Name: Amanda
Message: Would you dye a pair of wedding type gloves for me? They are cream and I need a tan pair. I have a small sample of the tan color.

No, I do not do custom dyeing. Several companies that perform this service by mail have listed themselves on my website's Custom Dyers Listing. Try True Color Fabric Dyeing in California, or Color Creek in Alaska, or Dye Pro Services in Alberta.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Danielle
Message: Hi, I have never dyed anything before and i have a dress that is a favorite of mine, but it is an odd light blue color. I would love ot be able to wear it more often but because the color isn't me i don't. My thought was that if i could dye it completely black that i would wear it more frequently. The dress is made out of 76% Rayon 21% Nylon and 3% Lycra. I was wondering if you had any kind of step by step instructions on how to do this and some tips on what products would work best. I would love to be able to do this myself at home if at all possible but if i need to take it to a clothing alteration store i'll do so if you think that's best. So thank you for your time and any advice on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

You can do this yourself at home if you buy the right type of dye and have the right recipe to follow.

The best kind of dye to use for rayon is cool water fiber reactive dye , because it can be used at room temperature, and because it is easier to use and much more permanent than other types of dye. Unlike fabric paint, it will not stiffen the fabric at all.

Hot water dyes, such as all-purpose dye, must be used only with very hot water, which may ruin your dress, and they fade quickly, and bleed with every pass through the laundry. I do not advise the use of all-purpose dyes on rayon clothing.

The most popular brand of fiber reactive dye is Procion MX dye. You can mail-order Procion MX dyes from most of the dye supply companies listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies Around the World page. (Here is a direct link to black Procion MX dye at Amazon.com .)

The easiest way to dye your dress a solid color is in the washing machine; see "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?". When dyeing black, always use two to four times as much dye as the recipe suggests, as black requires more dye than any other color.

If you would prefer to mail your dress to a company that re-dyes clothing professionally, please see my website's Custom Dyers Listing. Try True Color Fabric Dyeing in California, or Dye Pro Services in Alberta.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

[links updated November 29, 2007]

Name: annemarie
Message: Is there a technique to make a heart tie dye? If so can you send me simple directions?

Yes, dyeing a heart is relatively simple, though succeeding in it may take two or three tries, for a beginner.

You can figure this out for yourself with the excellent instructions that are available for free: see online instructions for the heart tie-up from Fiber-arts.com this blog's entry for May 2, 2006.

If the instructions are not clear enough for you, or if you need additional help or wish to see other tie-ups, as well, I strongly recommend purchasing the DVD "Advanced Tie Dye Techniques" by True Tie Dye.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Asiya
Message: Hi I has a question: would a blue poncho of 50% alpaca wool, 50% acrylic dye in black ? As I wanted black .....

Alpaca can be dyed with acid dyes, but acrylic cannot be dyed with the kind of dye that is suitable for use at home. The result would be blue acrylic fibers mixed in with black alpaca fibers. The mixture could look quite nice, though.

See "Dyeing with Acid Dyes" and "Dyeing Acrylic with Basic Dye".

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Leah
Message: Hi,
I have a wooden couch with I think velvet polyester coushins from the 60's. Can I dye them black? They are a light green. How would I go about dyeing them? Would they shrink in hot water? Thank you.

No, I'm afraid that this is not at all a good idea. Polyester cushion covers would have to be boiled for an hour with a special type of dye called disperse dye. You cannot dye them with all-purpose dye. See "Dyeing Polyester with Disperse Dyes".

I would recommend that you make covers for the cushions. If you wish to custom dye the covers, it would be best to dye the fabric before sewing them. If you do not sew, inquire at a local sewing store to try to find a local seamstress who can do this for you.


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: nasir
Message: hi i want to ask you a question.plz pepaly me at my e-mail address.the question are that how we tie-dye at silk at room tempureture? i'm mean without steam.ok.thanx

Silk can be dyed at room temperature if you use cool water fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye. You cannot use hot water dyes, such as Rit® brand all-purpose dye, at room temperature. You can mail-order Procion MX dyes from most of the dye supply companies listed on my Sources for Dye Supplies page. (Here is a direct link to Procion MX dye at Fiber-art s.com.)

The room temperature recipe for tie-dyeing silk calls for soda ash, in addition to the Procion MX dye, and urea is also helpful, though not essential. The recipe is given on my web site at "How to Tie Dye" and "How to Dye".


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Tamsin
Message: Hi,
I've just checked through your FAQs, so hopefully I"m not asking something you've already answered! I'm just about to try dyeing cotton velvet - I'm getting married in November, and want something that's blue but with a similar degree of colour variation to the picture of your two-fish snap crotch baby shirt's background. You say in your description that you dyed the background later on - could I ask how you managed to get such beautiful variation? I too am after varying shades of blue and turquoise, and the material looks just like what I'm hoping for, so any suggestions you might be able to make would be fantastic.

