Name: Karen
Message: I want to use printer ink to dye cotton........I know this is not a traditional way to dye fabric.....when i washed my pieces they faded and most of the ink ran out......I want to keep the bright vibrent colors.....how do i keep the ink in?

Good news: this technique is possible. However, you must use the correct materials. Inkjet printer ink is not itself a dye for cotton; it is usually made of disperse dye, which works only on synthetics such as polyester, and are usually applied to the synthetic fabrics with a very hot transfer press or dry iron.

The simplest solution to your problem is to buy special cotton or silk sheets which have already been chemically treated so that disperse dyes will stick to them. These are commonly available in your local crafts store. Another source is via mail order from a company such as Dharma Trading Company (from the front page on their web site, click on the link for 'transfers' to find the listings for 'Print On Cotton' and 'Print On Silk'). You can even buy ten foot rolls of this treated cotton or silk fabric, though the 8.5"x11" pages are easier to find.

You can treat your own fabric using a product called Bubble Jet Set.

Another method is to create iron-on transfers in your printer which can be used on your fabric. This is preferable when you do not wish to sew a page-sized piece of fabric onto your project, but the feel of the results is not quite as nice. Again your local crafts store is likely to sell this sort of product; if not, see Dharma Trading Company's web site.

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Name: Billie Jordan
Message: Hi Paula, We are a small non-profit arts and crafts school in Tryon, NC and will be working with the public school system this summer to provide a one week summer enrichment program for under priviledged children in K-5th grades. We are planning a project along the idea of Tibetan Prayer Flags where the children will make a different flag each day learning new art/craft techniques. Our theme is the seasons - one flag to represent each season using a different technique. We want to do a Batik or Tie Dye for one of the flags. The other flags are collage, block print and weaving.  We have fabric that is 100% cotton and the flags will be approximately 6" x 10". The class time each day is 2 hours. Can you please recommend which technique, etc you would use with this age group for the time allotted. I will have to learn the process, as well as all of the instructors. We are planning a test day for our projects on April 26, but I will need time to order the supplies. Any and all help/advise you may be able to share would be greatly appreciated.

Tie dyeing can certainly be done in a space of two hours, if you don't include the time spent washing out the dye. The biggest hazard is the risk that the children will permanently stain the clothing that they are wearing with the dye. 

You will need to acquire plastic gloves for them all to wear. Finding these in child's sizes can be a challenge. My local drug store sells latex and nitrile disposable gloves only in an adult size large. Dick Blick sells them in an adult size small, as well, which is not ideal but would still be a great improvement. Size extra-small would be better for children.

Use cold water fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye, so that you do not have to boil the dye, and also because it gives much better results than all-purpose dye. You will mix the dye powder with water in advance. It is important to avoid breathing dye powder, and children cannot be trusted to handle it safely. Once the dye has been dissolved in water, it is safe as long as the children do not consume it by mouth or spill it all over themselves. You will also need soda ash (you can buy this from your dye supplier or as sodium carbonate from a swimming pool supplier or hardware store). You do not need salt for tie-dyeing with Procion Mx dyes; urea is optional.

Be sure to get 100% cotton for the flags. Mercerized cotton or rayon or silk will produce the brightest colors. Avoid polyester or nylon. Prewash them in hot water to remove finishes.

It is easiest to have the children do their fabric tying with dry fabric. For some ideas of how they can tie, look at PRO Chemical & Dye's page on "Learn Folding Techniques for Tie Dye". Pleats and circles are the easiest and are quite satisfying. 

There are then two possibilities. Either you have them drop their tied flags into a single color of dye, for the old-fashioned original form of tie-dyeing, or you have them squirt dye onto the tied shirts using squirt bottles. The latter is the way tie-dyeing is usually done these days. It obviously has a bit more risk of mess than having them hand over the tied flags to you to dye, but the results are much more colorful, and it's more fun to do. Which do you think you want to do? I can provide you with more info on how to manage the logistics of tie-dyeing with a group of children, if you like.

Alternatively, you say you're considering batik. I feel quite strongly that it is best to avoid the use of real melted wax with children, for safety reasons. An excellent alternative is Elmer's blue glue gel, which is applied to make  a design and then dried thoroughly using hair driers. It must be quite dry before you apply the dye. Then you can dye as for tie-dyeing, as described above, using either a single color bucket of dye, or the squirt bottle technique.

