Try, Try Again: The Couch Saga Continues...

Ok, so I spent most of yesterday evening and this morning redyeing the slipcover. I was a little more careful with the instructions (somehow I missed the instruction to add 1 cup salt to the dye bath the first time around, so that may have contributed to the massive failure), but the funny thing is that as I opened more and more packages of dye, I noticed that some of the instructions were actually different. Full sentences missing and things left out, so maybe it was more bad instructions and less my fault. We're going to go with that. I also consulted one of my favorite blogs, Young House Love, and read about their slipcover-dyeing experience (thanks for the reminder, MC!), and got a few pointers there. It went... better, but still not perfect.

So, here's how it looks now:

As I said to James, it's better than I feared... but not as good as I had hoped. There is still some splotchiness and this random red mark that appeared out of nowhere (huh?).

My next thought was to try to start over by using some color remover, getting as much of the dye out as possible and trying to redye it. I really like the lightest parts of it - so maybe if I do try it again I will use less dye. The great thing is that it didn't shrink and the fabric itself didn't seem to take a beating - no fraying or pilling - so at least now I know I can throw it in the wash.

Right now, I think I can live with it. It's not gorgeous, but it's not hideous. I may some day try the plan of action described above, but I'm not running to Joann's right this second. So, what are your thoughts? Remember, honesty is the best policy. If I'm deluding myself into thinking it looks all right and it really looks sincerely awful, please tell me.

Here are a few more pictures if you feel you need some more material before making final judgement:

I'd love to hear what you think!