Springtime in Charleston kicks off the season of weddings, celebrations, and many outdoor dinner parties. These watercolor napkin rings add a quick and easy pop of color to the dinner table without breaking the bank. With the addition of your guests’ names, they also become place cards.
For brides, consider getting your bridesmaids together for a craft night (especially if your invite list is long). It’s always more fun when you have the help of friends, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll finish the project.

 

MATERIALS

Watercolor paper cut into 2-inch strips

Watercolor paints

Paintbrushes

Water for rinsing brushes

Pen

Double-sided tape

 

DIRECTIONS

1 – Dip brush in water and paint. Apply paint to paper. Don’t feel limited to brush strokes only– spatter and dab the paint onto the paper as well. Try out different paintbrush sizes. Mix colors. Add more water to produce lighter shades.

2 – Let paper dry completely.

3 – Write names of your guests onto each strip of paper.

4 – Roll napkins and wrap paper strip around napkin. Trim any excess paper and  secure with double-sided tape.

Pretty weather in Charleston means the perfect opportunity for a picnic. This DIY project (part of the Charleston City Paper’s DIY series) transforms a bed sheet into a lightweight picnic blanket for less than $10. By varying the length of the dye time, a single dye color produces a gradient from light to dark, which is called ombre.

A few words about dyeing fabric: Read all of the dye manufacturer’s directions first and make sure you take the necessary safety precautions. Fabric types absorb dye differently. Dyeing a 100% cotton fabric produces more vibrant hues than a cotton-polyester blend. For the tutorial below, I used a 60/40 cotton/polyester blend.

Also a thank you to my friend Doreen Larimer who helped me out with the sewing portion of this project and also provided fabric dyeing advice.

MATERIALS

Flat, twin-size sheet in white (at least 60/40 cotton/polyester blend)

Fabric dye, powder or liquid (Rit is a popular brand and available at most craft stores– I used “tangerine”)

Salt, 1 cup

Hot water

Large pot for dyeing fabric (I used a 12-qt stock pot)

Rubber gloves

Metal spoon for stirring fabric

Material to cover work surface

Laundry detergent for dye washout

Bleach for cleanup

Sewing machine (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1 – Wash sheet to remove anything on the fabric that might prevent absorption of the dye.

2 – (Optional) Cut off top third of sheet and sew sheet into a square (approximately 66 in. x 66 in.).

3 – Read all dye manufacturer’s directions regarding fabric preparation and dye bath methods. (I used the stovetop method for this tutorial.)

4 – Wear rubber gloves and cover your work surface.

5 – Dissolve 1 cup of salt into hot water.

6 – Fill remainder of pot with hot water. Be sure to allow enough room for displacement when you add the fabric, but keep in mind the fabric will also be absorbing some of the water.

7 – Shake dye bottle and add dye (I used 1/2 bottle of liquid Rit for this project) to hot water. Stir to mix and set stove temperature to low.

8 – Dampen fabric in hot water (tap from the sink is fine) and wring excess water from fabric.

9 – Dip bottom part (approximately 1/8) of fabric into dye bath for about 5 minutes. Stir constantly and lightly move fabric up and down to ensure even distribution of dye and to avoid a harsh line of dye on final product.

10 – Gradually add more fabric to the dye bath. Keep stirring!

11 – Ensure even distribution of fabric into the dye bath and continue adding more fabric until you reach the desired color and gradient (note: the color will appear darker as you’re dyeing). To achieve the light shades, you’ll only need to briefly place the fabric into the dye bath. The entire dye process for this project took approximately 30 minutes.

12 – Remove fabric from the dye bath and rinse fabric in cool to warm water until fabric runs clear of dye. Hold the lighter fabric at the top as you rinse.

13 – Add a squirt of laundry detergent and wash fabric in warm water. Rinse fabric thoroughly and then hang to dry or machine dry.

14 – Clean up thoroughly.

15 – Have a picnic!