With any of these dye techniques, you can then put the wet dyed items into plastic bags, for an adult to take home and dump in the washing machine to wash out. Use individual sandwich bags for transporting them, to keep the flags from coloring each other, or a large plastic trash bag if they are all the same color. The dye will finish bonding to the fabric while it is waiting for you to wash it out. (Warm room temperature is best for this step.) Untie the flags, if they are tied, using blunt child's scissors, as you dump each one into the washing machine. Then, do one washing in cold without detergent, followed by two washings in hot water with detergent. This will not hurt the washing machine. Then machine dry the flags and take them to the class the next day.

You will need to identify each child's work with a unique identifier, such as a code number that you write down on a list with their names, or initials that are not duplicated for more than one child. You can use a safety pin to attach a fabric tag (preferable a non-dyeable synthetic fabric) or a Tyvek tag cut from a non-paper mailing envelope, written on with a fabric marker or laundry pen or black Sharpie pen.

You will find it most economical to purchase your Procion MX dyes from a mail order supplier. There is still plenty of time for you to do this. On the east coast, I recommend PRO Chemical & Dye in Massachusetts, or you can order from Earth Guild which is near you in Asheville, North Carolina. (Earth Guild has excellent materials, though their instruction pages are not among the most reliable.) You can find contact information for these companies on my page of Sources for Dyeing Supplies. 

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Name: Anne
Message: First off, great site!  Second, I have a pair of jeans that I bought a while ago and they still fit, but they have a really awful dye job (that trendy whiskering business and they are lighter in the middle of the leg going to dark).  Is it possible to even out the colour so that it's all dark? Thanks so much.

If you overdye the jeans in their current state, the parts that are dark now will still be darker than the rest, when you are finished. Dye is transparent, so it adds right on top of the existing colors. Perhaps you should remove some of the dye from your jeans first. You can do this, with care, by using chlorine bleach, or by using a product manufactured for this purpose which is called Rit Fast Fade for Jeans, or Dylon Easy Bleach for jeans. If you use chlorine bleach (hypochlorite), follow it up with a washing with a strong color-safe "oxygen bleach" which will help to chemically neutralize the corrosive effects of the chlorine bleach.

You may like the jeans much better when they are lighter in color. If not, you can then dye them. Do not use all-purpose dye, which is never very washfast, and which requires very hot water to attach to the fabric; instead, you should use a cool water fiber reactive dye, such as Procion MX dye. See my page of Sources for Dyeing Supplies to find a nearby company from which to mail-order your dye and other supplies. If you are in the UK, you will probably want to use Dylon Machine Dye. The easiest way to get a solid color is to use a washing machine; see "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

When dyeing denim, you will never get the denim "look" in which the threads in the weave that go in one direction are white, while the threads that cross them are blue. Instead, your results will be a uniform solid color.  Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing depends on your goals.

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Name: Mary
Message: Is it possible to dye a skirt made up of 55%Linen and 45% viscose from stone colour to black. Hope you can help.  Thank you.

Is it labeled as being washable? If so, then yes, it can probably be dyed. Clothing which must be dry cleaned cannot be dyed.

Do not use all-purpose dye, which requires very hot water to make a good bond to the fiber. Instead, use cool water fiber reactive dye. The most popular type of cool water dye is Procion MX dye, which works well on both linen and viscose. See my page of Sources for Dyeing Supplies to find a nearby company from which to mail-order your dye and other supplies. If you are in the UK, you will probably want to use Dylon Machine Dye.

When dyeing any garment black, it is important to use three to four times as much dye as is normally recommended for any other color. The easiest way to get a solid color is to use a washing machine; see "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

Sometimes different panels of a garment dye up in different shades; this is unpredictable when you are not using PFD ("prepared for dyeing") garments, but results are good in the majority of cases. You must be sure that the garment is quite clean before you attempt to wash it, because otherwise invisible stains can resist the dye and produce spotty results.

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Name: cheryl
Message: Hello,
 My Girl Scout troop wants to do a reverse tye dye for a camping trip can you tell me how to do it.

Is this something you want to do in order to have reverse-tie-dyed shirts to wear on your campout, or are you planning this as an activity to do on your campout?

