Fabric Dyeing Questions

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November Questions

I am going to be a bridesmaid for my best friends wedding in a couple of months and have found the perfect dress, but it is rred. Would it be possible to successfully bleach a silk and chiffon dress? Would the chiffon disintegrate? Best, Caroline
Dear Caroline,
I wouldn't chance it. Too many factors & possibilities of ruining the dress. Inquire at the store, sometimes a dress can be ordered in another color. You could also have it copied by a seamstress in a more suitable color.
best,
Jennifer

Hi, I have a red and white 97% cotton, 3% spandex dress with red piping and a red grosgrain ribbon around the waist. The care instructions said it was OK to wash in cold/gentle cycle, but when I did, I got some red dye splotches in some of the white areas of the dress (think maybe the piping was not colorfast) Is it possible to get the red spots out of the white areas, or is this just a lesson to take red and white dresses to the cleaners! Thanks so much. Kathleen
Kathleen,
Return this dress to the store pronto. If it is marked gentle-wash you should be able to wash it. The retailer & the vendor should know that their trim was not colorfast.
best,
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer, I came across your website in search of professional fabric dyes and was very happy to see your advice column. I just bought a used modern sofa chair/chaise whose fabric appears to have been lightened by the sun, or maybe just natural fading. I loved the shape of the chair so I figured I would dye it and then if it didn't work out, I could reupholster it. Now that I'm actually looking at dyes though, I have no idea what type to use on the fabric of the chair (which is all removable). It feels like the dark purple/blue color fabric is either cotton or a cotton blend (unfortunately, it doesn't say but the fabric does have lots of cross/square stitching throughout). I've checked out dharmatrading.com but am unsure whether this would require an industrial dye, their reactive procion dyes or something else. Before I make the plunge, any advice on what type of dye may work well? Should I just send the fabric out to a professional dyer? Many thanks for any advice you can provide, Ana
Dear Ana,
It really all depends on the fiber content of the cover. If it is all cotton, it could be overdyed or redyed a related color. If it is half polyester, it will take dye at half-strength. See if you can find someone in your community who can assess the fiber content, either by feel or by the burn test. Once you have completed that step, & you are ready to go to the next step -- if you can easily get the cover in your washing machine, you could try dyeing it yourself. If it's bigger than that, you can send it to Sherry at www.fabricdyeing.com.
good luck!!
Jennifer

Many thanks for the quick reply. If we assume it's all cotton (which I think it is), do I use any cotton industrial dye? I think I will try dyeing it myself. Take care, Ana
Ana,
I suggest that you work with the procion dyes from Dharma. You will also need soda ash (from dharma or from a spa supply store) & ordinary table salt.
have fun,
Jennifer

I have a pair of velvet light green curtains which i would like to dye a dark mauve. Is this possible and if so how and what product should i use?
Janice, please read my article on Fabric Dyeing 101 (link at the top of my Dizzylettuce column at fabrics.net)& then write back to me if you have further questions.
best,
Jennifer

what will bleach do to 100% cotten, green sheets? steven
Dear Steven,
I don't know, but here are some possibilities:
-lighten the color, possibly in blotches
-deteriorate the fabric
-have no effect.
Bleach will not remove all the color. If you want to achieve that, you can try Dharma's color remover (www.dharmatrading.com). Again, no guarantee. Commercial dyes are of all types. Some respond to color remover & others don't.
good luck,
Jennifer

I have a black polyester coat - parts of which has been bleached (lightened) by the sun. The lightened patches are a brown colour. Is there anything I can do to sort this problem out - eg dyeing the coat black? thanks in advance for any advice, Abi
Sorry, it is time to go shopping, this can't be remedied.
best,
Jennifer

My sons girlfriend sees me as the great do it yourselfer, so of course she came to me to dye her shoes for halloween. The are from Baker's Shoes. They are originally a camel color. and have straps that wrap twice on the ankle and then buckle on the side. They are unimportant to her other than for this use. Please heip me asap! Please and Thank-you. Sincerely, Suzanne

Suzanne,
take the shoes to a full service shoe repair place & see what products they have available. Next alternative, take them to Michaels or Hobby Lobby & see what they offer. You could also try www.leathermagic.com & see what they have, although I know the time is getting short for this, if necessary maybe they could overnight something to you.
Happy Halloween!
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,
I am starting a customized swimsuit manufacturing business and would like to know more about dying a swimsuit. I would like to use a batik style to create fabric designs, but I am not sure if that is possible. What sort of dye would I need to use and how is it done exactly?
Thank you so much,
Emily
Dear Emily,
I am sorry, I can't help you with this because swimsuits are traditionally made of synthetics - lycra, polyester, etc. Nylon, if you can find it, can be dyed using the acid dyes available at www.dharmatrading.com. Dharma also offers cotton/lycra prepared-for-dyeing fabric suitable for swimsuits, if you like this sort of fabric. You're probably going to end up having your fabric dyed at the factory - in large amounts. Keep talking to industry professionals & see what you can turn up.
best,
Jennifer

I have been tea staining muslin for years for a craft that I do. I had used a product that made the dying permanent, but I recently heard that using vinegar will do the same thing. Could you please tell me the ratio, etc of how to do this. Thanks bj
I really don't know, as I have no experience setting tea dye with vinegar. Try it & report back! You may become the expert!
Jennifer

