Name: Rachael
Message: Hi.  First off I would like to say thank for making such an informative website.  I found all of your info on dip dyeing very interesting.  I've never tried it before.  I used to do a lot of tye dye when I was a little girl and I think I got pretty good at it.  It was something that I always really enjoyed doing.  I haven't done it in years.  Now here comes my question.  I'm getting married in a year (so I have a lot of time).  I'm kind of a funky person and I want a one of a kind dress.  Here's my idea.  I want the bottom of the dress to be dyed like about to my knees in a very bright purple and MAYBE another strip of black, on the very bottom, about 3-5 inches or so.  I am worried that I'm gonna mess it up.  A wedding dress is an expensive thing, and I don't want to ruin it.  Do you think dip-dying would be the best way?  I don't want any lines like tye dying will leave behind.  Are there any tips you could give me on this?  I saw where you have listed what kind of fabrics are best to dye and they make wedding dresses out of very few of those.  What suggestions can you give me?  Or if you think this is a completey horrible idea (like everyone else) please let me know.  Thank you so much.

Whatever you do, do not try to dye a polyester dress. Polyester is not a good material for dyeing yourself; it requires special dyes and a lot of boiling. Most people agree that silk is much more beautiful and luxurious than polyester, anyway. Also, do not ever attempt to dye a dress that is truly dry-clean-only, regardless of its fiber content. I very much doubt that you will find a pre-made wedding dress anywhere that is both washable and made of a natural fiber.

I think you should get your dress hand-made by any good tailor or seamstress who sews formal dresses, using fabric that you have dyed yourself to be exactly as fabulous as you want. This might not be the *first* piece of fabric that you dye, since you want it to be just right. The stress level will be vastly lower if a mistake will spoil only yardage, rather than an expensive off-the-rack dress. A good source for PFD (prepared for dyeing) silk satin, silk charmeuse, silk taffeta, silk/rayon velvet, or silk jacquard yardage would be Rupert, Gibbon & Spider's Silk Connection. Silk can be dyed with acid dyes, which must be steamed but which leave the material as stiff and shiny as possible, or with soda ash and fiber reactive dyes, exactly as in tie-dyeing cotton, with softer, less shiny results. If you use all-purpose dye, you must steam the dress, because all-purpose dye requires heat to set; do not attempt to use all-purpose dye with room temperature water. Fiber reactive dyes are generally more satisfactory than all-purpose dyes. Look for a company to mail-order your dyes from on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page. If you dye the dress by hand before sewing, you can use polyester thread to sew it, in a color that matches the final color of the fabric.

Before you dye the fabric for your dress, you should practice dyeing with dip dyeing, drip dyeing, or low water immersion, and see what you really like best, using ordinary cotton fabric from the fabric store, or even t-shirts to start with. You should use only fiber reactive dye on cotton, such as Procion MX dye, not all-purpose dye.

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