Ombre, Ombre, Ombre Series! {DIY Ombre Napkins}

The word ombre (yes, yes, I know the e has a little dash over it, but my font wont let me do it...) is French and it means" to shade". Ombre is gaining popularity all over the world from hair to clothes and has hit the design scene too. Ombre is such a gorgeous look, It appears to be watercolored...I just adore it! It is a great look that can be added in any style home, and is easy to switch out seasonally! These napkins make beautiful gifts too! I decided to play around with the technique myself. I went from dying a few napkins, to a tablecloth then got carried away and dyed my drapes (and accidentally my white dog...oops). 

I created a tutorial for you all, so that you can ombre away with me. You will want to start with something small so you can get the technique down. It is super easy, folks and isn't very messy at all if you prep correctly!

I think napkins, a scarf or a table runner are the best things to begin with...

Let's Begin, Sha'll We?

The first thing you will want to do is wash your fabric so that it will accept the dye. 

After you wash your fabric, start out by preparing your dye according to the instructions on the dye box. It will call for extremely hot water and may call for salt.  I also made some wine colored napkins as you can see from the color on the box below! For those of you that live in Europe, I purchased the dye while in The States. If you can't find it locally, try ordering it online. 

Once everything is prepped, you will dip your fabric in warm water.

If you want your napkin to be gradient from both ends when open (it will appear only one ended when folded) like the picture below.....

...then you will start by folding your napkin or runner in half.  

You will then 

fold it a few times vertically so that it looks like a hot dog.

You will dip your napkin 2/3's of the way in the dye for about 3 seconds. Pull it out of the dye and dip about 1/3 of the way in for about 15-30 seconds depending on how dark you want it. Then pull that out and leave just the tips in for about 15 minutes. I did this in blue than did the same process in green to create an aqua color. The longer you keep it in the dye, the more saturated color you will get.

 If the sun exists in your country, you can let it cure in the sun. I gave it a shot but not much happened since it was just cold and wet out. 

Penny is guarding my napkins for me...

Once your finished dying you will rinse your napkins out, holding the lightest part up so the stain doesn't drip into the white part of the fabric. You will rinse the dye away until the water runs clear. Wash it in hot water with detergent and your napkins will be all ready for your next soiree!

I ironed them for you all, but I especially love how they look crinkly... It gives it more depth and texture! It reminds me of the ocean.., So lovely!  I think my next round will be fall colors, and will look like a sunset! 

Next up, I will be giving a tutorial on how to ombre your drapes! Stay tuned, my loves!

Will you be ombre-ing anything today?? It's actually quite simple, so get to it,  creative one's.

OOooooo, one last thing, don't forget to enter my epic giveaway by clicking the picture below!