How to dye my skirt black?

Gigi

Rabbit's post on reviving old garments reminded me that I have an old black maxi skirt that is looking tired and could use a color refresh. The material seems to still be in good condition; the color is just faded. I've never done anything like this so thought I would ask my fellow fabbers.

What products do you use? Where do you get them? Are they nasty chemicals (I can get bad headaches from chemical sensitivities)? What equipment do you need?

Thanks!

11 years ago

General

10 replies

Latest reply was from rabbit

columbine(erin)

Veteran

I bought several brands if dye from Amazon. I think the most important lessons are to use the recommended fixative, wear gloves, and if you do a dye that needs to soak, use a stainless steel pot or sink, being very careful not to splash dye anywhere. It's akin to paint fumes so you'll want ventilation.

11 years ago

jennifer

Veteran

There are a few different types of dye . Rit dye that you can get at a supermarket or hobby store is pretty safe ,but it works best on natural fibers ( cotton, linen, silk,wool, or rayon) it doesn't work well on polyester ,Lycra spandex or acrylic heavy blends.
Well it will dye them to some extent but it probably won't be colourfast . We had an interesting transfer when a acrylic rubber backed bath rug dyed the linoleum blue!Permanantly. Whoops!
There are also henna and indigo dyes which are natural and also used for haircolouring (& I've no experience with).
Dylon brand is also easy like Rit . Mom used it a time or two , it's harder to find though but works on more fabrics I believe.
Dharma trading co.sells some other kinds that are more complicated but may give better results for certain fabrics or fabric art projects.
Just know that the dye ( or colour remover) will affect the entire garment darkening or lightening everything about it.
Also many times top stitching is done in polyester and a light "100% cotton " ends up with contrast top stitching after a colour dye bath . The Rit dye co.has some good tutorials too.

11 years ago

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I use Dylon & as jennifer wrote you need to pay attention to the fabric. Dylon has a poly dye so I use a packet of that & a packet of natural fabric dye - just to make sure the stitching comes out a similar colour.

When dyeing something black I use three parts black dye to one part bright yellow dye - sounds weird but it makes the black really dark.

11 years ago

Debra

Veteran

I freshened up a pair of my favorite black pants with Dylon
Easy peasy, I used the washing machine and just followed the instructions on the packet. No mess, no problems

11 years ago

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

I usually use black RIT dye in the washing machine, with a cup of salt, and it works great on cotton and rayon. I do this to freshen up black pieces that
are in great shape, but faded. I will usually use 1-2 liquid bottles for 4-5 tops, and adjust the size of the load accordingly. After dying, I reset the load to extra-large, and run an empty wash with a cup of bleach and some detergent, to clean the dye out of the machine. I wipe any splashes with an old rag and dishsoap, and toss that into my bleach wash.

For a viscose dress, I did some research online, and used black Dylon - but I did it in the sink with hot tap water (using the tutorial I found online). I had mixed results - some places the dye took and was beautiful, and other places... not so much. I will eventually try this again, with RIT or Dylon, in a small-size washing machine load, set on gentle.

I bought Dylon at JoAnn's Fabrics, and they were having a sale. It came out to a little more than RIT dye at the supermarket. I know there are also coupons you can get online, for your smartphone.

As to the smell, if you do it in the washing machine, the smell isn't too bad. I had to dye an oversize powder puff pink for a prop, and I did that on the stove top, and it was kind of stinky. I cranked the AC down and put the ventilation fan on. Same for the sink-dying.

And wear gloves!

11 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks for all the information, ladies!

I'm kind of afraid to do this in a washing machine, because I live in an apartment complex and don't have my own. So I may have to do it on top of the stove. Does it take a long time?

If you don't want the care label dyed black too, can you just put some masking tape on it and hope for the best?

If I dye the skirt in a big stainless steel stock pot, will the dye stain the pot?

Maybe I just need to get to the fabric store and read the directions on a package of this stuff...

11 years ago

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

RIT dye washed easily out of my pot. It was easy to do, the powder puff took half an hour, and even though I used about a third of the box of powder, it came out waaaaaaay deeper than what I had expected!

For stove-top dying, get your ducks in a row before you start. Pot holders, gloves, an old rag and dish soap to immediately wipe up any spills or drips, and whatever fixative (salt or white vinegar) that you intend to use, and whatever measuring cups you want to use for your fixative. Also be ready to transfer your wet garment to the sink or machine if you are washing it someplace different from where you dump out your pot of dye.

My experience with care labels is that black dye will turn it gray or blueish but still clearly legible. But I think the other gals should weigh in on their experiences.

11 years ago

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

And Dylon washed easily out of my stainless sink. I forgot to mention that! Dish soap plus sponge or rag.

11 years ago

Alassë

Veteran

I haven't had good luck with machine dyeing using Jacquard iDye - the dark brown always comes out a brownish-taupe. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. No staining in the machine at all (I did run the newly-dyed item through a 2nd wash by itself to make sure).

11 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

I used Dylon black in a stainless steel pot on the stove (I have a front loading washer, so I read that it can be iffy for dying).

I used one packet for a pair of jeans, a t shirt, and a pair of bamboo socks. I followed the instructions on the packet but I don't think there was enough dye. The socks ended up absorbing most of the black and the other items, which were black cotton to begin with but faded, just ended up looking darker but not inky.

I also used Retayne dye fixative at the end. The thing is, you need to put the newly dyed rinsed items back in fresh hot water with the Retayne, and I felt like being in the hot bath washed more of the color away. So I would just use a cold vinegar fix instead in the future.

So I would probably do it again, but with double the dye packet.

Also, what didn't take the dye was the surface print on the t-shirt (which I was hoping would be the case - it was a favorite Threadless tee), and the labels and inside poly-blend lining on the jeans pockets.

Oh, and the stainless steel pot cleaned out just fine with dish-soap. I don't often cook in it though.

11 years ago

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