Name: Bev
Message: I am trying to dye a mint green and pink formal yellow for a Halloween custome and the fabric will not take the color. I think the material is a light-weight brocade and satene. I have also tried to bleach it, then color, but no luck. Thanks in advance, Bev

What fiber is it made of? A lot of satins are made of acetate; both acetate and polyester are extremely difficult to dye. To dye them successfully requires the use of a special type of dye called Disperse dye; see "Disperse Dye for Polyester", at http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dispersedye.shtml . This is neither pleasant nor easy, and the hour's worth of boiling required might destroy the dress.

Since it's for a costume, it probably does not have to be as nice as regular clothing. You could try fabric paint, or even diluted artist's acrylics. Acrylic paint will leave fabric very stiff and hard. High quality fabric paint will do the same, but to a lesser extent.

An excellent source of fabric paints is Dharma Trading Company; see their page on fabric paints at http://www.dharmatrading.com/paints.html . Perhaps the type of fabric paint that is commonly known as pigment dye (though it is not a dye) would meet your needs. Note that even fabric paint, like dye, will only add to the color that is already there, rather than covering it up, unless you go to a great deal of effort to get an opaque fabric paint. You can never turn green or pink to yellow, because yellow is a lighter color. Opaque fabric paints include Lumiere, Neopaque, and some of the Jacquard Textile Paints (only those which specifically say "opaque" on the label). Diluted artists' acrylics will probably cost less than special fabric paint.