ne mm
the Hunt
GIVE
ANEW
LIFE
TO
YARD
SALE
AND
FLEA
MARKET
FINDS
Even the best yard
sale or flea market finds
are useless if you can't
incorporate them into the
decor of your home
OF TURNING TRASH
INTO TREASURES
Add a splash of color to lamp shades and lace, revive sheets
and pillow shams, accent frames and furniture with dye! It’s an
easy and affordable way to add warmth and charm to any
room.
can transform hand-me-down items into treasured accessories
Summertime is the season ot la/y days, barefoot walks,
picnics but most importantly, it s the season ot bargains l
Bargains' BARGAINS" Hidden treasures can be found at
every yard sale, garage sale and flea market But what do
you do with those random items that you found tor a fantas
tic price ’ How can you coordinate them with your home'
You can use them to reinvent the look of your tavonte, or
not-so-tavonte room, just by using a little imagination and
dye
Dye-stain the beat-up table that overstayed its welcome
in someone s living room, and turn it into a colorful show
piece that adds pizzazz to your decor Accent your room
with dyed throw pillows, lamp shades and picture frames
Give faded lace tablecloths or curtains new life with a splash
of color, or keep that “antique” look by dyeing it lightly
Add a variety of color and texture to a room by dyeing
towels, sheets, blankets and throw rugs
And don't forget to think creatively' An old mirror may
need only a colorful refurbished frame to look terrific over
your dresser A beat-up wooden chest can become a com
fortable seat at the foot of your bed or under a window A
scratched telephone stand can be trimmed with a vibrantly
dyed dustskirt and serve as a new vanity table A discarded
end table might be just the right bedside stand, just use Rit
Dye to color match a slipcover for it Did you find several
different long-lost kitchen chairs ’ Create a full set of
personalized chairs, color coordinated, with just a sprucing
up of dye' The trick is to keep your eyes open for new ideas
everywhere—you can transform someone else’s castaways
into exquisite prized possessions'
THE HOW-TOS
lash of
DYEING FABRIC
■ You can dye fabric using one of three
methods in the washing machine, in a
sink or bucket or on the stove top
■ Soak fabnc in plain water before
immersing it in the dye bath then follow
package directions
■ You can dye most washable fabric,
including cotton, linen, silk wool, ramie
blends, rayon, nylon or synthetic blends
The only exceptions are polyester and
acrylic which don’t take dye well
■For best color results when dyeing fabric
containing cotton, rayon, ramie or linen,
add one to two cups ot salt to the dye bath
■Since you may not know the fabric content
of many yard sale finds, cheek the color
often It the color is not as deep as you
want it, remove the item, and tiy dissolv mg
more dve in the dye bath before
reimmersmg the item
■Take items out ot the dye bath when they
look a little darker than you want —colors
will lighten as they dry
■For the deepest color results, use the
hottest water that is sate tot the fabric
The longer the fabric remains in the dye
bath, the deeper the resulting coloi Items
can remain in the bath up to one hour as
long as the water remains hot and the item
receives constant agnation or stirring
■When dyeing colored fabric, dye
wall mix with the original fabric color to
produce a new color For instance, red dye
over blue fabric will produce purple
■Print fabric will absorb dye colors in the
light areas, but will not become solid The
print pattern will still show through
Helpful hint: Rit Super Stain Remover,
Rust Remover and Whitener and Bnghtener
have been specially formulated to remove a
variety ot tabnc disasters including stains,
yellowing, color bleeding and rust marks—
an important step for sprucing up rummage
sale finds Unlike most bleaches, these
products don't damage fabric fibers, making
them the perfect choice for restoring vintage
items! Make sure whites are their whitest
and colors their brightest before dyeing to
ensure maximum success These products
can also give a new lease'on life, to items
you decide to leave in their natural color
DYEING METAL
■Brush the metal with a metal primer and
let dry Then brush on white gesso primer,
and allow it to completely dry
■Use a paintbrush to paint on liquid dye
straight from the bottle
For more home decorating
ideas write to.
Rit; P.O. Box 307; Dept. FF 98-1;
Coventry. CT 06238
* ‘<l
* 1
i v
LUSTROUS LAMP SHADES
[Dissolve dye in water according to
package directions
IDip an ordinary domestic sponge in dye
and apply color to fabric or paper lamp
shades using long sweeping strokes
■You may get a little streaking on the first
coat, so let it completely dry and add moic
coats until you achieve the desired coloi
Additional tip: Once the base color of the
lamp shade has dried, patterns can be created
using stamps and stencils with a different
color of dye
DYEING WOOD
IBelore applying dye, strip all paint, varnish
or wax from furniture or wood item
lAlso. remove dirt or grease from surface
with a warm, sudsy cloth Then rinse well
and allow to dry
(Dissolve powder m one pint of simmering
(not boiling) water in a saucepan on your
stove With liquid dye, combine equal
parts dye and water, then bring to
a simmer
■Test the color using a paintbrush or
sponge on the underside or back of the
item, and allow it to dry For deeper color
add more dye For lighter color, add more
hot water The stained surtace*will appeal
slightly darker when wet
■Apply the warm dye solution to the
surface with a paintbrush or sponge, using
even strokes
■For smaller projects, such as baskets, mis
the dye solution in a sink or tub, and dip
items directly into the dye bath
■lf the color appears too light when dry
apply another coat To make the color
•lighter, go over the surface ol the article
with water and clean cloth
■To protect and seal in color, coat with a
■ polyurethane finish, clear varnish or
i shellac
■Dyeing wood allows its natural gram to
I shme j through