I had some samples of disperse dyes sent to me. I want to try these dyes on a pure cotton T-shirt to see how they look and hold up. I don't know anything about dyeing. Can you tell me how to use these dyes?

Name: Dean

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Holly Brackmann's book
The Surface Designer's Handbook

includes directions for dyeing with disperse dyes

Country or region: USA

Message: I had some samples of Disperse Navy Blue EXSF 300% and Disperse Navy Blue ECO sent to me. I want to try these dyes on a pure cotton T-shirt to see how they look and hold up. I don't know anything about dyeing. Can you tell me how to use these dyes? What else do I need to add to the dye to make it dye the cotton?

Don't try to use Disperse dyes on cotton or on any other natural fiber. They have no way of attaching to the cotton fiber. Instead, use your disperse dyes only on synthetic fibers, such as polyester, acrylic, nylon, or acetate. If you do not have any suitable material to test your dye on, try going to a fabric store and buying quarter-yard cuts of suitable white synthetic fabrics. Different synthetic fibers may produce slightly different colors with the same dye.

Disperse dyes should be applied in boiling water, or by dry heat transfer after first applying it to paper. They cannot be applied at low temperatures. When dyeing polyester, you should use a dye carrier, such as Jacquard's iDye Poly Color Intensifier (which is included in packets of iDye Poly disperse dye) or PRO Chemical & Dye's Dye Carrier NSC. Do not use the dye carrier with fibers other than polyester unless specifically instructed by the manufacturer to do so for a particular fiber.

To dye a cotton t-shirt, the best choice is a fiber reactive dye, such as the Procion MX dye in a good tie-dye kit. Fabric stores often carry packets of Dylon or Tulip brand dyes that contain reactive dyes; look for the word "Permanent" in the name, to differentiate these from lower-quality dyes sold by the same companies.. You can also use a direct dye or an all-purpose dye, though both of these will tend to run when washed, and will not retain their color as long.

For more information on dyeing with disperse dyes, see my page, "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes". For more information on dyeing cotton, see "How to Dye Cotton".

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Posted: Wednesday - June 19, 2013 at 08:52 AM

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I had some samples of disperse dyes sent to me. I want to try these dyes on a pure cotton T-shirt to see how they look and hold up. I don't know anything about dyeing. Can you tell me how to use these dyes?

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