This looks very much like the international credit card scam other dyers have warned me about, involving the use of stolen credit card numbers and, ultimately, a large loss taken by the small business owner when the credit card charges are disputed:

Dear Sales,
I'm highly interesting in purshasing the folloowing
product in your store.They are listed below,
 
TIE AND DYE TEE SHIRT LARGE...............400qty
 
Then i will like you to calculate the
total cost of Button them including shipping cost to Lagos
Nigeria . I will then
send you my credit card details for the mode of
payment, Then i will like the goods to shipped via
ups or usps 3-5days express shipment
and ship to the above adress
14 cash street off palm avenue
street mushin, Lagos
state 23401
Nigeria
i will like you to contact me via phone if you
would be able to call me
this is my mobile number and also my fax number.
mobile...2348023267750
fax-----17752061969
I will like to hear from you soonest.
best regard
faith

The fact is, I am not selling any shirts at all - I do not even have the time and energy to make all that I would like to for my own friends and family - so I don't know why anyone would try to buy 400 tie-dyed shirts from me.

Name: max
Message: Hi,
After reading your page about setting dyes into fabrics, I just wanted to let you know that while entitled 'How to set dyes into fabrics,' you really don't do a good job of explaining that. Other than mentioning some commercial brands, you don't flesh out the info. When can a person use vinegar, and what should a person use for cotton, which you say is NOT acid-dyed?

Perhaps you should go back and read the page on setting dye in purchased clothing again. As it says in the second paragraph, "Vinegar will help set some acid dyes, but only if applied while it is gradually heated to a simmer (generally in the presence of salt), solely in cases in which this necessary part of acid dyeing was omitted." That is when you can use vinegar.

Vinegar is used dyeing during the process of dyeing an animal product such as silk or wool, or nylon (but no other synthetics). You should mix the acid dye with water and either white vinegar or citric acid, and heat it to a simmer with the fiber, after which you should maintain that temperature for at least half an hour. Once the fiber has been removed from the dyebath and the dye has been poured out, it is too late to expect good results from the use of the acid (such as vinegar). Vinegar may or may not be at all helpful if applied later. However, vinegar is excellent for restoring some of the softness that is lost when silk is washed with typical high pH detergents. You can use one cup (250 mls) of white vinegar (5% acetic acid) in the final rinse of any laundry, as a substitute for fabric softener.

What should you use on cotton? If you do not know exactly what type of dye was used, you cannot expect to successfully set dye on cotton, except with a commercial bulking agent such as Retayne, which, due to its mode of action, is effective on many different types of dye. You cannot set an unknown dye on cotton using vinegar orsalt. There is only one case in which a common household chemical may prove of any use, and that is in the case in which someone has attempted to dye cotton with fiber reactive dye, and inadvertently omitted adding the soda ash that is required in the recipe. In that case - if the mistake was yours and you know exactly what you did - you may find that soaking in soda ash solution is effective. However, this is not going to help if your cotton was dyed with direct dye or vat dye or sulfur dye, three types of dyes commonly used on purchased clothing. If you have a problem with cotton that has been dyed with any of these dyes, or if you do not know what kind of dye was used on your cotton, your only hope is to use one of the commercial dye fixatives such as Retayne.

It is almost always better to return the defective garment to the manufacturer and demand properly dyed garments.

Name: linda jones
Message: Do you know if it is possible to dye a fabric while on an upholstered couch? I have a couch that the fabric is in good condition. I want to either roller or paint on the fabric to change the color of it. Any recommendations?

Please see <http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/furniture.shtml> and <http://www.scarlet-zebra.com/Instructions/Upholstery-painting.htm>.

Name: alanna
Message: i would love to know how to create a batik that is machine washable where the color will not fade. i made a shirt in art class (using the modern method of applying the dye with a paint brush) and my teacher told me to soak the parts that were dyed in salt water to help set the dye. this only caused the color to fade, and the dye to bleed to other parts of the shirt. if you could help me out with this, that would be great.

The answer is to use cool water fiber reactive dye, with soda ash. Popular brands of fiber reactive dye include Procion MX, Drimarene K, and Cibacron F. You can purchase the dye by mail-order from the companies listed on my Sources for Supplies page at <http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dyesources.shtml>, or you can buy the less economical smaller packages sold at some crafts stores under the names Jacquard or Rainbow Rock, if you can find them. "Dylon Cold Water" dye will work fine for this; "Dylon Multi Purpose" dye will NOT work.

Whatever you do, do NOT use hot-water dye, such as all-purpose dye. Brands of all-purpose dye include Rit, Tintex Hot Water Dye, and Dylon Multi Purpose. Since this dye does not combine permanently with the fiber at temperatures below the softening point of wax, they do not work at all in batik.

There is nothing you can do to make hot-water dye permanent when you have applied it with cool water. Salt water will not help to fix this sort of dye. The dye may run less during the immersion process if the water is completely saturated with salt, however (at a rate of about one pound of salt per half gallon of water). This will not make the dye permanent, but it may reduce bleeding just during the time when it is submerged in the saturated salt solution, and thus might make it possible to boil the dye and remove the wax without completely destroying the project. (I have not tested this with all-purpose dye; a saturated salt solution is good for temporarily preventing running of unfixed fiber reactive dye, until it is fixed with soda ash.)

