Fabric Dyeing Questions

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April Questions

A few years ago, I dyed a nylon slip using tea bags and it worked beautifully. Now I have a bigger project--dyeing a duvet cover. Is it possible to dye a king-size duvet cover with tea bags? If so, what other substances do I need to add to it to preserve the color? If this is not possible, what dye do you recommend for this purpose? The duvet cover is 100% cotton. The color that I am looking for is a light "taupe". Thank you. Cynthia
Dear Cynthia,
I don't have much experience with tea dyeing on large projects such as your duvet. You could try it. Do a quick search for tea dyeing at www.askjeeves.com. There are some good resources there for large projects & dyeing in the washer with tea bags.

If I were you I would do it with the reactive dyes available at www.dharmatrading.com. They are simple to use, very permanent & require a minimum of chemicals. You can mix the exact color that you want. Remember, tea will dye a basic brown color, which may not be the shade of taupe that you want. Strictly speaking, taupe is purplish-brown or even reddish-brown.

I really appreciate knowing about tea dyeing & nylon. I have been wondering about what dyes work for nylon. Dharma sells one that is for nylon, but I haven't tried it.

My duvet cover came out great, moving from ivory to tomato. All in the washer.
Have fun,
Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,
I just found the perfect wedding dress. I love everything about it except the color. It's pink. The dress is 100% acetate so I know it's going to be hard to work with. Is there any way I could bleach, fade, or dye the fabric to achieve a white or very subtle pink hue?
Thanks,
Alexandra
Dear Alexandra,
Sorry, there is nothing you can do with acetate. Make a sketch or photo of the dress & keep looking - or else have it constructed by a seamstress.
Have a wonderful wedding!
Jennifer

This is the first time that I have read your column. I am a clothing designer in Baltimore Maryland/ DC - I have been using bleach to create some funky fun denim pieces. I took a textile class some time back - we basic used color dyes. I like the bleaching but the fumes become very strong in my apartment - I open all my windows when I am doing the process - but I am interested in using color dye on cotton and silk. Is there anything out there that is non-toxic. I am not going to do the bleach out anymore because the fumes are deadly. If you can respond, it would be wonderful. Thank you for your response and time. Blessings!
Dear Katherine,
You are in for a great adventure. Get catalogs from www.dharmatrading.com & www.prochemical.com. There is a wealth of information there about fabric dyeing. Although you do want to be careful with all products, the reactive dyes are relatively innocuous. I mainly do vat or solid-color dyeing in the washer just because the mess is so much less. There are organizations of fiber artists that provide a lot of info, tips, and instruction, too. Do a quick search for one in your neighborhood.
Have fun & send photos!
Jennifer


Hello,
I just happened upon this site, and it may just be my last hope. My daughter is getting married this summer. We had shoes dyed-to-match the dresses and they are too bright. The fabric is a very pale pink and the shoes are several shades brighter/darker. I told my daughter to put the shoes in the back window of her car, but think maybe I was too hasty. Please advise me on options (they are nonreturnable) I would appreciate you responding to me by e-mail, in case I can not remember how I found your site. Thanks so much!
Karen
Dear Karen,
Here is what I would do.
1. Have the bride put on the whole outfit including all the accessories. See if you think the shoes really don't work. I believe it is totally possible that they could be a jarring effect & thereby distract from the tone you want to set. But first, at least get realistic about it.
2. Now for the experiment part. There is no guaranteed way to evenly lighten the shoes. You could wipe them with a mild bleach solution & see what happens. Or, you could put them in the back window of the car, but you will probably get an uneven bleaching effect. If they don't work in their present state, & you must have something else, you have nothing to lose by trying to lighten them. Another thing which you could try is applying a very light coat of pearlescent fabric paint. This will both lighten & produce iridescence, which is also a lightening effect
3. If you do the experimental lightening, you must be prepared for the back up plan, which is ordering or finding another pair of shoes. You might just have to chalk it up to a failure in the ensemble & start over. OR, even if they claim the shoes are not returnable, if they don't match the swatch that you specified, you could take them back & throw a big fit. (Or insist nicely.)