The beautiful variation in that case was the result of direct dye application. I presoaked the waxed garment in soda ash and applied blue and yellow dye according to the tie dye recipe, using Procion Mx dyes, cerulean blue (Procion blue MX-G), turquoise (Procion turquoise MX-G), and yellow (Procion MX yellow-8G). What I would recommend, instead, however, would be low water immersion dyeing, using the same type of dye. In this form of dyeing, you place the fabric into a small bucket that has only enough room for the fabric to fit approximately halfway full. The fabric should not have room to move around in its container.

Both cotton velvet and silk/rayon velvet will dye well when you use the soda ash recipe with Procion MX type dyes. There are several sources in the UK for Procion MX dyes that are listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page; scroll down on that page to the section on suppliers in Europe. One side benefit of dyeing your fabric before sewing it into garments is that the garments should be washable afterwards, especially if they are unlined. Prewashing the fabric so that it shrinks before sewing is the secret. Of course, dyeing requires a great deal of washing.

Please dye your fabric sooner rather than later, in case it does not work out exactly as you expect. I believe that it will be beautiful, though. Hand-dyed velvet is always more beautiful than the cotton knit that was used in my baby shirt.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: jackie
Message: My son wants dark green shoelaces - we can't find the exact color so are considering dyeing some. What type of shoe lace would take dye the best, cotton or nylon? What type of dye should I use? My experience of dying usually ends up with a much lighter shade then expected, any suggestions?

Pale shades in dyeing are usually the result of using the wrong kind of dye, or of dyeing polyester blends.

Both cotton and nylon can be dyed pretty easily. However, most shoelaces are not labeled with their fiber content, and it is not uncommon for shoelaces to be made of polyester, which is quite difficult to dye. Furthermore, cotton shoelaces cannot be dyed with nylon dyes, and nylon shoelaces cannot be dyed with cotton dye. One of the few sources of shoelaces that are known to be 100% cotton is Dharma Trading Company.

Cotton is easier to dye than nylon, because you can use cool-water fiber reactive dye, which can be used without heating. It is rare to find good fiber reactive dye at a nearby store, if you live in the US. Dylon Cold Water dye is acceptable, but Dylon Multi purpose dye is not. Procion MX dye is the best, but only superior crafts stores carry it. Usually it is best to buy dye by mail order, from any of the companies listed on my Sources for Supplies page. The all-purpose dye that you can find in many local stores is quite inferior for dyeing cotton. You will get much better results with fiber reactive dye.

If you use all-purpose dye, you must cook the shoelaces in the dyebath; the biggest drawback is that the cooking pot used for this should never be used for cooking food again, as textile dyes are not safe for use in food preparation utensils. Another problem is that you cannot use an inexpensive aluminum pot, as aluminum can interfere significantly in the dyeing process. The one good thing about all-purpose dye is that it will work on nylon shoelaces, though never on polyester.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: casey
Message: im afraid that the question might be there but i cant find it...i tryed search too.ok how to find the dye? ya i know i know it said to ship it or somthin.but im talking about like can you use stuff out of the local stores like walmart,(hate that damn place)or somthing.can you find the dye at like hot topic or spencers or somthin? or can you make it yourself.sorry if the questionm is already there but i really need to know

No. This is actually a very important question, and its answer is worth repeating. If you are dyeing cotton, you should not use all-purpose dye, which is generally all that you can find in stores like Walmart or the other stores you mentioned. All-purpose dye is dull in color, a major pain to use because it cannot be applied cold but instead has to be cooked into the fabric, and it bleeds in the laundry forever.

You cannot make good dye yourself, if you are dyeing cotton - 'good' meaning dye that will not wash out easily. Natural dyes can be a lot of fun, but they are rather delicate. If you wish to use natural dyes, or even artificially colored drink mix, you should dye wool, not cotton.

If you are dyeing cotton, what you need to do is locate a type of dye called cool water fiber reactive dye. Sometimes you will be lucky and find a 'tie dye kit' made by Jacquard or Rainbow Rock in your local crafts store (a store like Michael's or Hobby Lobby). These contain good Procion MX fiber reactive dye. Sometimes your local fabric store will carry Dylon Cold Water Dye, which is okay, but avoid the inferior Dylon Multi Purpose dye. Usually the easiest, best, and most economical thing to do is mail-order Procion MX dye from any of the companies listed on the Sources for Dyeing Supplies page.


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Elwin
Message: Hopefully nobody has asked this already (I searched, but did not see anything that relates...)

There is a website called zazzle which will print an uploaded design using a dye sublimation process onto a t-shirt. However, they cannot print on darker colors (i.e. black), since there is apparently no good dye-sub "white" dye. I was wondering, what if one got a t-shirt from them, covered the design with wax, and then died the shirt black, would it work? Or would it mess of the existing design somehow or other, particularly with the boiling process to remove the wax?