However, your project which has already had dye transfer to other parts of the shirt is probably ruined. It is such a waste when artists are not taught to use the proper materials to begin with.

Please buy yourself some fiber reactive dye and try the recipe on <http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/howtobatik.shtml> and <http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/howtodye.shtml>, or at <http://www.gsdye.com/Canada/ProcionMX.html#anchor145232> or <http://www.prochemical.com/directions/MX_Batik.htm> or <http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/208786-AA.shtml>.

I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD HELP ME.  I NEED TO DYE AN ACRYLIC ROBE FOR MY SON'S HALLOWEEN COSTUME.  IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WILL DYE 100% ACRYLIC?  I'M TRING TO DYE IT A MEDIUM TO DARK BROWN.  ANY TIPS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANKS. 

No, don't do it. Acrylic is much like polyester, when you are dyeing at home. None of the easy-to-use types of dyes will have any effect on the color of acrylic. See the information on "Disperse Dye" - it's a lot of trouble, and it is not a project that is suitable for a novice. Another class of dyes that works on acrylics is called basic dyes, but I consider them to be too unsafe for home use.

Next time you want to dye something, make sure that it is cotton, silk, or wool.

Instead, what you could do is *paint* the costume. Good fabric paints alter the feel of fabric only slightly (you can buy several different types at Dharma Trading Company), while diluted artists' acrylics will make it stiff and scratchy, but will cost less.

Name: Susan
Message: Where can I buy white wool fabrics to dye--a wool alternative to Dharma's products?

I have purchased wool fabric for dyeing from Testfabrics. They sell wool flannel, challis, jersey knit, and gabardine. You can contact them through http://www.testfabrics.com or at the following address:

Testfabrics, Inc.
415 Delaware Avenue
PO Box # 26
West Pittiston, PA 18643

Tel.: (1) 570-603-0432
Fax.: (1) 570-603-0433
E-mail: testfabric@aol.com

Name: Sarah
Message: I have a question I was hoping you could help me with. I want to dye my couch...yes i know, everyone thinks I'm nuts but here the thing. My couch was given to me and I love it, I love the fabric and the pattern it has. The only problem is it's white. With a small child it doens't work well. I think it would also be much more decorative if it were navy blue. I bought dye from the grocery store, I believe it it called Rit and I did a small area to see how it would look. It's beautiful but I don't want the dye to come off onto anyone who sits on it or spills something. What do you suggest?

Do not use all-purpose dye to dye upholstered furniture! Without thorough rinsing (which is impractical on upholstered furniture), dye will rub off onto the clothing of the people who sit on it.

In the FAQ section of my web site, see "Can Furniture Be Dyed Successfully?". Also see Scarlet Zebra's detailed set of information on painting upholstered furniture.

The best solution would probably be to have washable slipcovers made for your couch.

Name: Victor
Message: I have looked through your website and wanted to know if you could use dye on CANVAS, either before or after painting process? What particular of dye you would recommend using?

If you are talking about 100% cotton or 100% linen canvas, yes, it is possible to dye it. Cotton, linen, and hemp are best dyed with fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX, Cibacron F, or Drimarene K dye. (See "Sources for Supplies" for a number of good mail-order sources for fiber reactive dye.) Do not try to dye polyester or acrylic canvas, only canvas made of 100% natural fibers.

Canvas is tightly woven and tends to repel dye. Pre-scour it by washing it in hot water (140 degrees F or 60 degrees C), with , for each pound of fabric, half a teaspoon of soda ash (sodium carbonate) and half a teaspoon of Synthrapol (a special dyer's detergent, available form dye suppliers). You may also find it helpful to add a drop of Synthrapol to the dye bath, to help reduce surface tension.

I cannot recommend dyeing artist's canvas before painting with oils, however. When painting with oils, it is usual to prepare the surface by pre-painting it with a substance that will protect the canvas from any interaction with the oil paints. The traditional substance for this purpose was rabbit skin glue, but it is usual these days to use acrylic gesso or latex house paint, for this purpose. In any case, this base preparation will simply cover up any dye that may be on the canvas. Artists' acrylic paints would be a better choice than oils because there is less concern about an interaction between paint and fabric.

If you paint only small parts of the canvas with acrylics, it would in theory be possible to dye the canvas with fiber reactive dyes. The dye should wash off of the paint in the extensive rinsing process after the dyeing, and not affect the color of the paint. There is normally no problem in dyeing shirts that have been screen-printed, for example.

Name: Grace
Message: Dear Paula, first i love your site, it has helped me tremendously! I am a beginning silk painter usion procion mx dyes. I know there are color shifts from cotton to silk using procion.
1. I am desperate for Navy or very dark blue on silk, is this impossible to achieve with procion mx? If not , have a recipe?

Actually, it is a misconception that color changes, for a given dye color, from cotton to silk. If you use a single dye, not pre-mixed with another dye, the color is the same on any fiber. The problem occurs only when you purchase pre-mixed dye colors.

The reason why dye mixtures come out different colors on different fibers is that each dye molecule type has a slightly different dye chemistry than every other one. One dye will strike more quickly than another on silk than on cotton, or vice versa, or have a slightly different pH optimum (the ideal amount of soda ash or acid to use). If, say, you have a blue that is a mixture of turquoise (Procion type turquoise MX-G) and fuchsia (Procion type red MX-8B), it will seem that you have a slightly larger proportion of the red on one fiber, and a slightly larger proportion of blue on another fiber.