I have to caution you first that hypochlorite bleach (which we call chlorine bleach) is a very toxic chemical. It is not suitable for use by children, and it is certainly not suitable for camp-out conditions.  An alternative chemical, sodium hydrosulfite (one good brand is Rit Color Remover), is somewhat less toxic, but is still not suitable for use by children; I would not use it myself except in a washing machine or a workshop with excellent washing facilities. (From the MSDS: "Skin contact may produce irritation and possible skin burns....Contact with the eyes may produce severe irritation, burns, and possible permanent eye damage." See materials safety data sheets for 5% sodium hypochlorite and Rit Color Remover.) It would be okay to use opaque fabric paint on a camp-out, as a substitute, but only if you have good handwashing facilities available.

If you use chlorine bleach, you must have a washing machine or washtub full of water prepared with Anti-chlor solution before you even apply the bleach to your shirts, because it is essential to be able to stop the caustic action of the bleach on the fabric immediately, as soon as the color has lightened sufficiently. Without Anti-chlor or a substitute, the bleach will continue eating away at your fabric even after you wash it. You must not use vinegar for this purpose, as people who are ignorant about safety sometimes advise doing, because acid plus bleach creates even more caustic chemical compounds. The most economical bleach stop agent, by far, is Anti-chlor as purchased from PRO Chemical & Dye, but if you are willing to go to greater expense, you can manage with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, which is commonly sold as an antiseptic. Chemicals which can be used as bleach stop include sodium metabisulfite, sodium sulfite, sodium thiosulfate (Dharma's 'Bleach-Stop').

For more information and instructions for three different methods of reverse tie-dyeing, please look at my web page on "How to Tie Dye on Dark Fabric."

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Name: Cristian
Message: Dear Sir, 
I'm a chemistry engineer, here in Iasi (Romania). Now i'm a high-school teacher at University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Gr. T.Popa" Iasi and also i make some studies about reactive dyes.I want to buy from you about 100 grams of two reactive dyes Reactive Orange 16, Reactive Yellow 17 (Benzasol Golden Yellow G), Reactive Brilliant Red K-2G and Reactive Violet 2 (Cibacron Violet 2R). Do you have these reactive dyes? Also, i ask you some prices of these  reactive dyes. I'm waiting news from you! I have a Visa International card .

Sorry, I do not sell these dyes (and, by the way, "Sir" in English is generally used only for males, which I am not). 

There is a list of different companies around the world that do sell dyes in small quantities on my website under "Hand Dyeing - Sources for supplies". The German sites usually sell the Procion MX (dichlorotriazine) dyes. A Czech site is listed that sells different types of dyes, including monochlorotriazine, dichlorotriazine, and vinylsulfone dyes, but unfortunately not the monofluorotrizaine (Cibacron F) and Drimarene K type dyes you want; their miniumum order per color is ten times the quantity you want, but their prices are very good. Small quantities of Drimarene K type dyes seem to be most available from the Australia dye suppliers.

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Name: Wendy
Message: In my workplace, we have audio panels, covered in 100% polyester fabric.  The panels are too light and are reflecting too much light in our production studio, so we need to dye them black.  Do you think the crayon dyeing method would work for us?

The crayon method will work for darkening your polyester panels in patches. Is it okay if they have a patchy look? It will not work for producing a smooth even color.

Less labor will be required if you buy disperse dye powder from PRO Chemical & Dye and use it to mix up black paint to apply wet to paper, to use to iron on in the same way as the crayons. It is really quite a lot of work to hand-color a large expanse of paper! The coloring may be less patchy looking, as well, when you use the paints, though the iron-on process seems unlikely to ever yield a single smooth tone.

You will presumably have to remove the panels from their backing in order to iron the disperse dye onto them. Perhaps you should just purchase similar fabric in black and use that to replace the existing fabric.

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Name: NaTasha
Message: Hello,
Can you tell me the names of the Red and Blue that are legal in the US for food coloring please?

This question is answered on my page on "Using Food Coloring as a Textile Dye for Protein Fibers". Scroll down to the table that lists "Which dyes are used in food coloring?", together with their FD&C numbers and the E numbers used in Europe.

The legal synthetic food colorings in the US are allura red, brilliant blue FCF (also known as erioglaucine), sunset yellow FCF, indigotine, fast green FCF, erythrosine, and tartrazine.

