Name: Brian
Message: My toddler son has a navy blue 100% cotton light weight unlined blazer that I would like to dye a light grey for a Halloween costume. Is this possible, and if so what is the best/easist way?

Your first and biggest problem, in this project, is that no dye can turn a navy blue to any light color. Dye is transparent and can only make fabric darker, never lighter. You will have to remove the dye that is in the blazer first, by bleaching or discharging the blazer. Fortunately, it is unlined and 100% cotton, so this might work. Only cotton garments should ever be bleached with chlorine bleach. How well it will work depends on what dye is now in the navy blazer, which we do not know. Some dyes will bleach out, and some will not. I prefer a product called Rit Color Remover, or other brands of the same thing such as Jacquard Color Remover, Carbona Color Run Remover, or Dylon Colour Stripper, because these products are gentler to the fabric than chlorine bleach, and can be used in the washing machine. You can often find Rit Color Remover at the local drugstore, or try a fabric store. Since the blazer is cotton, you could try chlorine bleach instead.

It is impossible to predict what color the blazer will be after bleaching or discharging. It might remain navy blue, it might go all the way to white, or it might end up any odd color in between. After you lighten it, if the color comes out pale enough, then you can think about redyeing it, unless the color you get after bleaching is good enough. It will be less trouble if you decide the bleached color will do. (If the color is still dark after bleaching or discharging, then there is no way to dye the blazer to a light color.)

Will he ever wear this again, for real? The best and easiest way to dye the blazer would be to use a cool water dye, such as Procion MX dye. The only difficulty lies in obtaining the dye. Does your local sewing store or crafts store carry Dylon Permanent dye, or Dylon Cold Water dye, or Tulip dye? These are all good cool water dyes. 

Serious dyers prefer to mail-order dyes, because they cost much less per garment and you can get better, easier-to-use dyes. If you happen to live near one of the stores listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page, you'll want to drop by there. If you have time to order by mail, choose any of those stores, or take a look at the Jacquard Procion MX dyes you can order from Amazon: see my color card page to help choose which color to order.

If the blazer will never be worn again, then it will not matter if you use a poor quality dye, such as all-purpose dye. All-purpose dyes are poor quality dyes that require a lot of heat to apply properly, and then they still tend to run horribly when washed. For a single-wearing item, though, this does not matter; even using water that is not hot enough, such as hot tap water in a bucket, will be okay for a garment that will never be washed or worn again. You can find all-purpose dye anywhere in the US, it seems, often at your local grocery store or pharmacy; it is much easier to find than any cool water dyes, though the cool water dyes are much superior.

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