When going from one fiber type to another, if you wish to obtain consistent results, you must avoid all pre-mixed colors like the plague, and stick only to pure, unmixed, single-color dyes. I have a listing of pure unmixed Procion MX type (dichlorotriazine) dyes on my web site. This chart includes the catalog names and colors for several of the most popular suppliers; several other dye suppliers use the same names, as well.

You are in luck, since what you want is a very dark blue. This is one of the easiest of all colors to find in pure form. There are four different available navies among the dichlorotriazine (Procion MX type) dyes. Most dye suppliers carry blue MX-2G, or Colour Index reactive blue number 109; Dharma calls it cobalt blue, although it is much greener than a true cobalt blue, while ProChem calls it mixing blue. ProChem also carries another navy, blue MX-4RD, or reactive blue number 168, which is quite nice. I have purchased navy MX-G, or reactive blue #9, directly from Standard Dyes. They now sell a great deal of dye through Rupert Gibbon and Spider, which will ship mail-order for quantities over 8 ounces per color if you order by telephone, but they confuse matters by also selling what they call "blue #9 red shade", which is blue #9 with some red MX-5B added to it; you're trying to avoid such mixed colors. You can also get a lovely dark blue, less greenish in color, by using large quantities of blue MX-R, or reactive blue #4; while Dharma lists this as "sky blue", it's a very nice darker blue if you use enough of it.

2. Does anyone have a chart that shows the listing of color shift changes between using procion mx on cotton vs silk?

Such a chart would be impossible to create, because any shift varies dramatically depending on the exact dye mixture that your dye supplier creates. Each dye seller that sells mixed dyes sells their own proprietary mixtures, plus just a few that are pre-mixed by the manufacturers. It is best to simply avoid all pre-mixed colors, and mix your own, by trial and error. If you find that blue MX-2G is a little too green, add a bit of red MX-5B, but NOT the same relative amount that you would add for the identical shade when dyeing cotton.

3. How can I remove by a spray technique, dyed procion mx on silk without using bleach? I want to remove to add texture than overdye. I just destroyed a piece with a 50% bleach solution. Any hints?

Chlorine bleach is extraordinarily destructive to animal fibers. (It is also destructive to people, and I believe would not be permitted for sale to consumers if it were a new product introduced for the first time to the market today.) It is often possible (depending on the dye) to discharge ("bleach") animal fibers such as silk with the use of sodium hydrosulfate, commonly available as Rit brand Color Remover. Other products that can be used for this purpose on silk include Jacquard discharge paste and ProChem's Thiox (thiourea dioxide) and Formosul (sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate). Be careful to determine the safety precautions required for each method you consider using - do you need to get a gas respirator? Discharge agents are all more hazardous than dye and must be treated with great respect.

Name: Ricky
Message: I want to dye a pair of black linen pants. I live in Mexico, and we have a very good dye here that I would use. My question is: Is it necessary to use really hot water, as I am afraid it may shrink the pants. Would warm water do the job?

Linen is a cellulose fiber which dyes with the same types of dyes as cotton.

The only color you can dye a black garment is a darker black, because dye is transparent. When clothing has been dyed with inferior dye which has faded, it is often desirable to dye it again.

Whether or not your dye will work really depends on what type of dye you are discussing. There are several different types of dye, each of which is satisfactory only when used on the correct type of fabric. There is no such thing as a single dye that is good for all types of fabric. Surely there is more than one class of dye available in Mexico!

If the dye that you have is 'direct' dye, it will never be as washfast as fiber reactive dye, but it will work if you use sufficiently hot water. The cooler the water, the less permanent the dye; if you use room temperature water, most of the dye will come out upon the first washing, or even rub off when worn. Even with hot water dyeing, a little bit of direct dye comes off each time the garment is washed, necessitating strict sorting by color in the laundry. When dyeing cellulose fibers such as cotton or linen with 'direct' dye, it is best to submerge the garment in a dye bath that is held at 190 degrees F or higher (88 degrees C) for a minimum of half an hour, unless pale or pastel shades are desired.

If the dye that you have is 'acid' dye, it will not truly dye the linen, merely dirty it for a time, because acid dye works only on animal fibers (plus nylon, but no other synthetic fiber).

The type of dye called 'all-purpose' dye is a mixture of 'direct' dye and 'acid' dye; it works well enough on wool, but gives relatively disappointing results on cotton or linen. Since it requires heat, it must not be used on garments that will shrink badly.

The only truly suitable dye for your project would be cold water fiber reactive dye; your 'very good' dye will not be at all appropriate for your linen pants, if it is not a cool water type of dye.

I do not know which companies in Mexico may sell high quality fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX, Drimarene K, or Cibacron F dyes. This is by far the best sort of dye to use for your purpose. Most dyes these days seem to be manufactured in Asia and exported to other countries. Orco de Mexico is the distributor for Organic Dyestuffs Corporation in Puebla, Mexico, which is located about one hour south of Mexico City. Perhaps you could contact them and ask the name of a retailer, to whom they sell dye, from whom you can purchase fiber reactive dye. Alternatively, some of the companies listed in various countries on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page, at <http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dyesources.shtml>, will ship internationally.