You can also get almost any local copy shop, such as Kinko's, to print a photograph or graphic design onto a t-shirt.

There is no such thing as a white dye, but there is a process involving applying a white background under the dye transfer. You can print your own dye transfer using opaque transfer paper. (See, for example, <http://printonit.zoovy.com/category/transferpapers.opaque>.) Unfortunately, the results are more fragile in the laundry than commercial results, I believe. The opaque white-background transfer is more fragile in my experience than home-made transfers which are not opaque. The opaque transfer paper has the advantage of working well when printed onto a dark fabric, and you can prepare the transfer on a photocopier or on a computer inkjet printer, depending on which opaque transfer paper you buy.

Protecting the image with wax during dyeing could work, but it's more trouble than other methods, and there is the concern you mention of how well it will survive boiling, and generally some dye does get through the wax, though using pure beeswax instead of a batik wax mixture would help.

Another way to do this would be to apply the dye only where you want it. Thicken the fiber reactive dye with sodium alginate or ProChem's Print Mix SH. Paint the dye on with a brush, using a small brush near the design, and perhaps a larger brush for the rest of the shirt. (Be sure to use Procion MX dye, or other fiber reactive dye, never all-purpose dye!)

Or, you can tie the design off like the center of a bull's eye pattern with a rubber band, and dip only the area outside of the rubber band into a small bucket of dye. The Low Water Immersion technique is easiest for this.


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: mike
Message: Do you know anything about dyeing fabric shoes? I've tried to dye crepe shoes and I got ring marks from the dye, someone suggested that I wet the shoe with benzene prior to dyeing, and while wet dye the shoe. Can you help?

What kind of fabric? I know about dyeing cotton canvas shoes with fiber reactive dye, but I don't know what fiber your crepe is made of. Crepe is a weave that can be made from any fiber, and it is also a word describing a certain sort of rubber. In dyeing, the most important thing to start out with is the identity of the material you are dyeing. The kind of dye and the process vary dramatically according to your fiber.

Benzene is extremely dangerous. Breathing benzene fumes can cause leukemia and other diseases such as aplastic anemia. Carefully follow all precautions found on the MSDS. Benzene will not help with any dye process that I have ever used, but that does not mean it will not help you with some other dye.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Jamie
Message: I want to dye a set of white bed sheets. I had seen it in a magazine but it didn't give instructions. Can you help me? Thanks.

Do you want to dye them solid color, or tie-dyed, or mottled? Are the sheets made of cotton?

The best way to dye white cotton to another solid color is by using Procion MX dye in the washing machine. Purchase this type of dye by mail-order from any of the dye suppliers listed on my "Sources for Supplies" page. (Here is a direct link to Procion MX dye at Fiber-Arts.com.) Follow the instructions for dyeing in the washing machine.

Do not use all-purpose dye on your sheets. All-purpose dye is more difficult to use and will bleed a little every time it is washed.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: XCMom
Message: I have read many things on the internet about tie-dyeing and am confused one component of the process. Is it necessary to soak the garments to be dyed in the soda ash solution AND use urea when mixing the Procion dyes or does one or the other activate the dyes. Thanks for your help. Your website has given me confidence to try tie-dying t-shirts with my son's cross-country team.

Urea is optional, and has nothing to do with setting the dye. Urea is good to use, but it only helps to keep the fabric moist with the dye longer, to give them more time to react together. You can wrap the wet freshly dyed items in plastic overnight to keep them moist, instead, if you like. See "What is urea for? Is it necessary?"; it's in the FAQ section of my website.

Soda ash is essential; it is what sets Procion MX dye, by increasing the pH. You pre-soaking the shirts in soda ash so that when you put the dye on, it will react with the fabric. See the question "What is soda ash, and what's it used for in dyeing?".

Whatever you do, do NOT use all-purpose dye for tie-dyeing at room temperature. You must use fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye. A tie-dye kit made by Jacquard or by Rainbow Rock will contain this type of dye. Some crafts stores carry these kits, or you can mail-order Procion MX dye from any of the dye suppliers listed on my Sources for Supplies page. (Here is a direct link to Procion MX dye at Fiber-Arts.com.)

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Message: Hi! I'm a freelance photographer and I'm trying my hand at dyeing muslin for backdrops instead of paying $200+ for one already dyed. My piece of muslin is 10'x24' and I like the look of your Low Water Immersion Dyeing and I'm using all-purpose dye. I was wondering how I should dry the piece after I dye it? And if you say in the dryer, will it mess up my home dryer? Any other tips you may have for this large piece of muslin would be greatly appreciated too! THANKS! Barbara

Why, oh why are you using all-purpose dye? Please don't! All-purpose dye is distinctly inferior on cotton. It is inevitably dull in color, and it must be cooked to make it attach well to the fabric, and it is never very wash-proof. It will not work at room temperature! You should get a better dye, instead, such as Procion MX fiber reactive dye.