My daughter has a twill, slipcovered sofa from Pottery Barn. The slipcover is an off-white color. She wants to dye it another color (possibly a wheat or darker color) as she has 3 little boys and it is constantly dirty. Is there some place in Austin that would dye it for her??? I assume it would need a commercial size washing machine.
You will need to send this to Sherry at www.fabricdyeing.com. She is located in northern CA near Santa Cruz & has customers from all over the world.
best,
Jennifer

I was just wondering... if I dye a vintage silk dress that I have, will it shrink?
Thanks,
Bethel
Dear Bethel,
The answer is probably yes. Silk shrinks in the warm water dyeing process. How much depends on the kind of silk, whether it has been previously washed, etc. Dyeing is always an experiment, so if you want to try it, you could see how it comes out. I have dyed many vintage items with success, but I never know exactly what is going to happen!!
Best,
Jennifer

Hi, My husband left a new black golf sweater/sweatshirt out in his car for several weeks, maybe months. It is faded to a brown in several areas. He asked me! to fix it, I thought I'd turn to you for any suggestions you might have. It is a lovely heavy material - 100% cotton. The name of the golf course is monogramed on the chest in a tan thread. What do you think I should do? Thanks for your help. Sara
Sara,
Far & away the easiest thing is to send it to Sherry at www.fabricdyeing.com. She can fix it up. Your other alternative is to try it yourself using the industrial dyes available at www.dharmatrading.com. No guarantee of outcome. Every fabric & garment is a unique experience - & black is the hardest color to get. However, I have overdyed black using the industrial dyes with great success! have fun,
Jennifer

Hi, I have a question about dyeing corduroy. I have an orange colour corduroy vest that I would love to dye black. Is there anyway I can do this?If I can what kind of dye would I use? Thanks.
Dear Sophia,
Please read my article on Fabric Dyeing 101. This will tell you the basic info about dyeing. In general, if the dyeing is possible, black is hard to obtain, & you will be putting it over orange, so the best you could get is a muddy dark gray-orange, in all probability. You can also consult with Sherry at www.fabricdyeing.com for more info (read article first).
best,
Jennifer

hi jennifer, We have green velvet curtains which are sun bleached and other stains are they suitable to be dyed without shrinkage and damaging the fabric. Thank you sally.
Dear Sally,
please look over my article on Fabric Dyeing 101. This will give you the basic information about what kinds of fabric can be dyed. In general, even if the fiber content could be dyed, I have to say that I don't think your curtains will be worth the process. Sun damage weakens fibers - you may end up with shreds after the dyeing process.
sorry,
Jennifer

I saw the FAQ response concerning dyeing of upholstered furniture. I took the response to be in reference to the entire piece of furniture. I've got my mom's recliner and there is an limited area where the original blue color is scorched orange from her heating pad. It's contained within an area approximately 6 inches x 6 inches. It, unfortunately is in a highly visible area, approximately dead center on the upright portion of the chair. Do you think the simplyspray product might at least diminish the rather obvious contrast of the orange scorch? What are the potential risks or downsides to doing this? I'm thinking primarily about damage to clothes that might contact that area.
- I'm not terribly concerned about having to reapply intermittently, if that proves to be the case.
- I'm not too worried about damaging the current material color since it's already damaged. I could easily consider disposing of the chair but I'd like to salvage it if I can.

If I read the simplyspray site correctly, the product is available at JoAnn's and there is one relatively accessible. Thank you,
Ken
Dear Kenneth,
You can try it if you want to experiment. I sincerely doubt that you will be able to match an exact color, but there's a chance you could at least get an improvement.
Downsides:
1. Simplyspray comes in limited number of colors, could be quite difficult to match, whatever color you end up with might be more noticeable
2. could come out a different texture
3. scorch weakens fibers so this would not be a permanent solution, eventually the fabric will tear or fray
4. could come out worse than what you started with
Upsides:
1. You could have fun spraying the chair
2. You have nothing to lose, you can always give the chair to charity & get a new one
3. You could get quite creative & make an art piece out of the chair
good luck!
Jennifer

I purchased a beautiful pink skirt suit last spring and have yet to use it because it's just well, too pink! I wanted to dye it black or charcoal grey but wasn't sure if there is one product that works better than others. Do you have any suggestions / recommendations?
Dear Naomi,
please read my article on Fabric Dyeing 101. Here is the link:
http://www.fabrics.net/DizzyLettuceArticle.asp. This will give you the basic information & tell you if you can consider dyeing the suit.
Write back if you have more questions!!
Jennifer

Should silk be washed before dyeing? I am using 8mm silk. Thanks Joan
Joan,
at Dharma Trading Co. they recommend washing before dyeing. This gets out any stray silkworm gum that may remain & cause blotching in the dyeing process. Get some Synthropol from Dharma for this purpose. Finish the ends of your fabric by serging or zigzaging before dyeing. If you don't, the raveling threads can tangle & wrap around the fabric, causing inadvertent tie-dyeing.
have fun!
Jennifer

 

You can ask Jennifer questions at dizzylettuce@Fabrics.net.

Jennifer Thompson Miller: I love my work in beautiful textiles, color, trim, and design! I am a devoted student of fashion history and love vintage and vintage-inspired looks. For many years, my main focus was fashion sewing, using natural fibers in beautiful colors. In recent years, much to my delight, I have learned color mixing and silk dyeing. This has added a vibrant, versatile dimension to my fashion design.

I learned design and needlework from my mother and grandmother, and I am very grateful for their inspiration and instruction. Some of my earliest memories are spending time in the fabric store, while my mother designed and picked out fabrics for glamorous outfits. From the age of ten, my mother and other fashion-conscious ladies would ask my opinions on fabrics that they were combining.

About Dizzylettuce

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