If the only dye you can obtain is hot water dye, I advise you to dye only those garments that can tolerate hot water. Many fabrics will tolerate hot water before they are sewn into garments; the problem is simply that shrinkage will ruin many preconstructed garments.

Name: Cheryl
Message: Hi. I have read alot of your info and am now worried that I didn't research thoroughly before I dyed. I just used the squirt bottle to dye shirts for my GS troop and their Moms. I used RIT liquid dye. I did actually boil the water and put about 1/4 - 1/2 inch of liquid dye into a squirt bottle with about 2 cups of boiling water and approx 1 T of salt. However, I didn't realize that the shirts were 50/50/ cotton/polyester. I am worried that the dye will wash out. I told the parents to wash in cold water and line dry. We did our shirts on Monday - today is Thursday. I am hoping you can SPEEDILY tell me how to make sure the dye doesn't wash out? I even called RIT before we dyed the shirts! They gave me the instructions!!! Note: the shirts are bright yellow and we squirt bottled a speckled star with royal blue. HELP FAST!!! from what I read I am wondering if I need to purchase the Retadyne (sp) to wash all the shirts and call my parents quickly. The girls (25 - 6 year olds) will be crushed if it washes out!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for you help.

It's way too late to make sure. The only time you could have made sure that the dye would not wash out was before you did the dyeing. I am sorry.

Did Rit actually tell you to apply cooled Rit dye solution to the shirts? Or did they tell you to apply it to the shirts while it was still hot? Squirt bottles do not tolerate boiling water very well, and must be very difficult to handle while the contents are of the scalding hot temperature you needed, but all-purpose dye applied in cool water is good only for items that do not require laundering.

It doesn't matter if you boil all-purpose dye in the water, if you then let the water cool to room temperature before applying. The fabric itself must be heated with the dye in order to attach to it; boiling all-purpose dye solution should work only if applied while it is still scaldingly hot. All-purpose dye is not safe to use around children when it is hot enough to work at its best. The heat is what enables the all-purpose dye to weakly attach to the fiber (though it is not, even at best, a very permanent dye). If you use all-purpose dye on cotton, but do not use hot water during the dyeing process itself, you should expect most of the dye to wash out. We can hope that it will not all wash out, so that the children are left with some pastel color on their shirts. However, further washing would not be a good idea. If, after one initial washing, enough dye is left on the shirts to be worth saving, then you could try obtaining some Retayne from your local quilting supply store, or from any of the dye supply companies listed on my website's Sources for Supplies page. It would make the most sense for you to ask them to bring the shirts back to you, so that you could treat them all in one washing machine load.

However, of course the all-purpose dye would never stick to the polyester half of the fiber even if you used it correctly. Polyester cannot be dyed except with special 'disperse' type dyes created solely for synthetic fibers. This means that the intensity of the color will be half of what it would have been if you had used 100% cotton and still made the same error, of using poor-quality dye without the heat that it needs. If you use high quality, intense dye (not all-purpose dye) on 50% cotton/50% polyester, you will obtain pastel shades. In this case, however, you may be lucky to get very pale shades.

I hope that a little of the dye does remain in your troop's shirts after one washing, so that you can try to save it. I strongly recommend that you never use all-purpose dye on cotton, however (and certainly never on polyester); you can do so much better if you use a fiber-reactive dye on 100% cotton. Fiber reactive dye, unlike all-purpose dye, actually does work at room temperature (70 degrees F and above), with no need at all for handling hot water. It is also a lot less expensive for dyeing more than one or two shirts at a time. Good brands of fiber reactive dye include Procion MX, Drimarene K, and Cibacron F. I recommend that you order a "tie dye kit" from PRO Chemical & Dye or Scarlet Zebra or .

A way to salvage these particular shirts, if you find that not enough dye remains upon them after they are washed, might be to iron on designs that you have the children draw with a special type of fabric crayon that works on polyester. DO NOT USE ORDINARY WAX CRAYONS FOR THIS PURPOSE! Crayola makes both wax crayons for use on paper, and special disperse dye crayons for use in making iron-ons for polyester. This is possible only because your shirts do contain at least 50% polyester. Most fabric stores carry fabric crayons, as do many stores such as Target. The children will create their designs on paper, and then you or another adult will iron them on to the shirts. The same picture can be ironed on several times, making a great repeating-motif effect. See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes".

Name: barb
Message: Hi, I'm looking for a way to dye cotton fabric curtains from white to ivory in the washing machine. I have only found "eru" and "tan" RIT dyes. I think these will be too brown. Do you have any suggestions on where I can locate an "ivory colored dye" or what natural substance I might use.

The difference between "brown" dye and "ivory" is simply in quantity. To get a suitably pale shade, just use a tiny fraction of the amount of dye, perhaps one-tenth as much as recommended, or even less. You might prefer a more yellowish color, however, perhaps using half "tan" and half "yellow".

