Name: mike
Message: i just bought a white tuxedo jacket that is washable and i want to rainbow tie dye it for my prom. the prom is coming up in a few days, do you think that the rit dye would do the job real quick? i know you dont recommend those all purpose dyes because they fade but this is kind of just a one time deal. also, do you think that it would work on the jacket at all, with it being a strange shape and everything? im not sure if you will get this and respond in time, but i hope so. thanks for everything, great site.

Rit dye will not stick to polyester, even in the first rinsing. All-purpose dye is a mixture of a type of dye called direct dye, which dyes cellulose fibers such as cotton and rayon, albeit not very permanently, and acid dye, which dyes wool, silk, and nylon, but no other synthetic fiber. You cannot use it to color polyester, even temporarily.

If you don't mind making the fabric a little stiffer and rougher, you can *paint* your tuxedo with fabric paint. Since paint is pigment mixed with glue, it will work on many different fabrics, though not always equally well on each fiber. Diluted paint will look much like dye. See Dharma Trading Company for several different good fabric paints. Since your tuxedo is white, you do not have to seek out opaque fabric paint, which is a help. You might be able to find Setacolor dye in your local crafts store. It's nice stuff. Diluted acrylic artists' paint will work, too, in a pinch, but the fabric will feel quite rough after you apply it.

With diluted paint, act just like you're using dye to tie-dye: tie off circles in the jacket, if you like that style, and pour on diluted liquid paint. Or, apply with a paint brush or disposable spray bottle to get the look you like. I think that the weird shape won't be much of a problem.

I doubt you want to get into the whole polyester dyeing thing - boiling for an hour and all that - for a one time deal. However, you should consider using disperse dye to make iron-on designs for your jacket, either instead of or in addition to your use of fabric paint. The colors are dull on the paper before ironing, but brilliant on the polyester after ironing it on. See this page: http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dispersedye.shtml