I have had a lot of requests for tips and advice on how to dye grosgrain ribbon. I thought what better way to help than a tutorial w/ pictures! So here we go!
Supplies you will need:
- White Grosgrain Ribbon
- Re-inker in choice of color (here Bashful Blue)
- Water (I prefer to use a spray bottle to better control the amount needed)
- Small Container
- Gloves
- Paper Towel
- Scissors
- Hair Dryer (or a Heat Gun - if you're dyeing a small [say 6 inches] amount of ribbon you can use your Heat Gun to dry it - just make sure to hold the ribbon w/ tweezers so as not to burn your fingers!)
Step 1:
Cut desired length of ribbon (here approx. 2 yards) and wrap it around your fingers to make it easier to manage. Set aside.
Take small container and spray water into it. For this amount of ribbon I sprayed approx. 15 times. There's no set amount of water that you need - it's best to start w/ a small amount and add more as you need it.
Step 3:
Add several drops of re-inker. Again there is no set amount - I used less than 10 drops - and the mixture looks a lot darker than you would expect - which is fine b/c the ribbon won't be that dark.
Step 4:
It's best to put your gloves on for this step - this is where things get messy!
Place the ribbon in the container.
Step 5:
Using your fingers press the ribbon into the ink and water mix until it's fully saturated.
**If you find you didn't have enough water and ink (as in the ribbon absorbed it all and there's still a lot of white) pull the ribbon out - and add more water and re-inker. Then put the ribbon back in and again use your fingers to press it into the mix.
Step 6:
Take the ribbon out of the container and place it on the paper towel. The paper towel will immediately begin to absorb all the extra moisture from the ribbon.
Step 7:
Unravel the ribbon on the paper towel and press it between the fold to help soak up the extra moisture. Then use your hairdryer on a high heat setting to dry. I just hold the ribbon in my hand when drying it and keep the dryer moving constantly so as not to burn my hands. The ribbon only takes a minute or two to dry.
There you have it! I now have 2 yards of yummy Bashful Blue Ribbon!!
**I have heard of people sponging ink onto Grosgrain, or using a marker or running/pressing it on a Classic Ink Pad to dye ribbon. These methods all work but I've noticed that when I do it the ribbon "fades" not too long after wards. I've heard the reasoning behind the fading is b/c the ribbon didn't fully absorb the ink and then as it sat later it absorbed and as a result looked like it faded. Doing it this way and letting the ribbon soak in the mixture and then heat setting it w/ the dryer *seems* to prevent fading. I have cards that have sat out for over 6 months now that have dyed ribbon on them and they haven't faded a bit! This is my personal experience tho so I can't take the blame if your ribbon *does* fade! I'm sure exposure to sunlight - the temp. in your area and all that can be a factor.
Hopefully tho this will help you next time you need a ribbon in a color you don't have to match your project!
If you have any suggestions for future tutorials just e-mail me (or post them along w/ any questions in the comments section). This was fun and I'd like to do more!