On the other hand, the dye you propose to use, all-purpose dye, tends to wash out of cotton rather quickly. The correct usage for all-purpose dye on cotton is to submerge the fabric in a scalding hot dyebath of 190 degrees fahrenheit for half an hour or longer. Using all-purpose dye in cooler water tends to result in dye that washes out. Fiber reactive dye is vastly superior. You can mail-order Procion MX or Cibacron F type fiber reactive dye from companies such as PRO Chemical and Dye (see my list of dye suppliers); this dye is much less expensive, per pound of fabric dyed, than the all-purpose dye sold in little boxes in grocery stores.

For most purposes, I would strongly recommend that you avoid the use of all-purpose dye in the washing machine, but for merely turning white fabric to ivory, any sort of dye should be adequate. (Some people even use tea for this purpose - see "How to Tea Dye".) If the dye washes out after a few launderings, you can always repeat the process.

Name: Kellie Cole
Message: Would you be able to dye a white wedding dress to ivory?

I am able to, but I certainly am not willing to do so. For one thing, dyeing polyester a solid color is no fun, and for another, I am not in the business of dyeing. (I'm a scientist.) A third issue is that wedding dresses are often dry-clean-only, but only washable garments may be dyed.

The only company I know that advertises this service for polyester is Color Creek, in Alaska, which will dye polyester garments that are mailed to them. There are many individuals who are happy to dye natural fibers, but it is exceedingly difficult to find anybody willing to dye polyester. See Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes.

Name: Ida
Message: My daugther is in th 8th grade and she has to do a science project, she has chosen natural dyes as a project. Can you think of some ideas for a science project concerning natural dyes? I was thinking about a topic such as natural dyes vs made-made dye....pros and cons of each and possibly for a visual display tie-dying a sheet one out of natural dyes, such as blueberries, coffee etc, then made out of store boought dyes. Please suggest other projects out of dyes or just give me some ideas. Thank you for your help!

Well, the pro of natural dyeing is that it is fun....the cons are that the dye tends to wash out when laundered, the heavy metal salts used as mordants are in some cases very toxic or environmentally unsound, and the scalding hot water required for natural dyeing is unsuitable for use by children. In contrast, good synthetic fiber reactive dyes (NOT all-purpose dye!) can be used at room temperature, making them safer to use.

I don't think that comparing natural and synthetic dyes is such a great idea for a project. Admittedly, the relatively poor quality dye sold in grocery stores, which is called all-purpose dye, is not very washfast, either, and has the same drawback of requiring extended simmering of the fabric in very hot dye baths. High quality home dyeing, for cellulose fabrics such as cotton, requires the use of fiber reactive dye, which is usually best purchased by mail-order.

A key point about natural dyes is that they tend to perform poorly on cotton, but do quite well on wool, and sometimes on silk. A very nice project would be to compare a natural dye's performance on wool to its performance on cotton. You will find that most natural dyes do very well on wool, and very poorly on cotton. Why is this? It is because wool is made of protein, with the different side chains of amino acids which can react in different ways, while cotton is made of cellulose, a polymer of glucose sugar, with only hydroxyl groups sticking out. Cotton dyes poorly except with very special classes of dyes, such as the fiber reactive dyes (Procion MX and the like). The different chemistry of the two fibers is a good point to make in a science fair project.

A good project would be to either buy some white wool fabric and some cotton fabric, and compare how well they dye with the natural dyes you suggest - boil the two types of fabric separately, for an hour, with an equal weight of the dyestuff and some white vinegar - or do the same with some wool yarn and cotton yarn, which you first tie up into easy-to-use little bundles. Note that synthetic fibers other than nylon will not dye much at all; they could make a nice addition to the project, for contrast, but do not try to dye only the synthetics, as they will usually not do much. By "equal weight of dyestuff", I mean use the same weight of blueberries or coffee or whatever as you have of fabric, or even a larger quantity of dye material than fabric.

There is no point at all in tie-dyeing a sheet with blueberries or coffee unless you are going to preserve it, unwashed, as an art project. Since these "natural dyes" will just launder right out of the cotton, leaving you with an ugly dirty sheet, it's just a waste of time and material, otherwise. All-purpose dye will perform better, if you do the tie-deying by dropping the tied sheet into a large pot of boiling all-purpose dye. All-purpose dye is nearly useless when applied cold; most of it washes out in the first three launderings. All-purpose dye should NOT be used for tie-dyeing unless you are willing to simmer the material in the dyebath for half an hour at temperatures of 190 degrees Fahrenheit or above. If you wish to do tie-dyeing at room temperature you need to purchase a "tie dye kit" from a company such as Pro Chemical & Dye, Scarlet Zebra, or Tie-dyed.com (see the contact information for these and other dye suppliers on my Sources for Dye Supplies page). The tie dye kits sold by these companies contain high quality fiber reactive dye, the Procion MX type, which will work with the cool-water squirt-bottle technique.

Name: Susanne
Message: Hi Paula, Thanks for all the information on your site. Do you know if fiber reactive dye is bad for a septic system?

I have heard from dye artists who use quite a lot of fiber reactive dye and yet have had no difficulties with their septic systems, even after many years of dyeing. I believe that that the dye itself is not a problem for the septic system. (The situation may be different with large scale industrial use; I am referring to home use by professional hand dyers.)

