Dyed loofahs are a beautiful, highly textural gift.
Loofah sponges are an organic bath product that is used to exfoliate and stimulate your skin when showering or bathing. Most commonly purchased in the natural state -- a long tube shape in a pale, fleshy color -- you can decorate a loofah sponge to make a useful and aesthetically pleasing gift. Rhinestones and other embellishments will render the loofah unusable, so decorate the sponge using fabric dye and creative loofah-material embellishments to present a clever and functional gift.
Instructions
1. Rinse both loofahs in water and soak in a bucket of water for an hour. Remove from the water, squeeze out the loofahs and allow to dry in a sunny window.
2. Cut one loofah into ½-inch wide discs with a serrated bread knife. This will show off the beautiful, circular, organic flower shapes.
3. Dilute green fabric dye in a bucket according to the fabric dye directions. Immerse the whole loofah in the dye. Allow it to soak up the dye until it reaches the desired shade of green. Rotate the loofah in the bucket to ensure complete and even coverage.
4. Remove the loofah when the desired color is reached and allow it to drain and dry. Dye the circles of loofah in a pink or yellow fabric dye in the same way. Allow them to dry.
5. Rinse all the dyed loofahs, once they have dried thoroughly, until the water runs clear. The dyed fibers will stay colorful and the loofahs will be usable by your gift recipient.
6. Take a pink or yellow "flower" disc and place it in the middle of the green loofah. Sew it onto the middle of the loofah with nylon thread. Stitch from the bottom edge of the flower to the top portion of the loofah.
7. Take the rest of the cut loofahs and sew them together in a bouquet shape. Sew three circles together edge-to-edge, then sew a second layer of two circles on top, followed by one more in the middle on a third layer.
8. Roll green washcloths into tube shapes and secure them at the bottom third with a rubber band or ribbon. Lay the long, leafy-shaped washcloths in the bottom of a gift basket.
9. Lay the bouquet next to the large flowered loofah in a basket, atop the washcloths to complete.
Tags: pink yellow