What is involved in dying fabric?
- Thread starter Sulla
- Start date
ItsThatGuy
Sr Member
I think you should leave wool dying to the experts, but then again you can just try some google searches on the subject.
Dying cotton and certain cotton blends are easy enough. Make sure you have a large area for all that water (not in the bathtub - it will stain it).
Dying cotton and certain cotton blends are easy enough. Make sure you have a large area for all that water (not in the bathtub - it will stain it).
MaulWalker
Sr Member
If it was 100% wool or 100% cotton, a newbie could do learn to dye them. But these fabrics you will want to leave to experts as they contain materials that do not want to take dye.
MaulWalker
Sr Member
Then I suggest checking out Dharma Trading. http://www.dharmatrading.com/
They have a wide selection of dyes and document almost every techinique used in dyeing.
They have a wide selection of dyes and document almost every techinique used in dyeing.
PadawanLearner
Well-Known Member
yeah, read up on it at Dharma or go to your library
It's not something I would say shy away from, but definately read up on it before attempting.
If you're planning on dying each fabric one uniform color, that'll make it a lot easier on yah.
It's not something I would say shy away from, but definately read up on it before attempting.
If you're planning on dying each fabric one uniform color, that'll make it a lot easier on yah.
Capn_Jack_Savvy
Sr Member
If it has Lycra in it that will be difficult for the dye to hold. Synthetic materials do not hold dye very well.
Are you going to be using Rit Dye? Try your practice first on a remnant if you have one. That way you can adjust the color, amount of dye, water temp, etc.
Are you going to be using Rit Dye? Try your practice first on a remnant if you have one. That way you can adjust the color, amount of dye, water temp, etc.
darthgordon
Sr Member
Just about anything synthetic you dye using the dyes available to us common folk will not dye. So anything containg synthetic material will be lighter than the dye you are trying to use.
DarthMarmalade
Member
Dyeing is easy. Comedy, that's hard.
Capn_Jack_Savvy
Sr Member
/|\
| Rim shot followed by high hat
lol:lol!
| Rim shot followed by high hat
lol:lol!
padme911
Well-Known Member
You can use Idye to dye polyester and synthetic fabrics...it is available from Dharma and I just saw some at Joann's today. It is called Idye Polyester and they have a few different colors. I used it before with ease. Just make sure you watch the fabric first and allow for shrinkage with wool...sometimes I cut a swatch and test to see how much it will shrink to make sure I will be ok with the result.
Darth Mule
Sr Member
Both statements are flawed. There are several synthetics that take dye very well. Lycra is one of them. You can dye lycra the same as you would dye cotton, and it will take the dye better and hold it better too. RIT dye is all you need for lycra. Nylon and Rayon also take dye very well (although rayon's classification as a synthetic could be debatable as its a man made fiber made from natural materials).
Its also easy enough to do in the washing machine. Just be sure to run a bleach load (no laundry, just water and bleach) or you'll dye the next thing you wash.
The wool will be the tough one as wool can get turned into felt really easy if you don't know what you're doing. Spring for the good acid dye and dissolve it in a hot water bath, then let the bath completely cool before adding the wool.
mdb
Sr Member
Lycra is used in such small amounts that it's not necessary to take it into account when dyeing. What most people call lycra is actually a knit nylon with lycra knitted in which as you cay is easy to dye. Most of the time
Part of what affects ease of dyeing has to do with weave.http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/spandex.shtml (I think written before the iDye stuff
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dispersedye.shtml )
I only ever dye wool with cold water dyes (in a large 60L plus container and outside) I usually use warm water to bath temperature as a lot of the fulling process (the shrinkage and matting) occurs with aggitation and shock of going from hot to cold. A lot, not all! Boiling definitely shrinks woollens like mad and again the weave has a lot to do with it (crepe will shrink by up to 30% in one dye bath it seems flannels take a little more work). In thepry a worsted should hold up better as it is spun with all the wool fibres in the same direction (scaled of the hair lie in one direction) while in woollens they are in both directions (so the scales will catch and grab each other).
Anyway, long story short: both will dye pretty with Dylon cold water dye, for example, well but be careful to wash the fabrics first and make sure to really work the dye evenly as cotton is prone to uneven blotching (it absorbs dye very quickly) and so can wool be (possibly natural oils or the physical nature of the fibre).
Darth Mule
Sr Member
Lycra is used in such small amounts that it's not necessary to take it into account when dyeing. What most people call lycra is actually a knit nylon with lycra knitted in which as you cay is easy to dye. Most of the time
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/FAQ/spandex.shtml (I think written before the iDye stuff
http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dispersedye.shtml )
I only ever dye wool with cold water dyes (in a large 60L plus container and outside) I usually use warm water to bath temperature as a lot of the fulling process (the shrinkage and matting) occurs with aggitation and shock of going from hot to cold. A lot, not all! Boiling definitely shrinks woollens like mad and again the weave has a lot to do with it (crepe will shrink by up to 30% in one dye bath it seems flannels take a little more work). In thepry a worsted should hold up better as it is spun with all the wool fibres in the same direction (scaled of the hair lie in one direction) while in woollens they are in both directions (so the scales will catch and grab each other).
Anyway, long story short: both will dye pretty with Dylon cold water dye, for example, well but be careful to wash the fabrics first and make sure to really work the dye evenly as cotton is prone to uneven blotching (it absorbs dye very quickly) and so can wool be (possibly natural oils or the physical nature of the fibre).
I will have to try the Dylon next time I take on a dye project. I've become rather proficient over the years at color matching with RIT though, so it will be a tough break.
In a related story. I decided to read up on Lycra just to satisfy a curiosity over the name. It appears that we are encouraged by the company that owns the trademark name "Lycra" to refer to the fabric as Spandex instead. Spandex is the generic name, Lycra is one company's brand name that just happened to have caught on to the point of becoming a genericised term.
I love useless information!
mdb
Sr Member
It depends on the weave of wool and the method of spinning really. You need a dye that works with proteins (silk, wool, angora etc. and it will also work on nylon really well as that has similar properties) and care and patience.
If you have a woolen (if it feels fuzzy) then you need to be very careful to not shock it, so if you use a hot water dye then you need to slowly bring up the temp and slowly reduce it as needed. Hot water is a risk with wool but it's the agitation of stirring to get even coverage of the dye and the shock of going from a hot dye bath to a cool rinse that will really affect it all.
A worsted (can be tricky to tell a worsted from a man made fibre at times) will be easier in some ways harder in others. The tightness of the yarns will reduce the ability of the dye to work into the fibres.
Get a spare yard and practice. Or send it to professionals. The guys who did a lot of dyeing for LotR here actually have a pretty decent price for dyeing fabric. Either way by a good yard or two more than you need in case of shrinking.
Also directions should be on the pack/website. I do find home dyes tend to be less intense so I use twice or three times as much as is recommended.
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