You can use all-purpose dye for Low Water Immersion if you get a HUGE cooking pot, stuff your backdrop into the pot with the dye bath, and simmer it at 190 degrees Fahrenheit for half an hour. Then you must carefully hand-wash and line dry - don't bother with machine washing anything that has been dyed with all-purpose dye. It tends to wash out. Oh, and never use that cooking pot for cooking food ever again, as non-food dye is not safe to use in food preparation equipment.

If, instead, you want to use the easy, room-temperature recipe for Low Water Immersion, you must buy some decent dye. Forget about all-purpose dye. Throw it away. It is junk.

There are several different types of dye that are good on cotton, but all are in the class called cool water fiber reactive dyes. The most popular type in the US is Procion MX dye. You can sometimes find this dye in superior art supply stores, but most dyers mail-order it, for great savings on bulk costs. Use any of the dye companies listed on my Sources for Supplies page. Here is a direct link to Procion MX dye at Fiber-Arts.com. They have many dozens of different color mixtures for you to chose from.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Sal
Message: Hi,
I have a cotton canvas bag that is waterproofed. Is there a dye I can use on it? Is it possibly to dye waterproof fabric?

No, and no. The waterproofing prevents the dye from penetrating through to the fabric. Sorry about that.

It is possible to remove some coatings, such as permanent press finishes, by using muriatic acid, but it's rather dangerous and usually not nearly worth the trouble.

You can dye non-waterproofed cotton canvas using fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX dye, but it can be difficult to get the dye to penetrate the tight weave of the canvas. Soaking overnight with Synthrapol detergent, before dyeing the wet bag, can help in that case. It won't do the job for a waterproofed bag, though.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: ggardin
Message: I have fabric that has water stains, mildew probably, that I would like to cover up with dye. Do you have any specific recommendations ? Thanks so much.

What kind of fabric gets water stains? Only fabric that is not supposed to get wet. The solution to water stains on a dry-clean-only dress is to immerse the dress in water; if the dress survives this treatment, simple water stains will be gone. Unfortunately, stains caused by the effects of water on water-soluble dye are less treatable; sometimes an inferior fabric marked 'dry clean only' will appear to have been dyed with water-soluble dye.

Mildew stains are quite another matter. They can sometimes be removed by treatment with dilute chlorine bleach Of course, chlorine bleach will destroy most synthetic fibers, as well as all animal fibers, such as wool.

Covering up a dark stain with dye almost never works, because dye is transparent. Even as the background color gets darker from the dye, so does the stain in the foreground, so the stain continues to be darker than the rest of the garment. A darker color may make a stain less noticeable, however, especially if it is applied for a mottled effect, such as that obtained from low water immersion dyeing. A major problem is that not all fabrics are dyeable - see "AboutDyes" - and no garment that is truly dry-clean-only can be dyed at all. Since you did not mention the fiber content of your fabric, I cannot comment further.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: jess

Message: I have been doing a project in which I am dyeing fabric with natural substances, e.g. coffee, beetroot, tumeric, strawberries, etc. The dye themselves worked but I was wondering if there was a natural way to set the dye? I know that salt or vinegar don't work. What will work?

What kind of fabric? Cotton, wool, nylon, or what? This makes a huge difference!

thanx for replying so fast...it is cotton that i'm using

There is no "natural" way to set most of your dyes on cotton, except for mordanting with heavy metal ions, a practice that seems highly unnatural to me, personally. (At least the tannin powder often used on cotton is natural.) A major problem is the fact that cotton is not nearly as dyeable as wool is; a lot of natural dyes on cotton fail to retain their color for more than a few washings. Many newcomers to the world of natural dyeing make the same basic mistakes:

- using inappropriate materials as dyestuffs
- using far too little dyestuff (you should usually use an equal weight of natural dyestuff and fabric)
- omitting the necessary mordanting step
- failing to boil the dyestuff with the fabric long enough (often an hour or longer).

You might want to consult a good book on natural dyes so that you can avoid wasting time on methods that have already been found by thousands of people not to work well. I recommend the second edition of Jill Goodwin's book, A Dyer's Manual (2003).

Some of your "dyes" cannot be set in any way, because they are not truly dyes at all, but rather merely stains. Beetroot on cotton is an example of this. Beets can be used on wool to dye a rather disappointingly dull tan or soft yellow, but cannot be used to make the lovely red that you expect on any fabric that is to be washed at all.

Turmeric is quite unlike the other dyes you describe, in that it is a 'direct' dye on cotton. It is very rare to find a natural dye that will work on unmordanted cotton; turmeric is one of the few. It tends to be rather susceptible to fading by light; wash clothing that has been dyed with it only in cold water, by hand, and hang indoors to dry, never out-of-doors in the sunlight.

