You may have figured it out by now if you’re one of our readers, but I like to make things.  I knew that Morgan and Carrie of Ampersand Design Studio were working hard on a fabric project, but little did I know just how adorable it was going to be.  They announced their designs with a look-book full of bright color, pattern, and lots of ideas on lovely things to DIY using their fabric.  Now that’s creative!  Here’s a little bit more about their project and inspiration:

“We are SO excited to finally share, “Cream & Sugar” our debut fabric collection with Windham Fabrics!! We fell in love with all things tea-related when we studied abroad together in England, so we were thrilled to design a collection around this passion! If you pretend you just got invited to the happiest, most colorful tea party in town, then you pretty much get the picture!  We hope our fabrics will add some color and fun to your next party and in your home!”

You ladies are so inspiring!  (check out their post for even more details about their collection.  All photos by Eric Linebarger).

There are so many amazing local businesses that I love to visit, but as an avid crafter Urban Arts and Crafts is absolutely one of my favorites.  It’s a hand maker of things dream!  They carry fabric, and sewing supplies, tons of yarn, scrapbooking, and stamping tools, findings for jewelry making, as well as chains, and beads, and many other crafty sundries.  Not only do they have all the standard crafting items, they often have them from companies you won’t find everywhere else.  When I’m looking for something for a home sewing project it’s one of my stops to find fabric with a colorful, modern print.  Their collection of scrap booking papers in eclectic, and contemporary, and I was definitely tempted to buy the home letterpress kit they carry.

An overview of the shop, plus their sweet cat whose always lounging around the store.  And just check out the delightful selection of fabrics.  So many colors!

Loved this line of scrapbooking paper.  So colorful, and modern.  Plus look at the tiny hearts, and the camera printed sheet.  Too cute!

Thanks for taking a tour of one of my favorite shops in Kansas City.  You can find Urban Arts and Crafts, and more store information online here.  New to crafting?  They also teach classes for sewing, knitting, crochet, jewelry, and more.  Plus the staff is amazing, super helpful, and knowledgable about their products.  If you’re a crafter visiting Kansas City, it should definitely be on your list of place to go!

I’ve been inspired by the ombre trend for a long time, and have spotted lots of fun projects around the Internet.  Two of my favorites are these napkins on Style Me Pretty, and this tablecloth on Oh Happy Day.

I’ve been wanting to make some new curtains for our living room to add a bit of color, and lighten the room up.  Aqua blue is an accent color all over our home, so I thought it would be a great color to try out for this project.  Depending on the type of dye you use instructions may vary.  I found some at my local art supply store, and used these instructions from Martha Stewart online.  For my fabric I decide to make things easy, and picked up some full size, 100% cotton bedsheets from Target.  I will tell you one thing, you’ll need a lot of salt!

I went with Procion MX Dye that I found at my local art supply store.  There are many options out there for fabric dye, so mix according to your specific dyes instructions.  Most dyes will require you to wet your fabric before dipping.  I definitely forgot this step, but the process still worked.  Soak your fabric, then wring out til no longer dripping wet.  Flatten and mark about every foot to foot and a half with straight pins.  These pins will indicate the level you’ll want to dip at for different amounts of time to get your ombre effect.  Lay down your plastic drop cloth, and now you’re ready to start dyeing!

To start dip your fabric into the bucket all the way up to the top mark you made with your pins.  I wanted to leave some white on my panels so I left the top foot or so un-dipped.  The dye will naturally wick it’s way up the cloth to create a diffused effect. Again dyeing times will depend on the product your using, but you’ll want to go in steps, for example my first dip lasted only one minute.  After this first quick dip pull your fabric out of the bucket to the level of the next straight pin.  For this second level I left mine for 10 minutes.  Repeat this step as many times as necessary for your length of fabric, using your straight pins as your guide.  On the last  level I left mine for 20 minutes to try to get the color as saturated as possible.

Once you’ve dyed your fabric it’s time to rinse. As carefully as you can transfer the fabric to your tub or basin (this is the messiest part because there’s a lot of dripping).  With cold water begin to rinse your fabric, taking care to leave any un-dyed part out of the water so it doesn’t get stained.  Try to remove as many pins as you can as your rinse so you don’t stab yourself with them.  Continue to rinse until the water runs mostly clear.  Wring out and put in the washing machine on cold water settings.  Then air dry, or machine dry.

Once my fabric was dry I ironed it, and then folded it in half, laid it out flat, and cut it down the middle to get two separate panels.  I hung them up using stainless steel curtain rings with clips that I bought at Target, no sewing needed.  However if you want to put a finished edge on them, simply sew a straight seam on the cut edge all the way up the panel.  Done!

I’m really happy with the way the curtains turned out.  They add just the right amount of color to the room, and let in a bit of blue glowing light, even when they’re not open.  As my husband said “It feels like you’re in heaven”.  Hope you’ve enjoyed my little ombre dyeing DIY.  Give it a whirl, and add a little ombre to your life!