Yes, I have sewn a couple things but have not taken pics, so no posts yet. That is unusual for me - I usually get right to the pics.
Resources for the Busty
I have created a page (available from the top of my blog) of Resources for the Busty. If you have other resources to recommend, please let me know. I don't intend for this to be an exhaustive list, which is a pain to maintain, but a list of useful resources that, either I have used/created, or that will save me from explaining techniques, such as rotating darts. (I do a lot of dart rotation, which is very useful and very fun!)
Dyeing Buttons
Also, there was interest from my last post on more information about dyeing buttons. Over two years ago, I remember seeing some blogs, or websites (I can't remember, exactly) on dyeing buttons. The sites I saw used plastic buttons, which seem to take dyes quite eagerly. I had a lot of mother of pearl buttons purchased inexpensively at Fabrix, and wanted to give it a try. But, like so many other natural things, mother of pearl seems less eager to take the dye - instead of red, I got a pretty pink. (I'm sure there are dyes out that that will work better on mother of pearl, but I haven't researched it. It will probably require cooking the buttons.) I do like the results, and have not gone back and tried again with plastic buttons, because I didn't have any white plastic buttons lying around. :)
The technique I used was to take a plastic cup and spoon. Pour some liquid Rit dye (it might have been dissolved Dylon, but I think it was Rit) into the cup, and add the buttons. Stir occasionally. Because the buttons didn't take much of the dye, and I wanted more of a red button, I ended up letting that cup sit on my kitchen counter for weeks. It didn't help. I finally emptied the cup, rinsed them thoroughly, let them dry, and put them in the button box.
If you google "dyeing buttons" you will find a bounty of resources, but here are a few to get you started:
If you have any additional useful resources, please list them in the comments section.
Happy Tuesday!
Interesting! I never would have considered dying buttons. This info might come in handy in the future!
ReplyDeleteI have no useful comments but I did want to thank you for passing along those wonderful resources.
ReplyDeleteThis is good information-thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Shams, thanks for compiling the info.
ReplyDeleteSadly I don't qualify for the "busty" but the button dyeing is useful - thanks
ReplyDeleteThe info on the button dyeing is a great resource. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteShams,
ReplyDeleteOn dyeing MOP buttons, the buttons are protein and acid reactive dyes for wool and silk dye them nicely as they are made for protein fibers, but heat is involved and might degrade the shine.
Love reading your blog, keep up the good work!
I suspected something like this, Wanda. This is definitely worth some experimentation. Thanks so much!
DeleteThank-you for the list! Now I have somewhere to direct my "fit students" - so many in my fit classes are quite busty, and we can't cover everything they might want to know in one class.
ReplyDeleteRotating darts are an excellent skill no matter how busty or not you are! Thank you for sharing it! I've learned to rotate darts in Pattern Editor, Pattern Master Boutique's CAD program. Thank so much for sharing your skill.
ReplyDeleteYour buttons turned out great. Dyeing buttons or fabric is always tricky. I took a lace dyeing class years ago and the instructor told us to set aside any expectation of color that we may want because there are so many variables when it comes to dyeing lace - she did, however, tell us if we got a color we truly didn't like - we could alwyas over dye it. It was messy but fun. Not too many times as an adult do we get the opportunity to make a mess :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is a terrific idea, thanks so much for the great tip!
ReplyDeleteWhich part of Lake Como was your grandfather from? It is such a beautiful part of the world... :)
I never thought about dyeing buttons, especially mother of pearl ones -- very cool! I also love the collar from your prior post -- such an interesting technique that I'll have to try. Thank you for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteyou can also paint buttons with nail polish :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting post - thank you. Cheer up about the pink end result: Red is a much more challenging colour to work with in the first place because it takes quite a bit of colour density to get red in any medium at all, so you jumped in the deep end. (chuckles) None-the-less.. they are gorgeous! Thank you so much for the inspiration!
ReplyDelete