Disclaimer: I am no seamstress and I am hazardous to self and fabric around sewing machines, so this is an ultra-novice hand-sewing project. I started with this faded turquoise garment from the thrift store, and washed it and aired it out so many times to get the damn industrial detergent fragrance out of it:
It was “fine” as it was, but it needed some oomph to restore it to glory.
With the shape of Ivey Abitz’s Chittester duster coat as the inspiration, I cut away segments of the bottom front, and removed all the buttons in preparation for dyeing.
Not knowing how the dye would hold up (the fabric is a linen and cotton blend with 10% spandex), I decided to sew the new hem prior to dyeing, so I would be starting with the same color thread all over the garment. Whether the rest of the thread was cotton or polyester was a mystery, but I took my chances and went with cotton thread so it would take the dye more like the rest of the fabric.
Next, my first time playing with Procion fiber-reactive dyes from Dharma Trading Co! I blended turquoise, jade green, and pewter on top of the existing pale turquoise, with the recommended salt and soda ash, and let it all do its thing in the washing machine for a few hours.
I went searching for new buttons around town but haven’t found any that were worth the price (I needed 18 of them). So I sewed the same ones back on, with moss green thread, and I think it’s good to go!
With Spring in full swing and still hardly seeing anyone when I go to the office (ahhh, sweet lack of coworker noises 
), I have been in the mood to dress adventurously!
! That’s why it’s one of this week’s featured projects. Thanks for sharing it with us! 
