My dress seems to have conflicting problems. It is 52% cotton, 46% nylon, and 2% spandex. Can it be dyed?

Name: Alyce

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Country or region: USA

Message: I found a perfect dress for my daughter's beach wedding, but it is ivory - can't compete with the bride! It needs to be some shade of brown. I read all your info but my dress seems to have conflicting problems. It is 52% cotton, 46% nylon, and 2% spandex. Can it be dyed? Not hot, b/c of spandex. Not cold b/c of cotton? Split the difference? Don't try to dye it? HELP!

First, is this dress washable? You can't dye it if you can't wash it. You must prewash thoroughly before dyeing, and wash a lot immediately after dyeing, as well. See my page, "Can I dye clothing that is labeled 'dry clean only'?".

Assuming it's washable, my choice for this dress would be a cool water fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, because it won't require heat that may damage the spandex or shrink the cotton. It will do a great job of permanently dyeing the cotton, and will leave the nylon and spandex white. The overall effect will be of a solid color that is paler and more pastel than you would get on 100% cotton, half as intense in color. This is an excellent choice if you would like to dye your dress a light to medium color, but it will not work for dyeing it a dark intense color, such as black or brilliant red. A light brown is very doable, using Procion MX dye on a dress with this fiber content, but a dark brown is not.

You can use a hot water all-purpose dye, such as Rit, if you care more about dyeing both the cotton and the nylon at the same time than you do about being careful with the spandex or about shrinking the cotton; that's the choice you have to make. I think shrinkage is more of an issue than the spandex, since it's only 2% spandex. Using all-purpose dye on this dress is a reasonable choice if you need to obtain a dark or intense color, which requires dyeing both the cotton and the nylon. All-purpose dye is poorly washfast and fades pretty quickly, but it's the easiest way to dye this dress a dark color. You'll need to add a cup of vinegar to the dye-water so that the nylon will dye. In spite of the apparent promise of the "all purpose" description of the dye, the polyester stitching that holds the dress together at the seams and hems will still stay white, which may or may not be a problem, depending on the design of the dress; the same is true with Procion dye, which does not work on polyester.

For step-by-step directions for dyeing a wool- or nylon-blend garment with all-purpose dye, see my blog entry from May 11 of this year, "How to dye a wool blend coat with Rit All-Purpose dye". However, dyeing nylon is easier than dyeing wool since you don't need to worry about felting, so you can dye your dress in the washing machine, if you prefer, instead of having to stir it by hand for an hour. You can use the washing machine with either all-purpose dye or with Procion dye.

I like dyeing cotton with a cool water dye because you have much less need to worry about shrinkage, there's no risk of damaging the spandex, and it's also less trouble to set the dye in a garment by adding washing soda or soda ash, as you do for Procion dyes, than it is to have to use very hot water. All-purpose dye works best when simmered on the stove, around 190°F, though it's possible to compromise by using 140°F water, still scalding hot. Procion MX dye works perfectly well at room temperature, 70°F or above, so you can use it in a plastic bucket without any problem. Another advantage to Procion dye-clothing is that the color lasts nearly forever, and is safe to wash with your regular laundry (after you've washed out all the unattached excess dye leftover from the dyeing process); Rit all-purpose dye fades badly, and the dye tends to bleed and ruin other clothing in the laundry.

For the best color choice, order your Procion dye online, from a company such as Dharma Trading Company, PRO Chemical & Dye, or Blick Art Materials. You'll also need soda ash or washing soda, and, if you're dyeing a single solid color in a bucket or washing machine, you will also need a lot of salt. Do not use vinegar in this project if you use Procion dye, since it will neutralize the soda ash; use vinegar only if you're dyeing with all-purpose dyes or acid dyes on nylon or wool.

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My dress seems to have conflicting problems. It is 52% cotton, 46% nylon, and 2% spandex. Can it be dyed?

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