Name: Susan
Message: I am trying to tie dye foldover elastic but the colors just wash away. So far I have used Procion MX and Rit dye products but neither have worked. What am I doing wrong?

You have to match both your dye type and your dyeing recipe to the fiber content of whatever you're dyeing. Do you know the fiber content of your fold over elastic?

There is some fold over elastic being sold online whose fiber content is 81% nylon and 19% Lycra spandex. See the following page for more information on dyeing spandex and spandex blends: "How to Dye Spandex (also known as Lycra® or elastane)"

Don't even try to dye the spandex in the fiber blend; just concentrate on the nylon. Nylon can be dyed with acid dyes, and it can also be colored with fabric paints whose manufacturers say they will work well on synthetic fibers, such as Dye-na-flow or Lumiere fabric paints. See "About Acid Dyes" and "Fabric Paints: a different way to color fibers".

Rit dye, as an all-purpose dye, contains a kind of acid dye, as well as another dye which will probably just wash out of nylon. However, acid dyes cannot work unless the pH of your dyebath is altered by adding a mild acid such as vinegar. If you use Rit dye on your elastic again, try adding 5 teaspoons of distilled white vinegar per quart of water to a hot dyebath (in which you must immerse your elastic for half an hour or so). Procion MX dyes can also be used as acid dye, if you substitute vinegar or citric acid for the soda ash usually used with Procion MX dyes, and, again, use heat. Procion MX dye costs much less than an equivalent amount of Rit dye powder, and is superior for use on cotton. See "Fiber reactive dyes on protein fibers", especially the links to recipes that you can use. Acid dyes will not work at room temperature, but instead should be used at the highest temperature that can be tolerated by your fabric. Unfortunately, spandex is very heat-sensitive, so you will have to compromise between the higher water temperature which is more effective for dyeing nylon, and the temperature which is safe for use on spandex.

Most fabric paints require the use of high heat to set the paint, by melting the binder in the paint into the fiber. This would damage the spandex in your elastic. If you choose to use fabric paint, I recommend that you consider ordering some Jacquard Airfix to add to your paint so that it does not require heat-setting. You can find sources for Jacquard products on their web site.

If your elastic contains polyester, rather than nylon, you will not be able to use dyes, as polyester dye requires extended boiling in the dyebath; this much heat will damage your spandex. In that case, a good fabric paint would be your only option for coloring your elastic.


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