Dyeing things

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

I have searched in the sewing thread and garbing thread and can't find the topic about dyeing things, though I'm sure it is there somewhere.  Searching using the search box hasn't brought up what I was looking for, so this may be a duplicate thread.  Here goes anyway!

I am interested in dying my husband's yellow Ren shirt, because it has faded.  I'm going to buy Rit dye.  I don't care if it's not as good as the Dharma Trading company dyes, I just want something that I can pick up at the store, take it home and throw it in the washer.

I think I remember reading that somewhere in the process you should set the dye with vinegar (maybe something else?), so could someone please write the book "The Idiot's Guide to Dyeing" in this thread, so I can follow it, step by step?

Thank you!

[Anna Iram]

The vinegar thing might have been some of my craziness, Renee. I'd heard that it acts as a sort of fixative. Apparently it can help bring the ph of the after dye bath to a neutral ph. Thing is I've read lot's of reference to this here and there on the net, but no answer that.makes me want to try it. Especially on any clothing that might have trim that could be damaged by too much vinegar.

My thoughts are to be sure to add the salt that is recommends with whichever dye you chose. This will help drive the color into the fibers rather than lying on top. Then wash in cold water with a color catcher in the wash if you are washing it with other things.

[Stasiakatt]

http://www.ritdye.com/dyeing-techniques

This takes you to Rit's website and they have a lot of info and directions on how to use.

Hope this helps.

[Lady Rebecca]

I used vinegar when I dyed my feathers with koolaid, and I don't remember if I used it when I dyed my linen (I can't remember the brand of dye I used then - it's the one in the black packets), but when I used RIT dye to dye my cotton velveteen, I just followed the instructions on the box, and it came out very nicely. It was something along the lines of wet fabric, put dye in hot water in the washing machine, run fabric through the agitation cycle for 30 mins, then continue with normal rinse/spin/etc. Then put it in the dryer and you're done (though you also need to run the washer on empty with hot water and bleach).

[ArielCallista]

I've almost always followed the directions straight off the box, but occasionally when doing...weird...dye jobs I do more research. What color are you dyeing to? Redoing the yellow to rebrighten it or changing color? If you're changing colors you might run into some issues...like if you are dyeing blue or purple it probably won't turn out right and you should bleach it first. Rit does have some color remover tho and it would help. Red might turn out orangey, but if you;re going orange or green ith will just be a little closer to yellow. Of course if you are just making it a brighter yellow then thats all completely irrelevant and the box directions should work well.

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

For the shirt, I am just redyeing yellow, as it has faded.

Since I started this thread, I also decided to dye a pair of socks beige.  I absolutely can't wear closed shoes without socks, and wear a special type of socks due to some health issues.  They only come in white or black.  I want to dye a pair of the white ones to beige, because I think they would look better with my ghillies.  I don't like the way the black socks look with them, and I feel the white socks stand out from under my skirt, so I thought beige is a better choice.

I think I'll follow the instructions on the Rit box.  Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions, and help.

[gem]

Lady R, I have very little dyeing experience, but one thing I do know is that it can be difficult to dye very small batches of fabric (like a single pair of socks). You might toss a little yardage of some cotton or linen in with the socks to help get the color you want and for more consistent results.

[PollyPoPo]

Or, like me last week, you can wash a couple sets of new sheets, forgetting the underwear and t-shirt are in there ... mint green undies! 

On the real side, I remember a time when we did use vinegar for setting colors in material (both brand-new ones and newly dyed) but the dyes and instructions have changed through the years.  Easter egg dyes still call for vinegar, at least they did a couple years back.

Oh, Oh, Lady Renee, I also use those socks.  Please let us know how the experiment with dyeing them comes out.

Good luck. 

Polly PoPo
(aka Grannie)

[Lady Renee Buchanan]

Or, like me last week, you can wash a couple sets of new sheets, forgetting the underwear and t-shirt are in there ... mint green undies! 

On the real side, I remember a time when we did use vinegar for setting colors in material (both brand-new ones and newly dyed) but the dyes and instructions have changed through the years.  Easter egg dyes still call for vinegar, at least they did a couple years back.

Oh, Oh, Lady Renee, I also use those socks.  Please let us know how the experiment with dyeing them comes out.

Good luck. 

Polly PoPo
(aka Grannie)

Polly, I can't believe you wrote that about the undies!  When we got back from St. Louis, my husband threw in the dark colors into the wash, including his green Renaissance shirt.  A pair of my knickers got in there by accident, and guess what?  I now have mint green knickers, too!     

Are you talking about the diabetic socks from Walmart?  I'm not a diabetic, but have fluid retention due to only having 1 kidney, and these are the most comfortable socks!  Plus size socks are too big & fall down, and regular socks get too tight & leave ridges as the day goes on, but these are nice and soft.  Perfect for long days walking around at faire.

I will try to dye the socks & throw something else in with them for better results (thanks, gem!).

[PollyPoPo]

Yes, Lady Renee.

Those are the sox I use (the Dr. Scholl's brand, not the house brand).  Nice and cushy, but they stay up, even in my boots.  I, too, am bored with only white and black - for a long time the Wal-Marts around here did not even carry the black ones at all. 


Thanks for doing the experiment for us all.

Polly PoPo
(aka Grannie)

[Lady Gryphon]

Ladies, try strong tea to dye your socks.  If they have any cotton in them at all, that might work.  Just make an batch of tea with boiling water and double the teabags, and sock you clean socks in it. Then rinse in ice water to set.  If they aren't dark enough re-tea.  It's an old way to dye fabric, but it may work on a pair of socks or two.

Just an idea and not toxic.

[Sitara]

Strong coffee also works well for that. That's how I dyed one of my chemises from white to beige.