Name: Joe C
Message: I want to redye some black levi's I like that fit well. Any advice?

Mail-order an eight-ounce jar of black Procion MX dye and dye them in a top-loading washing machine. You can dye five to eight pounds of jeans at once, depending on the volume of your washing machine. You will also need sodium carbonate (soda ash or washing soda), and a large quantity of salt. See "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?". For mail-order sources of Procion dye, see "Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World".

Alternatively, you can apply the Procion MX dye to one pair of jeans at a time, in a five-gallon bucket, using essentially the same recipe, or you can buy some buy some Dylon Permanent Fabric Dye, instead. Dylon dye is much more expensive per pound of fabric (or per garment), and the available colors are much more limited, but the dye is a good fiber reactive dye, like Procion MX dye. Dyeing anything black requires a great deal more dye than dyeing things brighter or paler colors, in some cases ten times as much, depending on the color to which you're comparing. You will need several packets of Dylon dye for each pair of jeans; one 50-gram packet of Dylon Permanent Fabric Dye is enough to color one-quarter pound of fabric black, or half a pound to a lighter color. Weigh the garments you wish to dye. If your jeans weigh two pounds per pair, you'll need eight packets of Dylon Permanent Fabric Dye, or three ounces of Procion MX black dye. If they're still pretty black from their original color, you can get by with half as much as that.

I strongly recommend against the use of all-purpose dye, such as Rit or Tintex brand dyes. All-purpose dye fades quickly, and garments dyed with it must be hand-washed separately. Garments dyed with Procion MX or Dylon Permanent will stay intensely colored for years longer, in spite of frequent washing, and, after the first few washings to rid them of excess unattached dye, are safe to throw into the laundry with the rest of your clothing.

If you are in Europe or Australia, you can use Dylon Machine Dye in a front-loading washing machine. This dye is similar in quality (and cost and color range) to Dylon Permanent Fabric Dye, and is very easy to use. Dylon Machine Dye is not available in North America. Procion MX dye is just as good, though, and costs considerably less.

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