Name: Joyce

Message: I want to dye Spanish moss and for it to retain the color. I don't know which dye to use on dry plant fiber, also how to get best color. Thank you.

As a general rule, plant fibers dye best with cool water fiber reactive dyes in the presence of soda ash or another high-pH chemical. Like other plants, Spanish moss contains a large proportion of cellulose, which reacts with the fiber reactive dyes to form a permanent bond. I recommend that you use Procion MX dye, or another fiber reactive dye, such as Dylon Permanent Dye or Tulip One Step Fashion Dye. A good crafts store should carry at least one of these dye types, or you can mail-order from one of the companies listed on my page of Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World.

There are also other types of dyes which will dye cellulose fibers, such as direct dyes, all-purpose dyes, and vat dyes, but all of these require either heat or caustic chemicals. To do a good job of dyeing Spanish moss with an all-purpose dye such as Rit or Tintex will require that you heat the Spanish moss in the dye. I expect that it would be better to avoid these dyes, and instead use a cool water dye that does not require any heating.

Your best results will come from dyeing light-colored materials. Spanish moss that has been processed by composting for use as an upholstery stuffing material, as described in Rita Buchanan's book A Weaver's Garden, is black and therefore will not show any color of dye very well. Whatever the original color of your Spanish moss, it will show through the color of the dye. If you need to obtain a lighter color than the original one, use opaque fabric paint, such as Neopaque, instead of dye.

To use Procion MX and similar dyes, you can dye your plant material using your choice of Procion MX dye colors, along with soda ash, following the tie-dyeing recipe. Or, if you wish to obtain a very smooth even color, dye it in a five gallon bucket, stirring frequently, using Dharma Trading Company's bucket-dyeing recipe, or PRO Chemical & Dye's immersion dyeing recipe, or Jacquard Products' immersion dyeing recipe. Be sure to rinse out the unattached excess dye thoroughly afterwards, as directed.

I have never dyed Spanish moss myself. I'd appreciate it if you would let me know how well this works for you.

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