elizabethirelandphotography.com

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have stubborn nature to “do it myself”.  I have always had a hard time paying someone else to do something, that I know I can do myself.  Case in point, {newborn cheesecloth wraps}. They are sold on etsy for 8-15 dollars per wrap (a wrap is around 1.5 yards of dyed fabric). I love the soft, artistic look that they add to a newborn image.  It’s a hint of cover and color, yet it allows you to see the tiny shape of the newborn body.  It was something I knew I really wanted for my upcoming newborn session but not at 8 dollars a wrap!

I decided to make my own and it was really easy–as easy as dyeing Easter eggs!

• First I picked up a package of cheesecloth from Walmart (cost was 5.oo for 6 yards) and then I picked out my dye colors (I used RIT liquid dye and it was between 2.79 and 3.79 per bottle).
• Ritdye.com has a great color guide that gives you the recipes for different colors.  I did mine a little backwards, I recommend looking up colors first and THEN buying the specific colors you need for your recipes.
• The color guide will tell you exactly how much dye you need per ounce of fabric.  Weigh your fabric, do the math and then you are set.
• I used old bowls to dye the fabric in and chopsticks (they were all I had handy) to “stir” the cloth. I stirred the cloth several times during the 30 minutes (each wrap took around 30 minutes–a few times I got distracted and left it for an hour but it didn’t seem to matter).

It really is that easy!

I spent a total of 13 dollars on 15 yards of cheesecloth and I spent around 30 dollars on dye (would have been much less had I known about the color guide before I went shopping) and I made 10 wraps with it.

Total cost: 43 dollars for 10 wraps

Total cost for 10 wraps at 8 dollars each (the lowest price) is 80 dollars plus shipping.

I saved just under 50% on my project and the best part is, I have enough dye left over to make another 20 wraps.