Haute Harlot

70s

new ink

lbd

knee tats

fresh dye job

DIY: Dying your clothes black

I had so much fun doing this, it was my first time. Since everyone celebrates 4th of July and I don't anymore, I thought it would be a great evening to dye some clothes on my street. I dyed two pieces of clothing, both were made from 100% cotton. Here's what you'll need: 2 packages of RIT dye in black (can be bought at Shoprite - I used the powder not the liquid), a wooden stick for stirring (I used one we had for a Lowe's paint can), 2 black buckets from Dollar Tree, and just make sure you have some gloves as well as it can get very messy. Oh and salt, you will need salt, I just bought Morton's and used almost the entire thing (it is to make the clothes comes out darker). Here are the before pictures.

The crocheted vest I had for almost 5 years and I never wore it. I realized this summer I wished it was black, then I said well I can make it black. The Healing Herbs long sleeve tee I bought from Kohl's and I loved it but I hated the purple it came in. I wished it was gray tie-dye, although I also wished it was purely black. I followed this video on YouTube as a guide.

First thing I did was fill the two buckets with steaming hot tap water from the sink. They say to boil, but this was going to be a quick thing. I took both buckets outside on my street to the asphalt area. I then poured one packet of powder into one bucket, and the other into the other. Then I filled both buckets with salt. After placing each piece of clothing into each bucket, I alternating stirring them for 30 minutes. They say you can do it for up to an hour, but again a quick thing.

After all this, I wrung each out on the street, and ran through them with cold hose water over and over until the water ran semi-clear. I then placed them in a garbage bag and let them dry up overnight. The next say they actually were kind of dry, and I knew the next step was to wash them. Luckily they didn't leak out or anything, and putting them in the wash was just like washing anything else that wasn't dyed beforehand. The results were awesome (see below)!

I was a little worried that the writing on the Healing Herbs tee would be dyed away, but after washing it, it lost some of the dye so the writing showed up again! Keep in mind that when it's wet after you dye it you will not see it in its true form of color. Only after you wash it will you be able to see how it came out. The crocheted vest also came out way better than I expected especially since I was a little lazy about doing this whole thing, but wanted to do it nonetheless. There are other techniques to make it much darker and make it last longer, but this was the quick and easy route. I recommend trying it because it was a cool and fun activity and I would definitely do it again only because sometimes things just don't come in black.

the door

black lives matter by larry west

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progress

the room

Lyla felt as though she had garnered resentment in her lungs since birth. It was only when she met the Doctor that she was able to enter recovery. Her suffering was not unique he told her. He knew her disease well. He'd spent years trying to help people just like her. Many successes and few failures. He'd try to lead her to a permanent relief with his theory.

Doctor: What is it?
My heart feels black like it could never turn to color.
My skin crawls when there's no response.
I lose my breath if 24 hours come full circle.
I wait in the dark and perpetuate this fate.
"A back walking away" is the running symbol in my life it's all I know and all I expect.
It grows and grows and worsens and worsens.
My relationships are suffocated, snuffed out.
It feels like I can't help what is happening to me no matter how hard I try to stop it.
The anxiousness and panic and manic and delirium, I best sum it up this way:
Everything hurts.

Doctor: What would relieve it?
Emotional sobriety doctor.

Doctor: For 90 days you'll sit in this room. You will sleep just behind that wall. You'll come out only to interact with the 10. From the paperwork you've completed, I've gathered 10 others with whom you'll be interacting over the three month period. You'll spend 7 days each with them, no more no less. You'll sit behind glass, like in prison. In a way, Lyla, you keep yourself imprisoned, this is why we do it this way, do you understand? The idea is to get you to break the glass on your own, give yourself the permission to become free. Every day, the person will come to visit you. Seven days will allow for an emotional connection. This process will lead you to the root of your cycle, what it takes to trigger your disease. It does not take much and you will see in time. At the end of the 7 days you'll experience withdrawal, it is then that you are most likely to see her, the child version of yourself. When she shows up do not be alarmed. Let her sit next to you, for two days. Can you make her feel safe?