Sorry there is no easy solution! Have fun & laugh through the process.
Happy wedding,
Jennifer

I have a lazy boy chair that is made from synthetic material. Is that impossible to dye?
Alyssa
Dear Alicia,
Yes, it is impossible to dye. Sorry.
Jennifer

I am looking for something to spray on my quilts that will protect the color from fading due to sunlight. I also print photos on fabric and don't want them to fade due to the UV rays from the sun. Can you suggest some products to spray on?
Thanks,
Kindra
Dear Kindra,
A quick internet search turned up this link:
http://www.cmmonline.com/Buyers_Guide.asp?IndexID=8337
I don't have experience with this sort of product, so you will need to ask a lot of questions. Also, it looks like the product only reduces sun fading, it does not eliminate it entirely. The only way to really protect quilts is to store them in the dark a fair amount of the time. good luck,
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,
I have four pairs of blue jeans that fit me great, but they are faded. Is there a certain dye and method that would work well to restore them to a darker indigo blue? Jeans are 100% cotton, no stains, just faded.
~Patty
Dear Patty,
I would suggest the blue or maybe a combination of blue & black in the industrial dyes available at www.dharmatrading.com. The industrial dyes are inexpensive & very simple. Toss the plastic packet in a washer load of hot water & agitate for 20 minutes. I have used the black one to overdye faded black jeans & tshirts with good success. Check it out! Search for industrial dyes at the dharma website.
Jennifer

Hi- I would like to change the color of velour automobile seats from tan to blue,[dark is OK]. Is there a way to do this at home, either spray or removal of the covers, that will work and last? Barry
Dear Barry,
Sorry, you are talking about a superhuman effort here. Your seat covers are synthetic & will not take a dye available to ordinary people. Even if you tried you would have a BIG mess on your hands. Put these in a garage sale & get some new ones.
Jennifer

Hi:
My daughter is going to be a junior bridesmaid and the dress we found is pink nylon and polyester. The wedding color is cherry red. Is it possible to dye this dress and get a solid even result?
If so, what dye is reccommended?
Pat
Dear Pat,
Sorry - no. Polyester does not take the dye & a formal dress such as for a jr bridesmaid has too much construction detail & trim to even risk it. TAke a photo of the dress & have a seamstress make it in the color you want. It would be beautiful in silk dupioni & probably around the same cost.
Happy wedding,
Jennifer

Hello,
I am thinking about dyeing a lightweight linen-cotton blend trenchcoat that is coated with weather-resistant polyurethane. Will a standard Rit dye work if the material is treated with polyurethane? The coat is a stone color and I'd like to dye it light pink.
Thank you for your help!
-ms
Dear Mary,
Sorry, I don't think you can dye this coat at all. The polyurethane will make the dye take very unevenly and Rit will probably not have an effect at all. You could try the reactive dyes available at www.dharmatrading.com if you really want to experiment. Keep in mind: the thread and any trim and lining will not take the dye, but will remain their current color; you will be dyeing over a color, you cannot go straight to a pale pink but will be mixing the stone with pink; dyeing is a warm water process & the garment & its fabric must be able to take agitation & warm water. I really don't think it's worth it unless you are in the mood to learn all about dyeing. Look for another more appropriate coat.
Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,
You're just the person I'm looking for to help me make a major decision concerning a Mother-of-the-groom dress that I recently bought. ( It sounds seventy-ish looking doesn't it? But it's not) Actually, it's is a creme color, two piece outfit (100% polyester skirt and 100% nylon top )and my future daughter in law thinks it's to close to the color of the wedding dress. I agree, but it looks so cute I just can't think about returning it.
I have two questions. First, what brand of dye do you recommend that I use? Also, do you have any dyeing tips I should know about? I am so afraid that the fabric will streak or blotch! I appreciate your help and I look forward to hearing from you.
Fellow Austinite,
Debbie
Dear Debbie,
I am sorry, you can't dye this ensemble at all. Polyester will not take any sort of dye, & nylon is possible, but way too much of a pain. Additional factors include the fact that the thread it is sewn with will not dye, & any trim or lining will also not dye. Save the outfit for another occasion. Or else you can get a contrasting wrap that will mitigate the color. I might suggest one of my wraps in chiffon or burnout velvet. My website has a few photos (still under construction) & I will send you the catalog sheets if you want to see more. Other than that, you will need to start over with a new outfit.
Happiest wedding!!
Jennifer

