I’m getting married in October and planning on wearing my mothers wedding dress. I have recently purchased new lace for alterations, however the dress is 38 years old so the colors are off. I was told lace can be stained in tea to achieve the right color but I do not want to do this myself. Do you know of any companies in the New York area that provide this kind of service? Any information you can provide is appreciated.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Michelle

Dear Michelle,
Isn’t it great that you have your mother’s dress to wear? I am sure that it will be beautiful and truly special.
What you have in mind is such a small job that no commercial company is likely to do it. Even if they did, they would not guarantee a match or even a certain color. Tea dyeing is actually very easy. Do an internet search and look at some of the directions that are listed. One good site is http://www.sewbridal.com/Sewing_Help/DyeingLace/body_dyeinglace.html. Get some extra lace to experiment with. If you cannot find exactly what you bought, then get some of the same fiber content to test with. This should be a fun creative project! Have a wonderful wedding!
Jennifer