Natural food dyes are also in use, including beet extract and carminic acid (from cochineal insects). There is no FD&C-approved blue food dye, however. Indigotine is a synthetic relative of natural indigo dye.

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Name: stephanie

Message: hi im stephanie sorry to bother you but im realyyy stuck on my 
shibori assiment i need YOUR help!!Well i,v read your infomation and its not what i need but your website was the best one i could find could you please send me some info about shibori techneque and how it started like on what material and up to these days what we use now
also somwthing to do with what is shibori and i promise i will put ur work into my own words!!i hope it is not to much to ask for!! love steph PLLLLZZZZZZZZ EMAIL ME BAK IM DESPARET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everything I have to say about shibori is already on my website or the forum on my website, so I'm afraid I do not have anything to send you. I strongly recommend that you go to your university or public library and find a book on shibori; the best are by Yoshiko Wada, but any good book on the subject would help you a great deal. Many students these days are badly neglecting basic library research.

Another source on this topic is the website of the World Shibori Network, which is linked to from my brief 'History of Tie Dye' page. You should find lots of interesting stuff there.

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Name: Catherine
Message: I have egyptian cotton towels that are currently turquoise and I'd like to dye them a darker shade of blue using a washing machine. I'd like a color that would go better with the dark periwinkle walls and white trim in the bathroom. What type of dye and color would you suggest? Thanks.

I would recommend only fiber reactive dye, not all-purpose dye, for the greatest washfastness and ease of use. You may be able to find Dylon Cold Water Dye in your local fabric store, or you can mail-order Procion MX type dye from any of the dye suppliers around the world listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page. You will also need soda ash and salt, to follow the easy Washing Machine Dyeing instructions. 

I think your best choice would probably be to use a nice dark navy blue to tone down your turquoise towels; or, you could mix dark navy blue with a purplish color to combine with the turquoise to make a color that is closer to your periwinkle.

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Name: Sonia

Message: I searched, but did not get a response.  Do you have suggestions on dyeing bleach spots?  I have a beautiful brown blouse that has a few tiny bleach spots that have turned pink.  Thanks much for any suggestions. 

Please see "How can I fix the bleach spots on my favorite clothing?", in the FAQ section of my website.

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[Updated June 8, 2008.]

Name: Henry
Message: hello,
I was wondering how you would go about dying sugar cubes with the colours being consistent.  This would be a great help to my project.  Thank you

Are these sugar cubes intended to remain edible, or is this for a construction project that will not be eaten? And do you mean consistent when comparing one sugar cube to another, or consistent coloring throughout the cube?

The smoothest color on the outside of the sugar cubes will be obtained by spraying liquid food coloring in an airbrush. If you do not have access to an airbrush, the best substitute would be the finest water sprayer bottle you can find, such as a plastic sprayer bottle sold for misting house plants. You will need to experiment to determine what dilution in water produces the best results. You will need to avoid spraying large amounts of liquid on the cubes or they will melt, of course. If more dye is required, allow them to dry between thin coats. The dye will not actually bond to the sugar, but will act as a paint since the cubes will not have to withstand washing.

I do not know of any way to dye the insides of sugar cubes, if that is, instead, what you are asking about.

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Name: joanne
Message: How much sodium carbanat do I mix with a gallon of water to soak my shirts in first?

See the recipe on my web site under "How to Dye with Fiber Reactive Dye". One cup per gallon (250 mls in 4 liters) will always be sufficient; some recipes call for a smaller amount.

Note that sodium carbonate should be used only with fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX dyes, when dyeing natural fibers such as cotton, linen, hemp, or silk. It will not fix all-purpose dyes, such as Rit brand dyes.

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Name: david

Message: helllo. i have searched unsucessfully for the answer to my question. I am trying to get shiny silver jeans like those that adam ant wears in the "prince charming" music video if you are familiar with it. i wanted to know if dying jeans silver would work, and if not do you think i could spray paint them, would the colour stay on? 

Hope you can help me, thanks


Dye can produce a silver-like pale grey, but it cannot produce a metallic finish. For a metallic finish, you will need to use fabric paints, such as Lumiere brand fabric paint. See "Fabric Paints: a different way to color fibers".

Ordinary metallic spray paint would probably produce a reasonably good look, but the pants will be quite uncomfortable due to the stiffness of the paint. Fabric paint is softer and easier to wear, and will not rub off as quickly.