Hi, I have a crazy question for you that most bridal stores are about ready to die over. I have a wedding dress in maroon, I need to get the same dress for a differant wedding in Black now. The fabric is Crepe. Is this a dyeable fabric? If you want to look at the dress it is on Davids bridal bridesmaid collection. It is in the color expressions section and it style 8022. If this is a dyeable fabric is there a place that you can send items for dyeing?
Thank you,
Rachel.
Dear Rachel,
I took a look at your dress, it is attractive & interesting! The bad news is that it is not dyeable. The dress is either polyester or acetate georgette, which cannot be dyed. The good news is that the dress is not that expensive, on the cosmic scale of bridesmaid dresses. The other good news is that you might be able to wear the black one again sometime, on another occasion, & it also could conceivably be shortened into a beautiful cocktail dress. Sell the other one on consignment or give it to a niece for dressup. Happy weddings!!
Jennifer

Hello Jennifer - this might seem like a trivial question but I was hoping you might have some advice. I have a bleach spot on a pair of favourite pants and I was wondering if there is any way to dye it back to something at least resembling the original colour. The pants are a blue and white weave, mainly blue to look at, and the bleach spot is pink.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Rachelle
Dear Rachelle,
This is a tough problem to deal with. Ordinarily I would say there is no hope, but Sherry Smilo at www.fabricdyeing.com has told me that she is willing to take this kind of thing on. She will probably recommend that you dye the pants black or a very dark color. Contact her for more information. This is your only resource - unfortunately dyes which are easily available won't work. good luck,
Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,
While looking for a dyehouse in Austin, I came upon your column in Fabrics.net. Since you are based in Austin, I wondered if you know of anyone in the Austin area who does large scale dyeing? I guess it is not a huge batch, but we have sofa slipcovers that we need to have dyed in one batch.
Thanks, Casey
Hi Casey,
I don't know any such place in Austin. A good resource is Sherry at www.fabricdyeing.com. She works with people from all over the country on stuff like this.You will need to send the covers to her, but it will be much easier to do that than to experiment with it yourself!
Jennifer

Hi,
I'll be very appreciative of any help you can provide and I thank you for your time and expertise!

(1) My mother died about 12 years ago and I have a white cashmere coat that belonged to her. It had some light brown stains on the bottom and so I took it to a dry cleaner. Neither I or the drycleaner checked the pockets of the coat, which unfortunately contained a blue ballpoint ink pen. Now the coat has a 3-4 inch blue stain (the brown stains lightened a bit). Two drycleaners have since worked on thecoat but the stains are still there--would it be possible to dye the coat back to white--or to some other uniform color? Can you recommend a company that would handle a special dye order (in the U.S. or Europe)?

(2) Can you also recommend how to re-blacken faded black linen pants?

Also, do you reply to the e-mails directly or should I periodically check the website?

Warm regards, Karen
Dear Karen,
Oh, goodness. What a shame & mess about the coat. My daughter, the queen of vintage, had (& probably still has) a similar cashmere coat. She would leave it in a faculty office when she wore it to school, not daring to stuff it into a mere locker.

Side note on vintage stuff like coats which aren't perfect: I wear my stuff pretty much as is. I don't totally trust any dry cleaner & if I can't get it clean or repaired on my own steam, I usually just wear it & let it go like that. I have been known to wear some pretty distressed stuff at times, since after all that is one current style.

There are 3 possible resources for dyeing. All of them receive dyeing orders from all over the world. Start here with www.fabricdyeing.com and www.sampledyeing.org. Sherry Smilo at fabricdyeing.com is wonderful & will advise you further. She is located in northern California. Sampledyeing is in New Jersey. They have a large scale operation, and also take individual garments.

In London, you can go to Panny & Company. They only do a few colors, but black & dark blue are among them. here's their link: http://www.studios92.com/guide/garment_dyeing.htm.

Now for your linen pants. I really like using the industrial dyes from www.dharmatrading.com to redye black stuff. They are inexpensive & very simple to use. Go to their website & search for industrial dyes. This will take you to the order page as well as the instructions. Wash black stuff with ivory snow liquid in order to avoid fading.

As you can see, Jessie forwards my responses to you right away!!
All the best,
Jennifer

Would it possible to successfully die baby blue velvet curtains? If so how would I go about it? I'd like to go to a medium beige-mauve hue. The curtains are in a home I am purchasing, they are practically new and custom made for a massive window.
thanks
Cris
Dear Cris,
For this I am going to send you to Sherry at www.fabricdyeing.com. She is an expert in this sort of thing. The basic answer is, it depends on the fiber content of the velvet. Upholstery & drapery velvet is often cotton, so you have a chance.
Good luck & congrats on the new house!
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.

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