Name: Laura
Message: I recently purchased an 80% wool 20% nylon jacket that got stained with vomit. The jacket is a light pink color, and the vomit was a mix of orange "Tang" drink and vodka. I already took it to the dry cleaners to remove the stain and had the jacket returned to me just as stained as when i brought it in. Would you recommend having it professionally dyed a brown or black color? Or do you think i should just throw it away? Is there any other method you recommend so it will be wearble once again?

Wow, this has to be the most gruesome question I've ever been asked about dyeing! (Why would anyone drink Tang with vodka?!)

Tang is colored with food dye, which is a type of acid dye, so the acid in the vomit probably helped to set the dye.

Dyeing the jacket brown or black would probably work, if it can be done without shrinking the garment, assuming that the garment has no residual odor. (If it does have any residual odor, throw it away!) Wool, as you discovered the hard way, is pretty easy to dye permanently. Avoiding shrinkage would be a huge problem, however. As a general rule, it is pointless to attempt to dye anything that is not washable.

Professional dyers are not easy to find. Generally, you must mail a garment to one of the few dyers who provide this service, such as True Color Fabric Dyeing, at <http://www.fabricdyeing.com>. Perhaps you should contact the company to ask whether or not it will be possible for them to dye your jacket without changing the size.