Name: Jenny

Message: Hello!  I bought a tangerine orange (almost neon) skirt for a teacher's union rally.  The color isn't me, and I'd like to dye it a rust or brick red.  What color do you suggest I add to the fabric?

Tangerine to rust should be a good color change. So should tangerine to brick red. It is always best to go from a lighter color to a darker one, and both rust and brick red contain some orange. If you overdye tangerine with a brown dye, you should get a rust sort of color, while if you overdye with a maroon dye, you should get brick red.

More important is the question of what kind of dye you are going to use. It is very important to match the type of dye you use to the fiber content of your garment. If your skirt is cotton, rayon, or silk, use a fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, in the washing machine with salt and soda ash, or, if you're in Europe or Australia, Dylon Machine Dye. (Dylon Machine Dye is not available in North America.) If your skirt is nylon or silk, you can use use acid dye or all-purpose dye. (Silk will take both types of dye.) If your skirt is polyester, you can dye it only by boiling it with disperse dye, which you'll have to mail-order because it is not available in local stores.

The best way to dye a natural fiber garment so that it ends up a single solid color is to dye in the washing machine. Procion MX dyes will not hurt your machine, and will last much longer in your skirt than all-purpose dye. For more information, see "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

You should also keep in mind that the thread with which your skirt was sewn together was almost certainly polyester, so it will remain the original color. How will your skirt look when it is brick red or rust-colored, if the seams are still tangerine in color? In some cases, this will look fine, but in others, it will be unacceptable. See "Why did the thread stay white?"

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