Need advice about silk dress

Donal2744

I'm hoping someone can help here. I lent a family member a green silk dress. They returned it damaged. There was obviously a stain on it and they've used something on it (probably handwash!) to get the stain out. Instead the colour has come out leaving two white faded marks on the front of the dress. Dry cleaners can't do anything as the dye is gone. The marks aren't big but because the dress is plain green they stand out.

I tried a few colouring pencils on them but they aren't taking. I was in an art supplies shop where they had fabric paint but no colours were matching and to be honest I'd be afraid to start lashing it on.

Has anyone any ideas of how I could try and repair it? It's a very good dress and I'd hate to see it written off. Or even if anybody knows someone who could fix it...Thanks!

Well if the dye has faded there's only really two options:

1. Dye the entire dress in the hope that the new colour (or you could try finding the existing colour) will take evenly over the entire dress, but there could always be a difference in the colour where the faded patches are.

2. Alter the dress. The could be either by adding something to the point where the stain is (preferable if the stain is above waist height) or reshape the dress to remove the damaged fabric (preferable if the dress is below waist height).


I'd try the dye myself, so as to try to return the dress to as close to it's original state as possible.

Edit: and don't look for dye etc. in an art supplies shop - go to a textiles shop, or failing that an alterations place, they'd be more likely to have suitable supplies. Fabric paint should definitely not go on silk.

snowey07

Id agree with dying it all one colour - have you tried silk paint as an alternative to fabric paint though?