Are there any ways of doing this so that the sweater will turn very black, so that the dye won't bleed in the wash or during usage and won't damage the sweater? It's made of95 % Cotton and 5 % Spandex. Thanks !!

If you use the right dye, you can dye your sweater a deep dark black that will last for years. The wrong dye will fade almost immediately, though, so buying the right dye is very important.

Don't buy all-purpose dye, such as Rit®. It is a hot water dye, but hot water will damage spandex. You should instead use a cold water dye. All-purpose dye also tends to fade very quickly, so it's an inferior dye even when your sweater is 100% cotton.

The dye you want to use is called fiber reactive dye. You will not be able to find this dye at the grocery store. If you have a good crafts store nearby, you can look there for Jacquard Procion MX dye, or Tulip One Step Fashion Dye, or Dylon Permanent Dye or Dylon Machine Dye. All of these dyes are excellent fiber reactive dyes. For much better prices and hundreds of color choices, order your dye by mail instead of trying to find it in a local store. In the US, order your dye from PRO Chemical & Dye or Dharma Trading Company. For other countries, see my page, Sources of Dyeing Supplies Around the World.

No matter what dye you buy, it takes a lot more dye to get a good deep dark black. Use two to four times as much dye as the packet recommends. Use a plastic bucket or the washing machine (if the sweater is machine washable), add salt and/or soda ash if required by the instructions on the package of dye, and stir constantly so that the color is even. If you do not use enough dye, you will get the wrong color, and if you do not stir enough, you will get blotchy or streaky results. Closely follow a good recipe for the dye you select.

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