Best results are obtained by mordanting as a separate step before dyeing, but it is sometimes possible to post-mordant as well. A recipe for the alum/tannin method of mordanting cotton is given at All Fiber Art's "How To Mordant Cotton and Linen Yarns".

An "unnatural" way to set dye might be well worth a try: Retayne is a commercial dye fixative which works on many different types of dyes. (It must be less toxic and environmentally unsound than most heavy metal mordants other than alum!) You can mail-order it from most of the suppliers listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)


[Updated January 14, 2009.]

Message: What type of store would I look to purchase the procion MX dyes? You have an awesome web site here, extremely helpful!
Thanks,
John

Occasionally you can find a local crafts or fabrics store that carries Procion MX dye, but the jars are inevitably tiny, and the prices are very high as a result.

Crafts stores often carry Rainbow Rock tie-dye kits or Jacquard tie-dye kits, which are excellent, as they contain Procion MX type dyes. These kits are ideal for beginners, but contain only three colors, and the prices per ounce of dye are not nearly as good as the best mail-order suppliers.

Some crafts or fabrics stores carry Dylon Cold Water Dye, which is fiber reactive. (Dylon Multi Purpose dye is a hot water all-purpose dye, and therefore inferior.) Dylon Cold Water Dye is of good quality; it comes in tiny tins that will dye only a very small amount of fabric, however.

The best crafts or art supply stores also carry Jacquard Procion MX dye in little jars that hold one-third ounce each. These are great when you are starting out, but the prices are very high since the quantity per jar is so small.

Once you have decided that you really do like using this type of dye, you will certainly want to purchase your dye by mail-order. The prices are so much better, and the color selection is better, too, than any except the Jacquard displays.

The two dye sources I most strongly recommend in the US are PRO Chemical & Dye, which is noted for its excellent customer support, and Rupert Gibbon & Spider, which makes Jacquard dyes. See my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page, for contact information for these and other dye retailers around the world. You can mail-order dyes directly from them, or you can buy dyes from both of these companies via Fiber-arts.com (which will pay my site a small fee for products purchased via this link). PROchem also sells their dyes through other mail-order companies such as Scarlet Zebra.


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Ken
Message: Hi, I tried searching for the answer to this question. I haven't been tie-dying long, but it is good for soul and I like it. I grew tired of mixing the dye in small quantities so now I have mixed up about a 1/2 gal of the three primary colors. I'm wondering whether to store the mixed dye in the fridge or at room temp. I'm also wondering if I can add more dye if the dye seems a little lighter than It did to begin with. I shake it up , but the yellow seems to be not as bright. Thanks.

Yes, you should refrigerate your dye. Adding more dye does not make as much sense as just mixing up a fresh batch, once the old batch has started to go bad. You might also consider using a similar class of dye that lasts longer in solution, such as Cibacron F dye. The latter could allow you to use dye for months after mixing it with water!

Procion MX dye is the usual dye for beginning tie-dyers who are lucky enough to start with good materials (as opposed to all-purpose dye, which is distinctly inferior for tie-dyeing). Procion MX dye is the most reactive of the cool water fiber reactive dyes. This means that it is less picky about whether or not you provide warm enough conditions for the dye to react with the fabric. It also means that it goes bad more quickly than any of the other fiber reactive dyes. It will usually stay good for at least a week at room temperature, once dissolved in water, as long as you do not activate it by adding the soda ash to the dye mixture.

I have read that Procion MX dye reacts three times more quickly for every ten degree (Celsius) increase in temperature. (Ten degrees Celsius is the same as eighteen degrees Fahrenheit.) Similarly, then, for every ten degree C. decrease in temperature, it should last three times as long. Refrigerating dye will help it to last longer. See "What is the effect of temperature on fiber reactive dyes?". Of course, you must take precautions so that a clueless guest will not attempt to drink your refrigerated dye, thinking that it is artificially colored fruit punch! Many dyers buy a small inexpensive refrigerator for dye use only, so as to avoid potential contamination of foodstuffs. You should be careful to allow your dye to reach room temperature before using it.

Another very good form of cool water fiber reactive dye is Cibacron F. You use it exactly like Procion MX dye, but it stays good much longer after being mixed with water. You can purchase Cibacron F dyes from PRO Chemical & Dye, where they sell it under the name of Sabracron F. Prochemical is located in the US, but will ship to many different countries. Cibacron F dye will last significantly longer than Procion MX dye after you dissolve it in water; it, too will benefit from refrigeration between uses, however. The same slightly lower reactivity that makes Cibacron F dyes last longer in solution makes them a little pickier about reaction temperature, similar to the Procion MX turquoise. You must make sure that your tie-dyed items are warm, after you apply the dye, while you let them rest overnight for the dye to react with the fiber. The above-referenced page, "What is the effect of temperature on fiber reactive dyes?", gives a number of suggestions for how to make sure your dyed items are warm enough while reacting.

