Upcycled and dyed polyester blouse

Good morning. I am sharing an upcycled blouse which I dyed with old iron fix silk paints that were past their best. I got the blouse in a charity shop for just £2. I loved the style but I really am not a ‘cream blouse girl’. The blouse was 100% polyester which is generally difficult to colour – you really need to use specialist dyes for polyester or iron transfer paints (which you paint onto paper then iron to transfer the colour). However, I have found that iron fix fabric paints will stain polyester permanently. They are best watered down – otherwise most can leave a stiff finish on the fabric, especially sheer fabrics such as this blouse.

Sorting through my stash I found some very old silk paints (fluid formula) which were really past their best and they had some precipitation. They were no longer suitable for fine silk painting work. However, they are perfect for this sort of job. I find it best to pick up colour with a very damp sponge and simply dab it over the fabric allowing it to blend. Thicker iron fix paints, and even standard acrylic paints, also work well provided they are diluted out. Results are not predictable but that is the joy of this sort of project.

When finished I allowed the blouse to dry overnight. I also put it through a tumble dryer cycled (hot iron not suitable for this fabric). I then machine washed (virtually no colour came out in the wash).

Delighted with my new blouse.