Ombre Tights: Almost Made It

I have been wanting a pair of these sweet ombre tights:

via

I decided to DIY. 

I was not successful in this endeavor. This is what I got: 

The pink/red (left) was supposed to be dark on top and fade to light WHICH it kind of does, if you ignore the dark red marks. I made the mistake of letting these dry in the sun. The purple pair (right) were supposed to be darker on the outer sides and then fade to white on the inner side. This definitely worked, just very very subtly.

This was the process:

Step 1:

Roll up the tights and secure with a rubber band. 

Step 2:

Dip one side into a bowl with your dye mixture. (Any dye product will do)

Step 3:

Unroll and let dry. 

The good news is I have a couple of awesome halloween costume options with the red/pink pair. 

I can be Christina Aguilera at Etta James's funeral:

Pretty accurate. 

OR, I could be Sookie from True Blood. 

ORRR, I can be chick-who-just-got-her-period cause that's a great way to land a boyfriend. 

Such a good look. 

(Big thanks to my beautiful sister who took these pictures.)

Maybe I was unsuccessful in getting the results I planned, but I learned a lot during the process and now I can offer some words of wisdom.
How fun, you get to learn from my mistakes. Lucky for you, I make so many of them. 

1. Remember what you learned in science class. Capillary action. It's real. Be frugal with your dye-filled water. 

2. Don't use nylon. It's a bitch and does not easily absorb dye. Cotton is better. 

3. For ombre effects, use three vastly different shades of a color. Subtle gradients will not be apparent. 

4. Wear rubber/plastic gloves at all times. Seriously. My hands were a nice shade of crimson. 

5. Don't let your tie-dye dry in the sun. It will discolor and darken certain areas.

...go ahead and do #5 if you are trying to get the bloody vampire/Christina Aguilera look.