When you wash your painted pants, regardless of which paint you use, be sure to turn them inside out first. You may wish to carefully hand wash them to help prolong the life span of the paint job.

The very best metallic finish on fabric is produced by applying a special foil to an adhesive. It is best to avoid washing foiled fabric, however, as it is very fragile and tends to wear off easily. Here is a link to a page about foiling fabric.

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Name: J.C.
Message: I'm a photographer and would like to try to dye my own backgrounds. I'm looking for a finished product that is muslin with a soft hand, and non-toxic. Any suggestions?

Some of the companies in North America from which PFD (prepared for dyeing) cotton fabrics may be purchased are:

Silk Connection
http://www.silkconnection.com/products/fabric/cotton/

Testfabrics, Inc.
http://www.testfabrics.com/

Dharma Trading Company
http://www.dharmatrading.com/

See my list of Sources for Dyeing Supplies around the world. 

To dye your own backdrops, use a cool water fiber reactive dye such as Procion MX dye, with the low water immersion technique. You'll need soda ash to fix the dye, and, optionally, salt to enhance the crystalline patterns.

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Name: noodles

Message: Hi,
I have new black velvet pants (90% nylon, 10% lycra).  Within minutes of wearing them my legs, hands and anything else they touch are stained black.  They are dry clean only.
Can I do anything to stop the dye running?
I can't really wear them like that, and it's a shame because they're ace!
Please help!!!
:)

Return them to the store from which you purchased them! That amount of dry crocking (rubbing off of dye)is entirely unacceptable and shows that the dye was fixed improperly.

If you are not willing to do this, the only option is to clean them repeatedly, hoping that you will be able to remove all of the excess dye. Unfortunately, dry cleaning may not be as effective as washing in water. However, it may not be healthy to expose your skin to large amounts of the loose dye. The dye has very probably never been tested for safety under those conditions.

Commercial dye fixatives such as Retayne and Raycafix will help to stop dyes from bleeding when wet, but they may be less effective of dye that comes off even when it is dry. Also, they cannot be applied unless you can launder the garment.

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Name: donna
Message: I want to dye my insulated draperies.  they are 50%cotton and 50% poleyster, they are off white now and machine washable. I want to dye them a pumpkin color.  Pls advise what dye I should  use and the process.  what company, what die, what quantity? process?

thanks (-:

First, note that you cannot dye your drapes at all unless they are washable. Dry-clean-only means that you can't dye them.

Polyester cannot be dyed with all-purpose dye. In fact, the polyester will not take any easy-to-use dye, only a special dye called disperse dye which requires boiling. I don't think you'll be able to find a cooking pot large enough to boil your drapes! However, you can dye the 50% of the fabric which is cotton. (The dye will just wash off of the polyester fibers, creating a paler or heathered effect, depending on how the cotton and polyester are woven together.)

Since cooking your drapes would be so difficult, I recommend against using a hot water dye, such as all-purpose dye. Instead, you will need to obtain some cold water dye, a fiber reactive dye such as Procion MX dye. Purchase this dye by mail-order from any of the dye suppliers around the world which are listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page. You will also need soda ash, which can be purchased from the same source of from a swimming pool supplies store, and ordinary non-iodized salt from the grocery store.

The easiest way to apply the dye to the drapes will be in a washing machine. See "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

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Name: lisa
Message: I have never used a dye but I bought a valance a few years ago to match our furniture. We had a relative give us the one they had to put in our sunroom. I paid a bit for the scarf and thought I could dye it to match the new furniture. How do I pick the proper colour I want it to be cranberry and the scarf is a light green not white so i am assuming this would have some bearing on my choice. i have not looked through your whole site so you could even direct me to where I can get the info.

What fiber is it made from? It is essential to choose the right dye for the fiber content of the fabric. Some fabrics, such as silk and cotton, are very easy to dye, but others, such as polyester or acetate, are far more trouble than it is worth. See "About Dyes" to learn more about selecting the right dye for your fiber type.



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Name: joojoo

Message: Hi,

I have a jacket in hot pink and I wish to dye it to a light light pink, is it possible? If so, which color dye should I use. Also, the jacket is made of a velour material. thank you

No, dye can be used only to darken fabric, never to lighten it. Dye is transparent and just adds to whatever color is already there; it does not remove the existing color.

