Message: I would like to dye polyester curtain panels that are now a deep emerald green to a deep brown color. Is this possible?

As long as the color you want is much darker than the color that is currently there, a color change will be possible. However, since dye is transparent, the original color will always show through; I am not sure that you will be able to obtain a light enough shade of brown to suit you, on top of your emerald green.

The only way to dye polyester a solid color is to boil it at length with a special polyester dye called disperse dye. Other dyes which work on natural fibers will not work on polyester, but will just wash out. You can order Disperse Dye from PRO Chemical & Dye or Aljo Dyes. You can also buy a new brand of disperse dye, called "iDye Poly", from Blick Art Materials or Dharma Trading Company. (For contact information for these and other dye suppliers, see Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World.)


The problem for you will be buying a stainless steel or enameled cooking pot to do the dyeing in, one that is large enough to allow the fabric to move freely as you stir it. You must never again use a cooking pot for food preparation after it has been used for dyeing fabric, because textile dyes will contaminate food. This means that the pot itself is a large investment if you are not going to be using hot water dyes again in the future. It may be cheaper to buy or make new curtain panels using new fabric.

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