A third very good form of fiber reactive dye is Drimarene K. It is intermediate between Procion MX and Cibacron F in its properties. The only supplier of this dye that I know of which is oriented toward the individual artist/tie-dyer is Batik Oetoro, in Australia; shipping to the US from Australia may be a little expensive.

Incidentally, there is no such thing as a preservative that will enable your Procion MX dye to last longer in solution. However, if your water supply is very alkaline, it can cause your dyes to break down more quickly. You might want to get some pH paper and test the pH of your water. If your pH is very different from the neutral pH of 7, you can add a few drops of vinegar to lower it, or a little soda ash to increase it. Using water with a pH of 7 to dissolve your dyes will enable them to last as long as they can, given an appropriate storage temperature.


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Mark
Message: Do blue dyes generally have an odor which is discernable? I'm using Pebeo Soie #24 and have notice that whenever I have used it either straight or mixed when i do the rinse after steaming I have a noticeable smell which is somewhat metallic. Also, it happens to have more excess rinsing out as well. Does this mean its just not fixing properly due to it being a bad or old batch, or are blue dyes different from the others?

It impossible to make any generalization at all about blue dyes. For example, one blue dye will have far more in common with a certain red dye than it has with any other blue dye.

The French silk dyes are known to be acid dyes, but all other information about them is a jealously guarded secret. I have information on fifteen completely different blue acid dyes on my lightfastness page, but the Pebeo Soie #24 could contain any of these, or a mixture of them, or other acid dyes altogether.

I have not myself used Pebeo Soie #24. I would say that your best bet is to call the company from which you bought the dye, and ask them this question. (They should bear the expense of providing technical support, anyway, since they are the ones who made the profit from selling the dye!) It is possible that posting on the DyersLIST mailing list (see my groups and mailing lists page for information on joining) might lead you to someone else who uses this same dye; it is worth asking there, but you really should call your dye retailer first.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Lynn
Message: Hi,
I love your site. What's your take on Pigment Dyes versus Procion Dyes. Any Help will be Greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Pigment dyes are not real dyes; they are fabric paint, instead, which means a mixture of a pigment with a glue-like binder. This means that they wear off of the surface of the fabric relatively quickly. This is considered highly desirable in cases where a look of "instant age" is wanted; however, at other times, obviously, it is not.

Pigment dyes are rather cool for special effects, but they can never replace the versatility, permanence, subtlety, or brightness of high quality fiber reactive dyes (such as Procion MX dyes). Those who say that pigment dye is "just as good as" fiber reactive dye are not telling the whole truth. There are some applications for which pigment dye is as good as real dye, or even better (such as when you're going for a distressed look); however, real dye is by far the best for many other purposes. Also, the heat-setting required can be more trouble than just pre-soaking in soda ash, as one does with Procion MX dyes. According to Dharma Trading Company, Dharma Pigment Dye is "not recommended for solid color dying, as they do not set until they are dry, which means that the color will migrate while drying." They add that on cotton and rayon it produces a distressed look after washing, with results that are completely different from the usual tie-dye.

On the other hand, pigment dye can be used on different fiber types, some of which are a pain to use real dye on. You can tie-dye polyester much more easily with pigment "dye" fabric paint than with disperse dye, which is the only dye that will bond to polyester (as all-purpose dye and fiber reactive dye just wash right off). I strongly recommend pigment dye for beginners who want to tie-dye 100% polyester.

If you are going to tie-dye cotton with only one technique, that one technique should be with real, high quality, dye, such as Procion MX dye; however, if you want to try something new and have already experienced the superior results of good fiber reactive dyes, pigment dyes can be a fun sideline to try, in addition. The fact that the pigment "dyes" do not set until they are dry means that they will probably work for sun-printing, as well.


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Al
Message: hi, i like my black clothes (t-shirts, jeans, shirts, etc.) to stay 'dark' black but it has been my experience that store bought black clothes fade to a dark gray after only a few washes - i have never dyed clothes before so my question is can i dye my clothes black that will STAY black? (fyi where ever possible i choose 100% cotton clothing) --- rgds Al

The secret is to choose the right dye. The most easily obtained dye is all-purpose dye, but this type of dye will not only fade quickly in the laundry, it will also ruin other clothing if you don't carefully sort by color. Choosing fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, instead, will give you vastly superior results.

Sometimes dyes fade because they are inferior; other times, they fade because the water contains bleaching agents, chlorine or chloramine, which degrade even very good dyes. I have experienced much more fading in my own clothing since my municipality switched to using chloramine to disinfect the water, instead of chlorine.

An inferior dye can be protected from fading in the laundry by treating it, once, with a commercial cationic dye fixative, such as Retayne or Dyefix. Clothing should also be washed only in cool water, whenever possible, in order to retain poor-quality dyes. Clothing may also appear faded due to abrasion; always turn your garments inside-out before washing them.