It's not enough to know that your jacket is made of velour. Velour can be made of natural fibers like cotton, or synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester. You must know what fiber your jacket is made out of before doing anything to it.

To lighten fabric, you use a discharge chemical such as chlorine bleach (hypochlorite) or Rit Color Remover (sodium hydrosulfite). You must not use chlorine bleach on any synthetic fiber, because it will damage it permanently. Rit Color Remover can be used on nylon, however; it is less damaging than bleach.

Some dyed items will become lighter in color when treated with bleach or color remover. Others will be unchanged, while still others will turn peculiar unwanted colors. It is impossible to predict what you will get until you try it.

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Name: kes

Message: I'm considering using "Fiber Reactive Dyes" at home on 
tussah vegan silk, cotton, linen, hemp, soysilk, ingeo, bamboo, and tencel.

Fiber reactive dyes will work on natural fibers, but not on Ingeo, which can be dyed only with the same disperse dyes that are used to dye polyester.

Silk can be dyed like cotton, but other protein fibers should be treated with care and not subjected to a high pH. Use acid dyes, or reactive dyes with white vinegar rather than soda ash, when dyeing protein fibers such as wool or soysilk. (I have never dyed soysilk and am just assuming that it might be damaged like wool by high pH, but I could be wrong. It might be more like silk. It is said to take acid dyes very nicely; acid dyes must be used with extremely hot water.)

Linen, hemp, bamboo, and tencel should all be dyed like cotton, with finer reactive dyes. Tencel, like rayon, is a cellulose fiber that in my experience tends to wear badly due to being very fragile when wet. Hemp is very sturdy. I have never used bamboo fiber.

I wanted to know if using a washing machine to dye my fabrics would make me need to clean it afterwards. Would I have problems with dirty clothing? My mother says she doesn't want me to use it if it causes problems.

Wipe out any obvious dye residue afterwards, and use the same washer for the several washings required after dyeing with fiber reactive dye, and you should have no problems. Some dyers like to wash a load of rags with bleach after dyeing.

I want solid colors.

The washing machine is the easiest way to dye solid colors. See "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?".

We have chorine in the water. 

I have found that dyes fade more when washed in water that has been treated with chloramines than when washed in water that has been treated with chlorine. Anti-Chlor (sodium metabisulfite) used in the rinse water for every washing would help to extend the life of dyes. I do not use it when dyeing, though, only when neutralizing after the use of chlorine bleach (hypochlorite). (Buy Anti-Chlor by mail order from PRO Chemical & Dye, or any good mail-order dye supplier.)

Would various fabrics mentioned above (particularly silk and cotton) be harmed of I whitened them with "Hydrogen Peroxide Bleach"?

Hydrogen peroxide bleach is much gentler to fabrics than chlorine bleach. It should be fine, especially for cotton. Use only the recommended amounts.

How much bleach or dye powder would I need for 1 to 5 yards of cloth or a pound of fiber

It depends on how dark a color you want. For a dark color, you will need 75 grams of Procion MX type dye (2.6 ounces) for a five-pound load of dyeable fabric.

How does one achieve very pale and near-white colors? Is it the amount put in or are the dyes designed to?

It is indeed simply by using less dye in the dyebath. It can actually be difficult to use a sufficiently small amount of dye for a pale color if you are accustomed to dyeing dark colors. Try using one-tenth as much dye for a pale color.

Would gloves protect my hands from getting dye on them so I can eat? Will regular soap do the trick?

Gloves are important for protecting your hands during dyeing. Most fabric dyes have not been adequately tested for safety, and some might penetrate the skin.

Regular soap is fine for hand-washing if you get a hole in your glove. A special hand-cleaner called Reduran is sold for removing dye from the hands, but I have never found it to be very useful.

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Name: Miss Tracey
Message: Hello Paula,
Could you please advise which dye is best for changing a natural coloured 100% cotton sofa cover to dark brown and where I can purchase from.  

It is best to use a cool water dye only, so as not to shrink the cover. The best dyes for this purpose are the fiber reactive dyes, such as Procion MX dye or Dylon Cool Water dye. Buy Procion MX type dye by mail order from any of the dye suppliers around the world listed on my Sources for Dyeing Supplies page. 

