Q&A Monday: Dye! Dye! My Darling!

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This week’s Q&A Monday is all about dye!

Are you afraid of dyeing? No no no…not this kind:

Although you can get this cute lil guy on a tshirt here. 🙂

This kind! 🙂

Taste the Rainbow (actually don’t…dye is pretty toxic)!

I get lots of questions about dyeing fabric. Let’s address them, shall we? 🙂

Q: I see you dye a lot of stuff in your washing machine. Doesn’t that stain it? How do I clean it out?

A: The washing machine method is my fave. And I have yet to stain a washing machine (my current landlord is resting easy right now)! The instructions on the bottle (or box if you choose) tell you what to do. Once you’re done dyeing/rinsing your future refash, just run the machine on its hottest/fullest setting with detergent and bleach. If some of the dye got on the lid of the machine, just wipe it off with a paper towel and household cleaning spray. BAM! Done! 🙂

It only looks scary! 🙂

Q: How do I know what color I’m going to end up with?

A: You really don’t. Well…not entirely. A lot depends on the fabric. Natural fibers, like cotton take to dye really well, whereas synthetic fibers like polyester or rayon barely take dye at all.

To get something to take on as much color as possible, make sure you’re dyeing it with as hot of water is safe for the fabric and try to make the dye bath as long as possible (at least 1 hour).

You’ll never be able to dye a pink polyester dress black, but you might be able to get it to turn a purple hue. So play around a little! Mix & Match! Surprise yourself!

Or, if you’re feeling less adventurous, RIT has made a Color Formula Guide just for you! 🙂

Q: What other dyeing methods should I give a try?

A: Omigosh…the sky’s the limit, folks! You could try a funky jar dye like Erica of Recycled Fashion. Or, you could do a fun dip dye! If your worried about the toxicity of artificial dye, you could try a much safer tea dye.

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13 Responses to Q&A Monday: Dye! Dye! My Darling!

It usually looks awesome when you do it, but I am still not brave enough to try it.

I’ve been wanting to try my hand at dying some refashions, but have yet to try. Thanks for this post! Now I just need to decide what color to go with first! 🙂
~Jen

Ooo thanks for the mention!

I’m new to dying (!!) but I love it. I did a dip dye recently and was so proud! Also, you can get some great effects with bleach, if you fancy something different!

Everytime I have used RIT it bleeds horribly and looks tragically faded after the first few washes. I have used Dylon with great success though! It is a powder and I find mine in the Walmart craft section or at the fabric store. It is not expensive and is just as easy to use. One of my first projects with it was to dye some prefold diapers and years later with tons of washes under their belts the color is still nice.

How weird! I’ve had a lot of success with RIT. I wash all my clothes in cold water though. Are you washing yours in warm? Maybe the difference is caused by something stranger…like soft/hard water? Hmmmmnnn…

I really, REALLY want to try dyeing in the washer but my roommates aren’t too happy about the idea. Buckets just seem too iffy!!

Thanks!!!! The washer just scares me, but your tips will help!

I have a lovely cotton cream colored top which, due to the fact that I’m a mom of four and a prechool teacher, wound up with an unlovely stain. I’m far too chicken to dye in a bucket (because one of the four kids would surely knock it over), so it’s a big reassurance that dyeing in the washer causes no ill efeects to the washer! I think you have saved my shirt!!

Great! Just be careful about the stain. Try to get it out as much as you can, because dyeing it will also dye the stain.

I would love to try dyeing – but I have a front loading washer, which I am sure will not work as the clothing would not be fully immersed. Could you do a little tutorial on a substitute method? Thanks! Oh, and thank you for all your inspirational posts!

OH MY! YOU ARE RIGHT! I have tale to tell about the time I tried that. Maybe I should save it for next Monday. 😉

Probably never going to dye anything…but this is my favorite post because of the title. Love the Misfits!

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Q&A Monday: Dye! Dye! My Darling! | ReFashionista