Name: ruthie
Message: Hi,
id like to dye some fairy wings, but the material is pretty strange, you know like a stretchy netting>? Almost like tights.  Also its a pretty awkward shape and I live in rented accomodation so dont really wanna ruin the bathtub!
Any ideas as what to use?
Thanks so much
ps, what a great site, lots of info!

The problem is deciding what type of dye to use. You have to know what kind of fabric you have in order to choose the dye. Is it made of nylon?

If what you have is nylon/lycra, you can dye it with acid dyes. The most readily available acid dyes are found in the mixture of dyes in all-purpose dye, such as Rit brand dye. All-purpose dye is not very good on cotton but should work on nylon.

Acid dye will work best in water that is much hotter than tap water, but it is possible to use it in a washing machine; see the instructions on "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?". You should not use a cooking pot for dyeing unless you are never going to use it for food again - unless you try dying with food coloring, which is another type of acid dye. See "How can I tie dye with Kool-aid?". Note that while food coloring can be used on nylon or wool, it will not work at all as dye on cotton.

Synthetics other than nylon will be very difficult to dye. Acid dye will just rinse out of polyester or acetate. The only dye that works on polyester, disperse dye, requires high heat to transfer, but lycra, which is the stretchy stuff, will not tolerate hight heat.

If your stretchy material is made of polyester and lycra, your only hope is to use fabric paint, instead of dye.

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