Weigh your soda cover. You will need about two and a half ounces (75 grams) of Procion MX type dye to dye five pounds (2.3 kg) of cotton to a dark shade. The easiest way to dye a solid color is in the washing machine. See "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing machine?". You cannot dye the soda cover if it cannot be removed from the sofa; see Can furniture be dyed successfully?

Dyeing will not be satisfactory if a stain resistant coating such as Scotchgard™ has already been applied to the cover. 

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Name: Fiona
Message: IS MY SUITE COVER RUINED?
The cover to my 3piece suite has gone completely blue/black mould due to my boyfriend storing it in black bags whilst still wet.  Can you make any suggestions on what I can do without the expense of recovering the suite. I have contacted the drycleaners but they state they will not be able to remove this mould from the fabric.  Do you know of a company that would dye the suite covers for me?  I stay in Glasgow.  Any response would be appreciated.

I'm afraid that it is ruined. Sorry. I do not know of any company that will offer anything more in the way of stain removal than your local dry cleaners. 

Mold from being stored damp tends to leave permanent black stains. The only consolation is that nearly everyone seems to make this mistake sooner or later.

Sometimes these stains can be removed or lightened with the use of ordinary household chlorine bleach (hypochlorite) in the washing machine, but often this fails. If the stains are not too bad, you might make them less noticeable if you dye them, but the stains will never be 100% hidden, because dye is transparent.

I have several custom dyers listed on my 'find a custom dyer' page, but all of them are in North America. It seems likely that the expense of shipping to them overseas would be more than the cost of a new set of slipcovers.

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Name: Bob
Message: How do I, and what do I use to dye auto seat belts?

You probably should not dye seatbelts that are intended to be used. If they have faded in the sun, the fibers may have been damaged by the sun as well, so it is best to replace them with new seat belts, which can better be trusted.

Are they made of nylon? If so, you can use acid dyes. The best black for nylon would be Lanaset black. 

All-purpose dyes contain a mixture of acid dye with a rather poor cotton dye, so they can be used in a pinch, but you must include vinegar in the dyepot, and heat to something like 185°F. for half an hour, to help the dye adhere to the nylon. 

If the seatbelts are made of polyester, they will require extensive boiling with disperse dye. No other dye type will work on polyester. You cannot dye polyester with all-purpose dyes, acid dyes, or reactive dyes.

You will need to buy a large non-aluminum cooking pot for your boiling dyebaths. Do not reuse a dye pot for food preparation, unless you stick to the use of food dyes only.  (Food dyes can actually be used as acid dyes on nylon, but they are not the most lightfast of dyes; that is, they will fade in the sunlight.)

If you do not wish to boil your seatbelts in dye (I worry about the possibility of weakening the fiber), you will have to use fabric paint instead of dye. Fabric paints will work on synthetics as well as on natural fibers, but they may not stick as well to synthetics, and they will wear off more quickly than dye. They may be more resistant to fading in sunlight, however.

Your seat belts are probably made of polyester. According to the book Handbook of Technical Textiles, by A. R. Horrocks and S.C. Anand, published in 2000, some early seat belts were made of nylon, but most seat belts today are made from polyester, due to its greater resistance to UV degradation. They wrote that seat belts are mainly black in Europe, and light grey in the US and Japan, but that this is changing in order to coordinate better with the colors of the interiors of cars.

Jacquard Products makes a fabric paint, Dye-Na-Flow, which acts like a dye but works on both polyester and natural fibers. The brief heat-setting with an iron seems less likely to damage fibers than extensive boiling, but strength testing should be performed to confirm this.

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[Updated Janurary 21, 2008]

Name: srinivas

Message: Hi Paula,
with great respect on you, I want to know whether is there any method to identify  the kind of fabric I am using for dyeing such as cotton, silk, nylon or polyester

This can be quite difficult, but your best bet would be the burn test, in which you take a tiny snippet of fabric and test to see what sort of smoke and ash it produces when burned, and what odor. 

You can also test for acetate fiber with acetone, and for cellulose fibers such as cotton and rayon with sodium bisulfate (Fiber Etch). (Do not confuse sulfATE with sulfITE - only sulfATE will eat cellulose fibers.)

An extremely useful summary page on all of these fiber tests may be found at Fabrics.net.


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