Tutorial: Dyeing Fabric

• I use a large plastic bowl for dyeing since I usually don’t dye very many things at once.
  

• I don’t use my washing machine because a.) I have a front loader and b.) you don’t have very much control over the color and c.) I am never convinced all the dye is cleaned out after I’m done.

• I use hot water out of the tap.

• I use liquid Rit Dye. I hate the powder because the colored dust goes everywhere.

• I prewash whatever it is I want to dye because factories can sometimes leave chemicals on the fabric that effect the dye.

• Don’t use any fabric softener because the “film” it can leave on the fabric can cause uneven dyeing.

• I pour the dye into the bowl full of hot water and mix with my “dye spoon” or my hand.

• I test the color with a piece of scrap fabric.

• I plunge the item into the dye and mix every few minutes until it reaches the color depth I want.

• I try to use gloves so my hands don’t get stained.

• I rinse the item in the sink to try to remove as much dye as I can.

• I run the item through a wash cycle (with soap).

• I dry the item.

• I dye the item again if it turns out to be not what I wanted.

• I would suggest washing your newly dyed item alone or with like colors for the first few times just in case there is residual dye.

A few extra tips from experience:

• A dyed item with always look a few shades lighter once rinsed, washed and dried, so don’t take it out of the dye until it look quite a bit darker than you actually want.

• Adding a complimentary color can neutralize a color. For example, if you have a brown that looks too red, add a little green. If you have a grey that looks too blue, add a little orange.

• Adding a complimentary color also works to dull a color. For example, if a yellow is too bright, add purple.

• For more even dyeing, use enough water for the amount of things you want to dye – ie: don’t stuff a ton of stuff in your small bowl of dye. items should be able to “swim” loosely in the dye bath.

• For more even dyeing, slosh your item around in the dyebath every few minutes.

• For more even dyeing, allow item to stay in dye for a longer period of time.

• To dye an even light color, use just a little dye and let the item stay in the dye bath for longer.

Please feel free to add your own dyeing tips!  Check out Rit Dye’s website for lots more tips and tricks to a wide range of dyeing techniques.