how to dip dye macrame

There are so many beautiful colors of rope and cording available for textile artists. Nonetheless, the effects you can achieve if you dip dye macrame projects yourself are quite beautiful. I recently completed a fun macrame wall hanging I’ve named Fun with Sennits, but I wanted to give it a bit more flavor. With a little time and $6 worth of fabric dye, I totally transformed it into something bold and vibrant. 

(Affiliate links included for your convenience. As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See disclosure here.)

preparation

• To achieve an ombre effect, use two different colors of Rit dye. Mix each color in a separate bucket according to package instructions. For this project, I used purple and indigo.
• Be sure to cover your work area and floor with cardboard or a plastic tarp for protection. It is also a good idea to wear plastic gloves.
• Also, before starting, submerge your macramé project in plain water; it absorbs the dye much easier if it is wet.

dip dye process

Once the wall hanging is fully damp, dip it into the lightest color about two-thirds of the way up. Cotton rope absorbs dye readily, so I only had to keep the wall hanging in about 15 minutes.

Next, I lifted it out of the dye about 8″ and left the rest in for 15 minutes longer. I probably should have kept the first dip in for less time to have a more pronounced difference. Next, I switched to the bucket of indigo dye and only dipped it in about one-third of the way up; I kept it in for about 45 minutes.

Finally, I lifted the tapestry out, leaving only the bottom part submerged in the indigo dye. I left it in for another hour. 

You have to just experiment with different colors and times. The two colors I chose were both fairly dark, so the contrast was not as great had I used a light dye and a dark one. Nonetheless, I was still pleased with the subtle ombre effect.

The biggest compliment is a little share – pin the photo below!