Far more harmful to the septic system is any strong acid or base. It would be wise to be careful to neutralize any large quantities of soda ash solutions with an acid such as vinegar, before pouring them down the drain. Use pH paper to judge when you have added a sufficient quantity of acid to neutralize the base; you want a pH near 7 (where 1 is a very strong acid, and 14 is a very strong base). One source of pH paper is Dharma Trading Company.

It is also possible that large amounts of salt could cause problems to the septic system, but the amounts of salt added to water by a water softener are probably more significant, and it is common to use a water softening system in combination with aseptic system.

Name: Lorri
Message: can a person dye rylon,polyurethane ( shell ) with down clusters with fethers ( stuffing )? it's a coat. and of course dry clean only.

No, sorry. If you can't wash it, you can't dye it. Dyeing requires a great deal of exposure to water, and subsequent washing.

Name: Lisa
Message: I know that you have said that dry-clean only items are not washable, so they cannot be dyed. But I have a question anyway. I have a camel colored wool coat that has orange HI-C all over it. I love this coat. A LOT. Is there anyway I could spot dye it?

It sounds as though you have nothing to lose from experimenting. The main problem, as I see it, besides the obvious issue of shrinkage, is that dye is transparent, so you cannot cover up the spot with dye. The spot will just show through. Perhaps you should dye the whole coat by simply applying orange Hi-C or unsweetened Koolaid to the unstained regions. I am afraid that following a good recipe for dyeing wool, which requires heating to bind the dye to the fiber, will cause your coat to shrink badly.

First, though, have you tried a professional stain remover, someone at a very good dry-cleaners? They might be able to salvage the coat. The sooner you can get it to them, the better. Don't try anything at home until you have exhausted this possibility.

There is a special product sold for removing red food dye from wool: see "Red Relief". It is likely that your orange Hi-C contained a mixture of red and yellow dyes. If you try a product of this sort yourself, first test it on a place inside the coat that will not show, because it might be even worse than what you have already, if it doesn't work out.

Whatever you do, do not try bleach on a wool coat. Bleach destroys wool.

Name: sandi
Message: Paula, Do you do any tie dying that you sell? I really like the mandalas. Thanks for the informative site.

No, sorry, I don't have the time and strength to do even as much dyeing as I would like to do for my family. Thanks.

I would recommend you look for mandalas and stars for sale from The Kind Dyes, Weefcraft, and Dyed in Vermont.

Name: Barbaran
Message: I dye shoes! Over the years the fabrics and their make-up has deteriorated and I am finding some dyes that I have used previously no longer have the same effect. Could you please advise me as to the best dye to use on DUCHESS satin? I really would appreciate it

The problem is your fabric. Duchess brand satin is woven from polyester. If it were possible still to get shoes made with silk satin, dyeing them would be extremely easy, but instead you are stuck with difficult-to-dye polyester. See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes". It seems unlikely that shoes would survive being boiled with polyester dye for an hour, nor can you put them in a heat transfer press as you can a t-shirt.

You may not need to dye the shoes to color them, however. It may be possible to paint them, instead. Dye molecules bond directly to the fiber, but paint is a combination of coloring plus a glue. Since most paints are not opaque, it is still important to begin with white shoes. Fabric paint will result in a smoother, softer surface than ordinary diluted artists' acrylics, but the latter might work, since stiffness is to be expected in shoes. Be sure to experiment first with shoes of no value. If artists' acrylics are not suitable, you may wish to try fabric paint. A good source for special fabric paints is Dharma Trading Company. Be sure to call and ask your retailer whether the fabric paint you intend to buy will work on polyester. Dharma Pigment "Dye", which is actually a fabric paint, not a dye, is reputed to work on polyester. I haven't tried it myself, though, so I cannot report on how satisfactory it may be.

I read somewhere that nursing bras should not be dyed for safety reasons.  Is this bogus?  Or are acid dyes more dangerous to children?

Acid dyes are used in dyeing nylon, silk, and wool; some bras are made of (or decorated with) nylon. Nursing bras are usually made of cotton, however.

Some acid dyes are more dangerous than fiber reactive dyes; some are not. The safest of all dyes, in fact, happen to be acid dyes; they are sold as food dye. See "How can I tie-dye with Kool-aid or food coloring?". These are not always the longest lasting of dyes, but they are exceedingly safe to use.

There are a number of acid dyes which are sufficiently toxic and/or carcinogenic that I would think twice about using them on underclothing, and really would rather that most people not use them at all, due to the dangers of exposure during application. There are so many different acid dyes that it is impossible to say which group is safe, aside from the food coloring dyes. For example, Rhodamine B, also known as acid red #52, is considered to be a probable carcinogen. It's a lovely fluorescent hot pink, but I don't like the idea of its being used without appropriate safety precautions. I feel that it is important to research each individual acid dye for safety before use. It is quite likely that the amount of contamination one could get by wearing a nursing bra dyed with rhodamine B is too small to amount to any hazard, but I still don't like the idea.

I like the nursing bras sold by Decent Exposures; since these are 100% cotton, they are easily dyed with safe fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX, Cibacron F, or Drimerene K dye. (For more information on how to create the safest dyed clothing with fiber reactive dye, see the last paragraph of the answer to "Is it safe to tie dye underwear?", from October 12. 2004.)

