. So let’s get started with natural dyeing! 😀 Continue reading 14 FAQs About Eco-Friendly Natural Dyeing