The effects of chloramine and chlorine in the wash water might be prevented by using AntiChlor (sodium bisulfite or sodium metabisulfite) in the final rinse. Surprisingly, non-chlorine oxygen bleach is also effective as an anti-chlorine agent, though I do not know whether it is as effective against chloramine.

The best dye to use at home on your black cotton clothing is cool water fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX or Drimarene K dye, which can be mail-ordered from Batik Oetoro, since you are in Australia; many different dye suppliers around the world are listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page. Tulip One Step Fashion Dye and Dylon Cold dye contain Procion MX dyes. Dylon Washing Machine dye and Dylon Permanent dye contain another fiber reactive dye which also works very well. However, Dylon Multi-purpose dye should be avoided, like other brands of all-purpose dye. Similarly, Tintex Cold Water dye which is available in Australia should also work well, but avoid Tintex Hot Water dye (and the North American brand, Tintex® Easy Fabric Dye) when washfastness is important.

The easiest way to dye your black clothing is in the washing machine; see "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

[Updated May 5, 2008.]

Name: Rod Mullins
Message: Hi,I am going to buy a set of seat belts for my race car made from heavy nylon.They only come in red/blue/orange/black/and yellow.I want to dye them tan so I assume that the yellow belts would be the best ones to buy.As I stated this is a very heavy nylon similar to thick nylon rope,can this be done?

Thick nylon rope can be dyed, so yes, it ought to be quite possible to dye your nylon seat belts.

The type of dye required is called acid dye . Acid dye is used by placing it in a pot of water with the nylon and a bit of vinegar or other acid, and bringing it slowly to the desired temperature, about 205 degrees Fahrenheit (96 degrees Celsius), and keeping it there for 30 to 60 minutes, then allowing to cool and rinsing it out with water. Here is a link to PRO Chemical & Dye's instructions for immersion dyeing on nylon using their WashFast Acid Dyes.

One of several good places to buy PRO Chemical & Dye's Washfast Acid dyes is Fiber-arts.com, or see my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page for a list of other companies around the world that sell dye.

There are also other types of acid dyes, as well, including the acid dyes that are part of the mixture of dyes found in all-purpose dyes. I believe that it is best to buy dye by mail-order from a good dye supplier, because they will provide more reliable instructions than those which are available for all-purpose dyes. All-purpose dyes are noted for their poor washfastness.

Yellow would be a better choice to dye than red, blue, orange, or black, because dye is transparent, and can only darken fabric, not lighten it, and yellow is usually the lightest of colors. If the yellow is pale, you could use a a brown dye, using a tenth to a quarter of the amount of dye called for by the recipe in order to get tan, but if the yellow is very bright, you may wish to use a small amount of a bluish purple to counteract the yellow color.


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: becky
Message: hi, i have recently purchased a cardigan in a charity shop which id like to dye, it is 57% acrylic, 30% nylon and 13% mohair, it is baby pink in colour and id like it to be dark brown, how could i go about doing this or will it not work?

The problem is that you cannot reasonably dye the 57% of the fiber that is acrylic. The only dyes that will dye acrylic to a dark shade are a type of dye called basic dye, which unfortunately is too toxic and/or carcinogenic to be truly suitable for use in your home. You'd certainly have to buy a large non-aluminum cooking pot to use with dye only, since it is very bad to use a cooking pot for food after using it with this dye, but the cooking pot would cost more than a new sweater.

You can dye both the nylon and the mohair with a type of dye called acid dye, but if you do, only 43% of the fiber will take the dark brown color. The acrylic will stay baby pink. Here is a link to one of the few acid dyeing recipes which do not require high water temperatures that will shrink the mohair.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: suzanne
Message: where can I purchase Deka Series L dyes now?

A reader named Linda told me that she has ordered Deka Dye from Carol Kaeding at Gratiot Lake Basketry, in Michigan, and that there may be some left there. However, DEKA is currently not selling any dye in the US, so those must be old stocks. When old supplies of the DEKA L dyes are gone, there will be no more in the US, at least in the near future.
[Update: Chicago Canvas And Supply now sells DEKA-L hot water dyes in the US.]

You will still be able to order these dyes from Europe in the future, as DEKA is continuing to produce and sell these dyes in the European market. Fibrecrafts/George Weil in the UK is just one of the many mail-order companies that are continuing to carry this dye. (Contact information for a number of European companies is given on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page.)

DEKA L dyes are merely another form of hot-water all-purpose dye, however, a mixture of direct dyes for cotton and acid dyes for wool. This means that they are less bright and much less colorfast than cool water fiber reactive dyes. You can buy straight direct dye in the US from a source such as PRO Chemical & Dye (see their Diazol Direct dyes). However, if you are dyeing cotton, or another cellulose fiber such as basket reed, why not buy some fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye? It is highly superior for most purposes, and obtainable from many good American suppliers. For dyeing wool and other animal fibers, a great many different acid dyes are readily available in the US.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: tara
Message: Hi. I have dress with the coat I have never worn my dress yesterday I check my dress and my coat turns yellow ( both were white the time i bought) so do you know any store in houston that i can take my coat there and dye it

It is impossible to really answer any questions about a garment whose exact fiber content is unknown.