Name: ben
Message: I would really like a very specific design printed on a scarf. (silk scarf, about 30 inches square)... not a complex design..only two colors... I could easily draw it out, or make a design on the computer....
my question is... are there any companies that would be able to do this for me?? I would only want one or two made.
this is just for me, not for distribution.
so price is a factor...
any help would be great.

There are a number of dyers who are willing to do custom work on natural fibers such as silk. It is possible to get a photographic print applied to a scarf, or a hand-painted design.

Please see the Custom Dyers Listing on my web site. You can contact the hand dyers using the web sites or e-mail address information they have listed for themselves there.

Name: Robyn
Message: Is is safe to tie dye underwear, will the dye cause any problems to the skin or cause any unwanted infections??

It depends on the fiber and dye you use. There is no reported problem with the most popular type of dye for tie-dyeing, if it is used correctly, but some other dyes may cause problems.

The dyes used on polyester, acrylic, and acetate, known as Disperse dyes, are the most allergenic of dyes for the consumer, apparently because they gradually come off of the fiber, for the life of the garment. As a result, some people who are sensitive find that they do better wearing only natural fibers. (See the bottom of "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes".) There is also the issue of whether or not the fabric type traps excess moisture, thus encouraging infections, but that is another matter.

All-purpose dye contains Direct dye, which does not attach very firmly to the fiber, so there is a possibility that it might be absorbed and have similar effects, but I have not seen any medical journal articles suggesting that this actually happens.

The safest dye/fiber combination is fiber reactive dye (such as Procion MX, Cibacron F, or Drimerene K dye) on a cellulose fiber such as cotton. This is the type of dye recommended on my web site, e.g. in "How to Dye". These dyes form a permanent covalent bond with the cellulose fiber, and do not come off. People with chemical sensitivities have reported that they have no problems with properly made tie-dyes, made with Procion MX dye on cotton. It is very important, if this is a concern, to follow the dye instructions (don't forget soda ash aka sodium carbonate), and finish by washing first in cold water, and then in hot water until all excess, unattached dye is removed. To test whether all unattached dye has been washed out, press the damp cloth against some white fabric with a hot iron; if no color transfer occurs, the material is ready for use, even against sensitive skin.

Name: Jo
Message: I was bleaching my hair for the first time and I thought that if I just used my hands it would go faster, since I was on a time crunch. But, now I have bleach stains on my hands. Will they ever go away???? PLEASE HELP!

Yes, they should go away, probably within a week. For stains on the hands to be permanent, they must penetrate down into the living cells, like a tattoo. I have heard of problems occurring when women purposefully use synthetic black hair dye to make designs on the skin, such as are traditionally (and much more safely) done with henna, but not about accidental permanent staining of the hands with light-colored hair dye.

There should be a manufacturer's phone number in the instructions that came with the hair dye. I would advise you to should call them and ask for advice.

It would probably be best to let the dye wear off naturally, using moisturizer if the hair dye has left your skin dry. Trying too hard to remove the dye may cause more harm to your skin.

Name: Phyllis
Message: Is there a method for immersion dyeing wool yarn with synthetic dyes, but without applying heat? I'm thinking of something that would produce level results (so the usual cold batch technique doesn't seem to fit the bill). I saw a few articles about Nest Rubio's experiments with natural dyes where she soaked the fiber in alum for many days and then immersed it in a madder dye bath, leaving it there at room temperature for as long as a week. I was wondering if there might be a synthetic dye version of this technique (for patient dyers). One of the advantages of this method is how well it protects the softness of the fiber. I work mostly with cashmere, so this is especially appealing to me. I'd be grateful for any comments or advice you might be able to share.

I'm afraid I have no useful information to share. I have never attempted high water ratios in dyeing wool, at any temperature, let alone room temperature as you hope to accomplish, and I have never seen instructions on this, either. The instructions I have seen for rainbow dyeing of wool always call for at least some heat, such as the heat of the sun as focused in a solar oven made from an aquarium, or as accumulated by use of a black plastic garbage bag, which absorbs the sun's heat. While the aquarium-based solar oven might work for immersion dyeing, with some modifications, it would still involve the use of heat, and therefore affect the hand of your cashmere.

It is certainly possible that some synthetic dyes would attach adequately to wool at room temperature, using techniques similar to Nest Rubio's madder dyeing. Many synthetic dyes are chemically similar to natural dyes. However, you will have to use trial and error to test how best to do this, and which dyes work best, etc. It would be best, of course, to do the preliminary experiments with a cheaper sort of wool, as there is no guarantee that you will be at all successful. I would be very interested to know the results of any experimentation that you do.

I have seen a page about cool-water wool dyes at Batik Oetoro in Australia. However, the definition of "cool" may not be what most people usually think of; these are acid dyes and are recommended for dyeing at 50 degrees C (122 Fahrenheit) for pale shades, or 70-75 degrees C (158-167 F.) for dark shades. 70 degrees C. is well above scalding temperature. Without experimentation, we don't know whether many days of dyeing at 90 degrees or so F. might have a similar effect to an hour's dyeing at the boil.

Name: Kas
Message: I want to dye a tapestry canvas to have a sunset-type appearance. I would like the colours to fade from dark blue to orange and I'm not sure how to achieve this.

