Advice About Dyeing Clothing

By

T&T Grandma

Depending on fabric content on what the final color will be. Dye them separately to ensure each is what color you want. Any piece with even a little synthetic is going to stay lighter. Cotton will be the best absorber. I do a lot of dying of things, from window sheers to husband's work shirts/jeans.

When you are done dying them ( I have a top loader so use my washer and sud saver tub for capture of dye to keep redoing with same) Make sure you wash with a cup of salt to set the dye. Screw ups can be undone with the Rit Dye Remover. If you are redoing the dye job yearly (I do the curtains), un-dye them then use new dye. A pain of a job, but cheaper way to recycle and keep things from the landfills.

By

KRowan

I do this a lot. I'm a costume designer for the theater. My experience has been that the first garment to go in will soak up the most dye in the dye-bath, so whatever you want to be the darkest, put that in first. Get it to the shade you want it (remember that wet cotton will look darker, wet.) and then put your other things in next, checking them frequently. I do this a lot to get the most bang out of my dye-bath, even adding other colors to extend it further! But I always go from darkest shade to lightest, since the bath looses intensity as the various fibers soak up the dye. Good luck to you!

By

Lady Harper

I don't use dye. I use acrylic paint. It is much more permanent and you can get any color you want, mix whatever color you want. I thin out the paint with a little water in a small cup, and then I pour warm water into a large bucket, adding the diluted paint to the warm water. Stir well, add the garment, stir again for a couple minutes to distribute the color evenly. Wearing plastic gloves, remove the clothing, squeezing out as much water as you can. Hang on a line until completely dry. (This is what makes the color permanent) It will be a little stiff and smelly!! Wash and dry as usual, and the smell is gone, the color lasts forever, (no fading) and it's not stiff. I swear, I think using the paint helps the fabric last longer. I have tie-dyed using the paint, and the areas that got no paint wore out!

By

Jilson

I would think that if you put them all in the dye bath, then check the colors periodically, you can remove the ones that you want to be lighter colored sooner, and just leave the ones you want darker in longer. The dye packet should tell you about how many shirts you can do with one packet.

www.ritdye.com may have some answers. Good luck!

I've always loved wearing really unique colors and odd color combinations, i.e. red shirt with blue pants, purple shirt with white pants, etc.

Can I dye clothes in a top loading HE washer and how can I do this?

How do I dye a navy blue dress, red?