I do not know of any company in Houston that will custom dye any clothing. To find a custom dyer, see my Custom Dyers Listing, but be prepared to mail your garment to a company in another area. There was a time when almost any dry-cleaner was willing to custom-dye clothing, but that time is long gone.

A dress that turned yellow in the closet, without ever having been worn, may simply need to be cleaned, or there may have been a serious error in its manufacture. Dyeing might not solve the problem at all.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: donna
Message: I realize this is not exactly what your page is about, but I was wondering if you could help me out. I have a two piece lace shirt/blouse that was very expensive ($400.00). I wore it a couple of time and when I took it out of the closet after several months, the dark green color had turned to a red/orange. This happened under the arms first, but now that a year has past, all of the fabric is changing. I went through the retailer, who referred me to the wholesaler. Bottom line, they don't care. It really isn't about the money, I love this suit so much. I tried to get it dyed through several dry cleaners, and not one will touch it. I bought some green dye, but I am afraid to try this, because it calls for hot water and the cleaning instructions are to dry clean. Can you share any advise as to what I may try, or if there is a professional dye service for only one (two) item(s). I really appreciate your time.

It is impossible to really answer any questions about a garment whose exact fiber content is unknown. However, you should not use all-purpose dye on any garment you wish to wear again, as the hot water required will shrink the garment, probably making it impossible to wear in the future. If the garment is truly dry-clean-only, it cannot be dyed, though in fact many garments that are marked dry-clean-only have been successfully washed. Lined suits are almost never washable.

An even bigger problem is with the original dye, though. If the color change began under the arms, it was probably the result of an interaction between the dye in the suit and the aluminum in the antiperspirant of its wearer. It is odd that the color spread across the entire garment. The problem is that whatever caused the original dye to fail may also affect any additional dye used on the suit.

Custom dyeing is difficult to find these days. You might contact a company such as True Color Fabric Dyeing, Dye Pro Services Inc., or Color Creek. You will have to mail your suit to one of these companies in order to get it dyed.

It might be best to get a local tailor to copy the suit for you, using a more reliable fabric.


(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: Ron
Message: i looked though your search but didnt find it. can you dye lycra. i have a lycra body suit for scuba diving. it happens to be purple with flowers. well i do get some HEAT for it.i would like to dye it maybe blue-black. can it be done. thank you.

Is it 100% Lycra? Spandex is a thermoelastic polyurethane, and unfortunately cannot be dyed. However, many garments are made from a blend of Lycra with cotton, or Lycra with nylon. If yours contains cotton or nylon, you can often get good results by using cool water fiber reactive dye for the cotton, or acid dye for the nylon.

If your body suit is not dyeable, it still might be paintable, though fabric paints typically give better results on natural fibers than on synthetics, due to the smooth surfaces of the synthetic fibers. Consider an opaque fabric paint such as Neopaque, to cover your flowers. Without testing, I do not know how well this will work on your fiber, but it might be better than nothing, in your case. Good luck.

(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)

Name: catherine
Message: Hi: I have a 100% rayon purple tie-dyed dress that I want to dye a solid color, either purple or black. The dress is mostly purple, with some small amounts of light purple and whitish color in it. I don't like the tie-dyed look and just want it to be solid purple or black. My understanding is that rayon must not be dyed in hot water. If I bought some Procion MX dye, could I dye the dress in cold water? What are your opinions or advice on dyeing this dress? Would it work out well? I sure could use some help. Thank you, Catherine

Yes, you can dye rayon in cool water (room temperature, or 70 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit), using Procion MX dye. I certainly would never recommend that anyone try to dye a dress with a hot water dye, such as all-purpose dye.

As dye is transparent, you will probably end up with a little variegation in the final results, but it should be much subtler and therefore more to your taste. Purple and black are the two best color choices for covering up your purple and white tie-dyed dress.

Rayon is very fragile when wet, and hot water may be more damaging than cold. If you dye it in the washing machine, use a delicate cycle, or use a large lingerie bag to put the dress in for both dyeing and washing-out afterwards. Never wash rayon with a heavy garment such as denim jeans. Even with care, machine-washing rayon will occasionally produce a slightly shredded garment, as any weak point in the fabric will not survive any sort of rough handling when wet. Since the delicate cycle on my washing machine is very reliable, this rarely happens to me. You can also hand-dye in a five gallon bucket, with lots of stirring. In either case, you will need Procion MX dye, soda ash, and common table salt.



(Please help support this web site. Thank you.)