Country: Australia

Message: I purchased a bag recently that has pink cotton thread sewn into the bag and I'm wanting to dry the thread brown. How would I go about doing this? I thought maybe using fabric markers? Or just painting the thread with dye?

Fabric markers or fabric paint would be the best choice. 

Don't use an immersion dye, such as Rit or Tintex all-purpose dyes, the sort you're supposed to simmer the fabric in, in hot water. Painting that sort of dye on will produce bad results, because the dye will spread.

It could work well to thicken a good fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, with sodium alginate, add soda ash directly to the dye, and paint it on, but I don't recommend this if you're not already using these good dyes. For a beginner, working on a small project like yours, fabric paint would be easier than dye, and fabric markers easier still.

Permanent markers that are not marketed for use on fabrics are not as good for this as fabric markers, though they will work for a time. Even a "permanent" marker like a Sharpy pen will tend to wear off, requiring you to repeat your efforts. Fabric markers are the best. I've had good experiences with Marvy, Uchida, Fabricmate, Identipen, and Tee Juice markers. In fact, I've never had a bad experience with fabric markers, except for the time I tried to color 100% polyester stitching with a Marvy marker, which works better on cotton. You can usually find good fabric markers at your local crafts store, in both wide-tip and fine-point versions. If you need a wider choice of brands or colors, you can mail-order from a dye supplier. In the US, Dharma Trading Company is a good source, while in Australia you can order fabric markers from the Thread Studio or Kraftkolour. (See Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World.)

It's extremely important to check the fine print on the packaging for your fabric markers. Some brands need to be heat-set after drying, usually by ironing, while others don't require it (though it would do no harm). If the manufacturer of your marker recommend heat-setting, don't skip over this step, as it makes a big difference in water resistance.

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