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Thursday, June 21, 2012

Overdyed Rug D.I.Y

Remember this post on overdyed rugs? I mentioned how I'm loving these vibrant up-cycled dyed rug trend and decided to give it a go myself... minus the harsh chemicals and enormous price tags.
 Here is how I went!


And here's how I did it... it was super-easy if a little messy.


As I liked the low-pile look of the old overdyed kilim rugs I began by flipping my rug over to reveal the back. As well as replicating that low-pile look this also exposed the warp of the rug (the cotton threads my rug was woven into). 
I then ditched any thought of stripping the dye from my rug (too messy, too many chemicals) and decided to go straight ahead with applying a colour OVER THE TOP of the original design.

Here's how:
1. Mix a custom colour using water based screen printing inks. I used Permaset brand. To make the mixture even and smooth give it a zap with a handheld blender. 

2. Pour your colour into a spray bottle and add equal amounts water. Shake with vigour.

Spray an even layer onto the rug, I needed 4 bottle-fulls of ink to completely cover my rug.

3. Allow to dry and fix by ironing the rug with a hot iron. Place a teatowel between the rug and iron to avoid scorching.