Name: Maddie
Message: Hi! I have a gordous ivory-ish colored dress that needs to be dyed something dark like burgundy or dark green. It's a cotton fabric. Any suggestions? What, if any, would be the easiest and cheapest way to dye this dress a beautiful dark color? I need cheap dyes or homemade ones since i dont have all that much cash to spend on this. Please help me!!! 

Homemade dyes are a non-starter. You won't be able to make any dye that will work well enough. All-purpose dye is not a good idea, either; it bleeds in the laundry with every wash, and you'd need many boxes to dye one dress a very dark color. (One box of all-purpose dye would turn your dress no more than a pale to medium shade color, because there is only a small amount of dye in each box of all-purpose dye.) The colors that all-purpose dye produces tend to be poor, as well. It's worth every penny to get a better quality of dye, because the results will be so much better.  

You can mail-order excellent fiber reactive dye (e.g., Procion MX type dye) from PRO Chemical & Dye or any of the other companies listed on my Sources for Supplies list. You can get enough dye to dye 14 yards of fabric to a medium shade, or 7 yards of fabric to a dark shade, for only about $5, but you also have to pay for shipping, about $6 for a small order, and you need soda ash and salt as well, though these are not expensive.

If you have a good fabric or crafts store nearby, you might be able to find "Dylon Permanent" dye there. This is a type of dye which is vastly superior to all-purpose dye. Because it is sold in little packets with all of the auxiliary chemicals included, even salt, each packet is far more expensive than the equivalent amount of dye from PRO Chemical & Dye, since each packet will dye only about one t-shirt's worth of fabric. However, depending on how much your dress weighs, you could probably manage with one or two packets of black plus one or two packets of either red or green. Each packet costs $3. This type of dye works as well as the Procion MX type dyes from ProChem, producing good dark colors that don't rub off onto your skin, and is vastly superior to all-purpose dye such as Rit brand dye.

Beware of one thing. The stitching in your dress is almost certainly made of polyester, and will not darken with the dye. Consider whether or not this will be a problem, before you undertake the project.

The easiest way to dye your dress will be in the washing machine. Here is a link to a page with instructions for how to dye your dress in the washing machine.

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