The Candy Dress

Let's get started!

I am addicted to sweets. I am constantly buying candy and I am always trying to find ways to use the colorful packaging in my projects. Here is Sienna's new favorite dress I made using a colorful Nerds box and some tie dye:

Finished project 1

She wore it for three days straight. I finally got her out of it tonight by promising she could wear her tinted goggles to dinner (see bottom of the post for that photo).

Finished project 2

She pretty much looks like she got tangled up in the Willy Wonka conveyor belt.

Finished project 3

Look how great all these packages are! The Nerds were my favorite for Sienna and I thought the Hot Tamales would be perfect for a boy. I scanned them into my computer.....

Eat your inspiration!

....and printed them out on transfer paper. This was the first time I've used Dharma Trading's Super Soft Transfer Paper and I am now officially hooked.....this stuff just feels like part of the fabric after one washing (the other stuff I was using felt a little plastic-like....and is going in the trash).

Transfer paper is so useful!

For this particular dress I made a patch to sew on, but you could iron the transfer directly onto the dress as well. Make sure to follow the directions for the transfer paper you are using.

Iron on a flat, hard surface

Peeling the backing off is the best part.

Peel slowly in case you need to iron more!

I adhered my patch to the dress using fusible web and then stitched it into place.

The stitching gives more depth to the design

Once the transfer was finished, I soaked the dress pieces in water mixed with Soda Ash to prepare them for dying.

Quick soak in soda ash

After soaking for a few minutes, I took the pieces out of the water, squeezed the excess water from them (use good gloves), twirled into little spirals and secured with rubber bands.

And bind it all up

Next, I covered them with pink and purple dye (diluted more than Dharma's instructions, for pastel colors), wrapped them up tight in plastic and left them overnight.

Go nuts and let it soak in a bag overnight

The next morning I rinsed out the dye really well and ran the pieces through the wash with hot water. Here are the finished pieces before I sewed the rest of the dress together. I love how the dye becomes part of the transfer.

Layers of Yum!

Sienna's replacement outfit for dinner tonight.....only because she got to wear the goggles.

Finished project 4


Customer Comments
Image of a notebook and pencil
 

If you'd rather speak with a human, please call toll-free from anywhere in the U.S. or Canada M-F 8am to 5pm PST

Phone: (800) 542-5227

Your item has been added to your shopping cart   Item Added to Cart
Your item has not been added to your shopping cart   Item Not Added

About Tiered Discount Levels

You can combine cotton and rayon clothing & accessories to get the greatest discounts. Your discount is figured on the total number of cotton and rayon items we ship, not how many of each type, style or size. Mix and match them to get the best discount.

Example: adding 4 each of 3 different T-shirts in any sizes will give you the 12+ price on all 12 shirts.

Visual aid for discount details

Visual aid for how discounts will look in cart

Some products may be excluded from discounts, and / or may discount only with themselves. If you have any questions at all please contact us toll free at 800-542-5227 (no buttons, just humans).

Drag and Drop chips to the Palette first.

ssl test img