Name: Lettie

Message: I bought some fabric dye from Dharma Trading company and I lost the directions.  The directions that they have on their website is confusing.  I want to dye a pair of jeans and I am very nervous.  I need someone to help me.

Are you going to dye them a solid color, or tie-dye them?

The easiest way to dye clothing a solid color is in the washing machine. See "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?". You will need soda ash and a large quantity of salt, as well, for that.

The jeans will lose their denim look, which is produced by white threads in one direction, woven with blue in the other direction. Overdyeing blue denim another color results in a subtle two-tone effect, since the white weft threads produce a different color, when dyed, than do the blue warp threads. If the jeans are significantly faded before dyeing, the two-tone effect may be obvious, but if they are new, the results will probably look more like a plain solid-color twill.

Dharma Trading Company sells many types of dye, suitable for different types of fiber. If you are dyeing cotton, linen, rayon, or hemp, the best choice is Procion MX dye, which they sell in many colors.

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