If the tapestry canvas is made of polyester, it is extraordinarily difficult to dye by immersion, but it can be dyed quite well with an iron-on drawing made with a special kind of fabric crayon that is made with Disperse Dye. See ''Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dye."

If the tapestry canvas is made of cotton, and is not treated with some sort of water-repellant finish to make it stiff, you can dye it by applying dye with a paintbrush, using the same methods and materials as tie-dyeing cotton. Wetting the fabric first - for example by applying the soda ash as a presoak and leaving it damp - will help the dye to run together. See "How to Dye - basic recipe for Procion MX dyes on cotton or silk" . Alternatively, you could paint with a transparent fabric paint, such as Setacolor fabric paint.

Note that blue and orange will combine to make a muddy color where they meet, if both are wet, whether you use fabric dye or fabric paint. You will probably want a pale yellow zone in between, and a light touch with the dye or paint.

Name: Mary
Message: I have some denim dresses with embroidery on them. Over time they have faded and some have little white spots much lighter than the rest of the fabric. I want to color them navy or denim blue but I dont want to mess uup my embroidered designs. What are my options?

Denim often shows lighter spots like these because of ring dyeing, in which only the outer layer of each fiber has been dyed at all. Once the surface layer wears off, the white fiber underneath shows through. It is impossible to completely correct this, as dyeing or painting the fabric a solid color cannot reproduce the effect of the twill weave of denim, in which a white warp is woven with a blue weft.

You may do best to cover up the light spots with a fabric marker. If you dye the dress, the white spots will still remain lighter than the rest of the fabric. See, in the FAQ section of my web site, the answer to "Help! I ruined clothing by spattering bleach. How can I fix it?".

If the embroidery thread is polyester, you can safely dye the dress with cotton dye, such as fiber reactive dye (I do not recommend the use of all-purpose dye on cotton), without dyeing the embroidery. However, cotton embroidery thread should take up the dye as well.

Name: Alva
Message: I have a cream colored sweater, all cotton, that I want to dye solid black. Will it work? What method/products do you recommend? I have no dyeing experience! Thanks

Cream is a good color to start out with. Since your sweater is cotton, it should dye very well, unless it has a stain-resistant coating or perma-press finish that blocks the dye from getting inside the fiber. Normally, one uses two to four times the quantity of dye, when dyeing black, as one would in dyeing any other color, so be sure to make this correction to whichever instructions you choose to follow.

The easiest way to do a good job of dyeing cotton a solid color is by using the washing machine method, with fiber reactive dye. Order a two-ounce jar of black Procion MX or Cibacron F (Sabracron F) dye from one of the companies listed on my Sources for Supplies page, along with soda ash (also known as sodium carbonate), and buy several pounds of non-iodized salt from your local grocery store. Follow ProChem's instructions for "Immersion Dyeing in the Home Washing Machine using PRO MX Reactive Dyes", or "Immersion Dyeing in the Home Washing Machine using Sabracron F Reactive Dyes", or Dharma's instructions for"The Vat (Washing Machine Tub, Bucket) Dye Method". Personally, I omit the Calsolene oil that is called for in some recipes, since it is somewhat toxic to work with; though it may improve results, I find I get good results without it.

If your sweater can tolerate hot water, the hot water will work much better in pre-washing the cotton and in rinsing out excess dye (be sure to do your first washing-out with cold water, and only then use hot water). However, you can use this method anyway, substituting water of a safe temperatiure for washing, if your sweater requires cool water only. Heat is not required for the dyeing step, and the lack of heat in the washing afterwards will just make washing-out less efficient; it will not make the project unworkable.

You will find that results are much better looking, and far more colorfast, when you use fiber reactive dye, as opposed to all-purpose dye. I recommend against the use of all-purpose dye on cotton.

Name: sondra

Message: I want to dye my white oversize chair a darker color. The fabric does NOT come off of the chair. How can I do it? Is there a way to spray or brush on ritz dye?

Rit dye is a brand of all-purpose dye. (Ritz is the name of a hotel, a camera store, and a brand of snack crackers.) Like all dyes, Rit dye must be washed thoroughly after applying it to fabric, to remove excess unattached dye. Otherwise, dye will rub off on anyone who sits on the chair, so this is not a good idea at all. Fabric paint may be a better choice.

Your question has been answered in my web site's FAQ section; please see "Can furniture be dyed successfully?". Also be sure to read Scarlet Zebra's more detailed information on painting upholstered furniture.

Painting or dyeing upholstered furniture is unlikely to produce results as attractive or professional-looking as reupholstering it with fabric that has been dyed or painted in advance.

[Updated June 8, 2008.]

I have a bathing suit that's quickly losing its color, and I wanted to dye it back to it's original color. The tag is no longer on the garment, but I'm guessing that it's nylon/lycra. What type of dye can I use for this? I read a little on your site and it seems that I should use a cold water dye. I would appreciate your help.

Cold water dyes are the best thing around for cotton and other plant fibers, but acid dye is a better choice for nylon. Although all-purpose dye, such as Rit or Tintex brand dye, is poor for use on cotton, it contains acid dye which often works fine on nylon. Alternatively, you could look into mail-ordering an acid dye or Lanaset dye from a company such as ProChem. Use water that is as hot as you think the garment will withstand, and soak it for a long time, but be very careful not to twist or stretch anything that contains lycra while it is hot.